Managing Director and Harassment Investigator

Ms. Dillard is a part of Bashen’s Strategic Management Team and works to translate strategy into specific corporate actions with clear accountability and sustainability. Ms. Dillard provides expert consultative services to clients regarding intricate, sensitive investigations that may involve but not limited to class action and brand risk.

Ms. Dillard provides Bashen’s clients consulting and investigative services regarding allegations of workplace misconduct, including policy violations, ethics, fraud, gender, pay, age, transgender, hostile work environment, and harassment. As a Managing Director and Sr. Consultant, Ms. Dillard has conducted nearly 500 investigations, all of which involved interviews with countless witnesses including managing officials and executives.

Ms. Dillard also handles investigations for Bashen’s client the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”), including both the Transportation Security Administration (“TSA”) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”). DHS vetted Ms. Dillard and granted her a security clearance to handle classified/sensitive national security matters under Public Trust.

With multiple clients from both the private sector and federal sector, Ms. Dillard is well versed in investigative techniques and standards. She is also a certified EEO investigator having completed the required 32 hours of investigative training pursuant to the EEOC mandate for federal investigations.

For federal sector clients, Ms. Dillard conducts workplace harassment complaints, counseling, and formal complaints of discrimination. Ms. Dillard prepares investigative plans, interviews witnesses, drafts executive summaries, fact-finding reports, reports of findings, internal complaint memoranda, reports of investigations (ROIs), EEO counselor’s reports, witness affidavits; final agency decisions (FADs) in accordance with MD110, 29CFR Part 1614.

And for private sector clients, Ms. Dillard investigates harassment and hostile work environment claims, interviews witnesses and sends requests for information to clients, she analyzes all acquired data, drafts investigative summaries and position statements. She conducts onsite investigations and attends administrative fact finding conferences and mediates matters when appropriate.

Ms. Dillard assists clients in the creation and maintenance of Affirmative Action Plans (AAPs), MD-715 Reporting, Affirmative Employment Plan, EE0-1, VETS-100/100A and similar reports. When necessary, Ms. Dillard responds to governmental inquiries, including those from the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Program (OFCCP). Ms Dillard work includes analyzing related employment transaction practices such as, (hiring, promotion, termination, training, compensation analysis, disability management, and veterans’ outreach).

Prior to joining Bashen

Ms. Dillard practiced in general litigation with a special focus on employment law.  Ms. Dillard was the lead attorney on employment related cases at previous law firms.  Ms. Dillard also worked for J.C. Penney’s Legal Department and the EEOC.  While at the EEOC, Ms. Dillard work in the legal department focused on claim’s viability and recommendation for courses of action.  Ms. Dillard successfully settled various cases using mediation.

Ms. Dillard planned and implemented diversity and inclusion outreach symposiums using town-hall forums.  Individuals within minority and majority groups were encouraged to interact and speak with each other about the issues affecting minority groups’ education, employment, and integration into the workforce.

 

Education

Ms. Dillard graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts from Sam Houston State University and received her Juris Doctor from Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law.  Ms. Dillard is admitted to practice law in Texas and the Southern District of Texas. She has her PHR certification and is a member of the National Industry Liaison Group.