The NILG Advisory Council is comprised of the Board’s Counsel and Compliance Subject Matter Experts who contribute at the direction of the Board to provide input on regulatory matters of importance to federal contractors.
The NILG Advisory Council supports the work of the Board’s Constituency Outreach Committee (COC), which interfaces with local ILGs and the OFCCP, EEOC, ODEP and the Veterans administration, by helping to sharpen issues for ILG discussion and develop practice recommendations for agency review.
NILG Advisory Council members are selected by Board vote and serve overlapping 2 year terms. The NILG Advisory Council, in place since 2019, has become instrumental in helping the NILG support local ILGs and in providing observations and feedback to regulators.
Current NILG Advisory Council Members:
H. Juanita (Nita) M. Beecher, Counsel to Fortney & Scott, LLC, is a nationally-recognized expert on OFCCP and the EEOC with more than 40 years of experience in federal and state employment law. Currently, Ms. Beecher provides advice to clients on a broad range of employment law issues with her primary focus on issues involving discrimination, affirmative action, compensation and wage and hour matters. She also serves as Legal Counsel to The Institute for Workplace Equality as well as co-editor of the Federal Employment Law Insider, a monthly newsletter updating employers on federal laws and regulations and presents webinars on federal employment law issues.
Lynn Clements, as Director, Regulatory Affairs for Berkshire, oversees Berkshire’s audit defense practice, helping clients respond to hundreds of government investigations since she joined the consulting firm in 2014. With over 20 years of EEO/AA experience, Lynn also serves as a strategic advisor to clients with respect to EEO/AA and pay equity issues and regularly helps clients develop robust compliance and diversity programs through client training and policy and program development. Prior to joining Berkshire, Lynn was a partner at a management-side law firm and served in several senior policy development roles at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Department of Labor, including as the Acting Director of Policy at the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs. A frequent speaker to HR professionals of all levels at national and local events, Lynn has testified before Congress on EEO and pay equity issues, regularly assists industry organizations, including SHRM and CUPA-HR, in understanding and responding to regulatory proposals.
Inderdeep Chatrath, Ph.D. served as AVP of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action in the Duke University Office for Institutional Equity for 20 years. Her role was highly influential, and she regularly took on additional responsibilities as the University’s needs changed over time. In addition to ownership of the annual Affirmative Action Plan and internal audit, Inderdeep also managed a wide range of research and evaluation studies to guide the evolution of EEO/AA policies, procedures, and investments, then leveraged that data to ensure continued compliance with local, state, and national regulations. Her teaching experience was also extensive: She designed training programs for faculty, academic, and administrative leadership; served as instructor for the Executive Certificate in Nonprofit Leadership program; and is currently developing a certification exam and test questions for EEO/AA professionals. Inderdeep has also been engaged in working with OFCCP and independent consultants to support workplace compliance, equity and diversity.
Concurrent with her position at Duke, Inderdeep was engaged by public and private higher education institutions, consulting firms, legal counsel, audit and risk management professionals, and senior HR professionals in all areas of human resources to advise on EEO/AA compliance and develop strategies that promote D/E/I in the workplace.
Valerie Hoffman is a partner at Seyfarth Shaw LLP where she has a nation-wide practice of labor and employment law and has served in various management roles at the Firm. As counsel to management, Valerie advises employers of all varieties and sizes, including Fortune 100 technology, financial services, professional services, hospitality, and manufacturing companies. While Valerie has a broad-based employment law advice and counsel practice, she has a particular focus on strategies to prevent and resolve issues relating to employment discrimination, including pay equity and glass ceiling issues, OFCCP defense and affirmative action compliance, and advice about legally defensible diversity practices. Valerie is a core leader of the Firm’s Pay Equity Group and founded and is Co-Chair of the Firm’s nationally prominent OFCCP, Affirmative Action & Diversity practice.