Attorneys and Law Firms

Attorneys and Law Firms

Don Brown’s expertise and experience as a Human Resources Disability Compliance manager and as a ADA and FEHA Compliance expert witness engaged in litigation support enables him to conduct rigorous analysis of information and data that meets the standards of accuracy and clarity imposed by the litigation process.

Don Brown’s CV

Don L. Brown

6043 Ralston Avenue Suite A • Richmond, CA 94805 • (510) 235-1777 • dlb723@sonic .net

Overview

Don Brown, President and Principal of Access Work Systems LLC is nationally certified by the United States Department of Justice and the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission as a trained expert in all titles of the Americans with Disabilities Act and is active within the national ADA Training Network. He has over 20 years of hands on experience implementing and managing HR disability compliance programs. Brown is certified by Mediators without Boarders as a employment mediator and has developed a mediation model he’s applied in over 200 reasonable accommodation interactive process settings. Brown is an expert in disability-related non-discrimination compliance requirements with an emphasis on the mandated reasonable accommodation process.

Don has extensive experience in developing and implementing HR programs and policies related to federal and state disability- employment compliance requirements, including:

Americans with Disabilities Act, as amended (ADAaa)

California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA)

California Family Rights Act (CFRA)

Sections 503/504 of the Rehabilitation Act, as amended

Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA)

Workers Compensation, ADA FMLA intersection,

Qualified individual with a disability (QID)

Reasonable accommodation interactive process

Job analysis

Essential/marginal job functions

Valid qualification standards

Direct threat analysis

Medical inquiries

Disability-based harassment

Brown’s exceptional perspective of a classically trained HR professional, together with his extensive knowledge and over 20 years of practical hands on experience, provides him an insightful and balanced approach to assessing and implementing regulatory compliance requirements.

Brown’s balanced and informed perspective is viewed favorably by both employers and employees engaged in highly sensitive disability-related employment dispute mediation. He is uniquely prepared to offer litigation support and accurate and reliable testimony on behalf of both plaintiffs and defendants engaged in protracted HR legal matters.

Professional Experience

ADA Compliance Coordinator

City of Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 2001 – 2015

Ø Maintained responsibility for the optimal accordance of various city-wide compliance programs and delivery systems with necessary policies and applicable local, state, and federal laws, including successfully organizing, directing, and evaluating all operational activities.

Ø Accurately analyzed and identified practical and cost-effective solutions regarding extensive programmatic and architectural compliance challenges, including providing essential verbal and written technical guidance on all program policies, procedures, and programmatic systems.

Ø Successfully maintained business-to-business relationships with various organizations, such as community / civic groups, non-profit organizations, academic / business institutions, government agencies, and other high-profile stakeholders.

Ø Effectively interpreted and applied laws, regulations, policies, and procedures to ensure exceptional compliance with mandated requirements.

Ø Optimally planned, directed, reviewed, and evaluated the job tasks of highly skilled direct reports, including consistently empowering associates to make decisions to reflect positively on organizational productivity and operational success.

Ø Prepared clear and accurate written compliance-oriented studies, proposals, and reports, as well as oversaw all complaint adjudication according to city-based regulations and grievance procedures, and conducted complaint investigations as necessary.

Don L. Brown

(510) 235-1777 • Page Two

Professional Experience (continued)

Human Resources Disability Programs Manager

San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 1994 – 2001

Ø Oversaw the comprehensive formation of a Human Resources Disability Management program which encompassed requirements mandated by provisions contained in Sections 503 / 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act.

Ø Efficiently conducted job analysis and classification reviews to determine essential and marginal job functions, as well as perform mandatory review of medical documentation to assess all requests for reasonable accommodation and disability-related employment claims.

Ø Accurately authored responses to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), California State Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH), and various private legal counsel in conjunction with claims of employment discrimination investigations.

Ø Created dynamically effective professional training and development programs for administrators, supervisors, and line staff, including originating, implementing, and maintaining high-quality standards for all associates to provide consistency within business operations.

Ø Performed valuable physical access and programmatic evaluations and reviews in accordance with federal and state guidelines, as well as provided administrative oversight for the university’s comprehensive Reasonable Accommodation Program.

Ø Successfully developed and administered a targeted employment recruitment campaign for under-represented applicants within the candidate hiring pool.

Human Resources Analyst

San Francisco Unified School District, San Francisco, CA 1991 – 1994

Ø Optimally performed wide-ranging Human Resources-based administrative activities comprised of over 50 classifications, including professionally and non-discriminatorily providing all essential organizational recruitment, examination, and selection.

Ø Proactively researched, accurately interpreted, and objectively applied necessary Civil Service rules, departmental policies and procedures, and city, state, and federal employment laws and regulations to ensure optimal adherence within the public school district’s offices.

Ø Successfully served as a resourceful and efficient operational liaison in the coordination of all disability-related HR transactions between the school district and the S.F. Civil Service Commission.

Ø Actively counseled educational administrators and managers on various employee disciplinary activities, while concurrently conducting critical suspension and termination hearings in an objective and reasonable manner.

~ Additional Key Experience ~

AA / EEO Coordinator, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, San Francisco, CA

Professional Certifications

Human Resources Studies Certification

Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations

ADA and Section 504 Rehabilitation Act Training Certification

U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

Assistive Technology Applications Certification

California State University, Northridge

Conflict mediation certificate(Employment)

Mediators without boarders

Education

Bachelor of Arts Clinical Psychology San Francisco State University

Litigation support and expert witness services:

· Expert litigation support testimony at trials, regulatory hearings, or depositions.

· Analysis and evaluation of relevant documentation.

· Preliminary assessment of liability or damage claims.

· Analysis and evaluation of opposing experts’ reports.

· Financial and economic damage estimates for settlement or mediation

· Organization of complex compensation and regulatory data for use by counsel

· Preparation of questions for discovery, deposition, or trial

· Consultation to assess the strategic role of either economic or statistical testimony

· Preparation of comprehensive and fully documented reports

Access Work Systems’ litigation support services can be critical elements in discovery and be particularly useful in strategic planning, and settlement negotiations even if expert testimony is not required.