Current NILG Advisory Council Members:
Valentín Estévez
Vice President at Charles River Associates
Valentín Estévez is Vice President at Charles River Associates where he performs statistical analyses of claims of employment discrimination filed under federal and state statutes and of alleged violations of the FLSA and state wage and hour regulations. Dr. Estévez has helped government contractors throughout the country and in numerous industries prepare for and respond to OFCCP audits. Besides his litigation work, Dr. Estévez regularly advises clients on pay equity and pay gap issues and has completed hundreds of privileged pay equity studies under federal, state, and international pay equity regulations.
Dr. Estévez has a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Chicago. He presents frequently on the application of economics, statistics, and advanced data analysis techniques in labor and employment matters. More recently, Dr. Estévez presented at the 2019 and 2020 NILG Conferences and was an expert panelist at the NILG-OFCCP compensation roundtable in February 2020.
Daniel Kuang
Dan Kuang, Ph.D., has extensive experience developing and validating tests and measures for personnel selection and performance assessment. Additionally, Dr. Kuang has considerable experience evaluating, supporting, and challenging employment practices, procedures, and tests in the context of litigation support. His expertise in applied statistics is firmly grounded by his years of experience in high-stakes educational testing and medical health research. In his current role, his primary responsibility is to ensure that clients are in compliance with Federal guidelines and regulations, and are positioned to respond to external legal threats and challenges.
Craig Leen
Partner – K&L Gates LLP
Craig Leen is a partner in the DC office of K&L Gates in the labor, employment, and workplace safety practice group, and he co-leads the firm’s OFCCP and Affirmative Action Compliance Practice. He previously served as OFCCP Director and is a Professorial Lecturer in Law at GW Law. Craig serves on many boards and committees, including in the EEO area for Eightfold, RespectAbility, Disability:IN DC Metro, and the NYU Center for Labor & Employment Law. Craig is admitted to practice law in DC, Florida, Massachusetts, and New York, and is board certified by The Florida Bar in city, county, and local government law. Craig has spoken numerous times at the NILG from 2018-2022, and he is a member of the Washington Metro ILG.
Vicki Lipnic
Partner at Resolution Economics
Victoria A. Lipnic is a Partner at Resolution Economics. She leads the Company’s Human Capital Strategy Group. The Human Capital Strategy Group combines the Company’s expertise in data analytics and deep knowledge of regulatory requirements with an interdisciplinary approach to advise organizations on the full range of their human capital needs and reporting requirements including recruitment, selection, promotions, DE&I, pay equity, and overall talent allocation.
Danny Petrella
Senior Vice President, Compliance and Assistant General Counsel – Center for Workplace Compliance
Danny Petrella serves as Senior Vice President, Compliance and Assistant General Counsel to the Center for Workplace Compliance (CWC), where he helps CWC members understand and meet their workplace compliance requirements. Danny specializes in advising employers on the specific workplace implications of federal, state, and local labor and employment laws, with a particular emphasis on the nondiscrimination and affirmative action requirements enforced by the Labor Department’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP). Danny has more than 17 years of professional experience counseling and representing employers on matters before the OFCCP, EEOC, NLRB, and other federal, state, and local agencies.
In addition to his CWC role, Danny is also Managing Partner at NT Lakis, LLP and serves as a Senior Consultant with the firm’s affiliated consulting group, Employment Advisory Services, Inc.
Consuela Pinto
Partner – FordHarrison
Having practiced in both the private and federal government sectors for more than 25 years, Consuela’s experience affords her a unique perspective in the representation of clients. She is particularly adept in advising on compliance with non-discrimination laws, federal government EEO investigations, pattern and practice systemic claims, compliance with federal contractors’ affirmative action and non-discrimination obligations, pay equity and DE&I strategies. Consuela’s significant private practice experience includes representing employers on a nationwide basis in compliance reviews before the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs.
Just before joining FordHarrison, Consuela was in private practice at a Washington, DC based employment law firm, representing employers in a host of issues related to workplace law. Prior to that, she was the Deputy Associate Solicitor in the Civil Rights and Labor Management Division at the U.S. Department of Labor in the National Office of the Solicitor. In this role, Consuela advised DOL agencies on a wide range of regulatory, policy, and enforcement issues impacting a cross-section of workers, while balancing significant managerial responsibilities. One of her key responsibilities at DOL was advising the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs and the Office of the Solicitor on enforcement matters related to federal contractors’ equal employment opportunity obligations.
Consuela is a trained mediator, and author of a number of articles related to OFCCP compliance matters, pay equity, DE&I initiatives, and general EEO issues. She is also a past President of the Women’s Bar Association of the District of Columbia.