Faculty Bios

Amy Angel is an attorney at Barran Liebman LLP, representing management in employment matters. Her practice focuses on employment litigation and advice. She has represented public and private employers in both state and federal courts, as well as before BOLI and the EEOC. She has broad experience in defending claims of wrongful discharge, breach of contract, Title VII (including sex and race harassment, discrimination, and retaliation), ADA, ADEA, OFLA/FMLA, §1983, §1981, First Amendment, whistleblowing, workers' compensation discrimination and retaliation, and wage and hour claims. Amy earned her B.A. from Cornell University and her J.D., cum laude, from Duke University School of Law. She is admitted to practice in Oregon.

Paula Barran, a founding partner at Barran Liebman, has been practicing labor and employment law since 1980. She has written extensively on management law and is a national speaker. In addition to providing regular employer advice, Paula handles employment litigation in state and federal courts, labor disputes and employment arbitrations, and was trial counsel for the plaintiff scientists in the Kennewick Man litigation. She is also a fellow of The College of Labor and Employment Lawyers, a fellow of the American Bar Foundation, and has been named in The Best Lawyers In America directory since 2001. She is admitted to practice in Oregon, Washington and before the U.S. Supreme Court, U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit; U.S. District Court, District of Oregon and U.S. District Court, Eastern and Western Districts of Washington. Paula received her B.A. from the College of William and Mary, M.A. from Cornell University, Ph.D. from the University of British Columbia, LL.B. degree, with honors, from Osgoode Hall Law School at York University, and M.B.A. degree from the University of Oregon, Oregon Executive MBA program.

Ron Bennett has 30 years experience in the insurance industry with a majority of that providing insurance and risk management services to contractors. Ron has been active with the AGC since 1988 serving on several councils and committees. He helped to co-author the chapter’s Management Guide in 1990. Ron has spoken on insurance and risk management issues locally and regionally for AGC, CFMA and testified to the Oregon Legislature on various topics.

James Brown is a 25+ year seasoned architect and construction professional. He has leveraged his technical design and project management skills together with his persuasive communications ability to win new clients and contracts while also helping educate those in or seeking to join the green building industry. His LEED and sustainability classes are always captivating with great real-life anecdotes from his project list. Brown has successfully managed projects in mixed-use, retail, education, government, commercial, religious, hospitality, healthcare, and residential arenas. He has managed projects with values up to $125M and a staff up to 200.

Mr. Brown is known for delivering high-quality, high-functionality buildings within strict time and budget constraints. He is a registered architect and studied architecture at Bakersfield College in California. Prior to his work with SIG, Brown was successful at Opus Architects & Engineers, Opus Corporation, Curry Bradaw Architects, Kaplan McGloughlin Diaz, and Renfro Elliott & Associates.

John Carlson has worked in construction safety for the past 21 years. He has administered state fund and self-insured workers’ compensation programs along with safety and health programs in 11 western states. He has also worked as a loss control consultant for a nationwide workers’ compensation insurance company providing recommendations and program development for local companies and large multi-state companies.

John has also worked in consulting, providing training, program development, and guidance on claims management and workers’ compensation issues for clients specializing in commercial and industrial construction safety, food processing, and manufacturing.

While working for the Associated General Contractors of Washington, John oversaw the comprehensive development of a national disaster response program for the construction trades and legislation to protect employers from liability in the event of a worker injury while aiding in a national disaster response. Additionally John was responsible for assisting the membership in the event of accidents, fatalities, or significant natural disasters.

Jeffrey P. Chicoine, a partner in the Miller Nash, LLP employment law and labor relations practice group, joined the firm in 2009. Jeff's practice focuses on advising employers on labor relations and employment law. He negotiates collective bargaining agreements and handles arbitrations for both private- and public-sector clients. He also represents employers in employment discrimination, sex harassment, wrongful discharge, and wage-and-hour disputes in state and federal courts and agencies. Jeff's experience includes twice fending off wage-and-hour class actions brought against his clients.

Jeff's employment practice has led into insurance coverage litigation, where he works to compel insurance companies to cover claims brought against his clients. He has also developed expertise in administrative law and assists clients in dealing with state and federal government agencies.

Charlie Cichetti oversees the sustainable consulting, construction management, and LEED certification services for simultaneous projects. He has experience working with multiple rating systems including: LEED-NC, LEED-CS, LEED-CI, LEED-EBO&M, Energy Star, and LEED for Schools. He has more than 10 years of experience in commercial construction, real estate development, and project management, and has directed multi-million-dollar office, warehouse, specialty, and condo construction projects. Mr. Cichetti holds a degree in business management from the College of Business at Georgia Tech and has successfully become a LEED Accredited Professional in the following areas: LEED v2.2 – New Construction & Major Renovation, Green Associate, Operations & Maintenance, Building Design & Construction, Interior Design & Construction, and Homes.

Sue Clark is an Underwriting Consultant with CNA Surety’s Portland Branch. Sue has over 33 years of surety experience in the Portland marketplace working with contractors and forest products companies throughout the western states. She remains active in the construction community serving on various AGC committees and as a member of the Surety Association of Oregon.

Gina Fox is the education manager and public information officer for the Oregon Construction Contractors Board. She oversees the consumer education program and the contractor education program which includes prerequisite education and testing and the new continuing education. In addition, Fox oversees the agency communications, including media relations, publications, website content, e-newsletter, and the agency’s most recent communication tool, the CCB Blog. She holds a degree in Communications and a certificate in Public Management.

Shane Graves, Partner, has been with Hoffman, Stewart & Schmidt, P.C. since 1997 and has over a 14 years of experience in public accounting. He primarily serves closely-held companies and their owners working in the construction and real estate industry. Shane is a contributing author to local construction trade association newsletters. He has been a presenter of a variety of construction specific topics in continuing educational classes for CFMA and surety professionals. Shane is a member of CFMA, as well as, a past board member of CFMA, a member of the AICPA and OSCPA, and a member of the Surety Association of Oregon.

Ronald G. Guerra is a member of Jordan Schrader Ramis’s labor and employment law practice group and brings a unique and diverse background to representing clients in employment and labor relations matters. Ron has become a foremost advisor on immigration reform and compliance issues, advising employers regarding current I-9 requirements. Ron’s experience also includes negotiating labor contracts, administering grievance and arbitration processes, presenting discrimination and supervisory training, conducting employment related investigations, and developing employee handbooks and policies. Ron represents clients in federal and state courts and before federal and state administrative agencies, including the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and the U.S. Department of Labor. Prior to obtaining his legal education, Ron worked eleven years for the Whirlpool Corporation in various business management positions. Ron also speaks Spanish.

David Haynes, Infrastructure Application Specialist, Ideate, Inc.

David Haynes is a registered architect and a LEED accredited professional who previously had his own practice and was president of a commercial design-build construction company for 15 years. A graduate of University of Arizona, he has worked as an architect, contractor, developer, educator, and as a national construction manager for a national retailer. David currently develops and implements targeted AEC business solutions—including Revit Architecture, Revit Structure, AutoCAD Architecture, and Navisworks—for clients across the United States involved in the design and building process.

John J. Hickey, PE is one of Jordan Schrader Ramis PC’s dual professional attorneys and is a member of its Dirt Law practice group. Mr Hickey‘s practice focuses on construction law, design professional liability, and litigation. His engineering experience includes site layout, drainage system design, pump station design, and working as a project engineer for residential, commercial, and public works construction projects. Mr. Hickey’s engineering experience gives him a unique perspective on the application of legal principles to the engineering and construction industries. Mr. Hickey received his bachelor’s degree in civil and environmental engineering from the University of Massachusetts and his J.D. from the University of Oregon School of Law.

Scott Jensen, partner, Brownstein, Rask, Sweeney, Kerr, Grim, DeSylvia & Hay LLP

Scott Jensen is a construction and business lawyer in Portland, Oregon, and partner with the Brownstein Rask law firm, practicing law at Brownstein Rask since 1986. Scott grew up in a construction family and worked on high-voltage powerline projects in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Arizona, Colorado, Minnesota and North and South Dakota, prior to going to law school. His law practice focuses on construction, business, and real estate. Brownstein Rask is a multi-service law firm serving the needs of businesses in the Pacific Northwest. The firm's attorneys provide a broad range of business services that include all aspects of the construction industry for general contractors, subcontractors, and developers. Scott can be reached at slj@brownrask.com or 503-412-6711.

Bill Joseph has extensive experience litigating and trying various types of civil disputes, including construction, real estate, lien, business and products liability, contract, and tort cases. Bill is also experienced in handling corporate, intellectual property and land use transactional matters. He was counsel to the Oregon House and Senate Judiciary Committees during the 2003 Legislative Session, is a registered lobbyist, and is using his experience and contacts to remain active in state and local politics. In 2008, Bill was listed as a Rising Star in the area of construction law by Oregon Super Lawyers magazine. Bill is an active participant in both the Construction Leadership and Associates Councils at the AGC Oregon-Columbia Chapter.

Bar Admissions: Washington, 2008; Oregon, 2000; California, 1996. Education: George Washington University Law School, J.D., with Honors, 1996; Boston University, B.A., International Relations, cum laude with Distinction, 1992.

Ken Kauno is a certified technical trainer (CTT) and is a regular instructor for accredited Autodesk Authorized Training Center, The PPI Group. Ken presents AutoCAD classes for AGC chapters on a regular basis. Ken’s longevity with The PPI Group and the industry includes over 10 years experience working in the CAD industry with a specialization in Autodesk® Navisworks, AutoCAD® Architecture, Revit® Structure, AutoCAD® MEP and AutoCAD® at all user levels.

Steve Pinnell has over 45 years experience managing design and construction projects and helping contractors and owners avoid and resolve construction disputes. He has worked as a contractor's superintendent, estimator, and project engineer. He is a licensed engineer and has worked as a design engineer, project manager, resident engineer, construction manager, and firm-wide coordinator of value engineering and scheduling for a large, international consulting engineering firm. Since forming Pinnell Engineers, now Pinnell/Busch, Inc., he has worked with a wide range of contractors, architects/engineers, and project owners to complete projects on time and within budget and to help his clients better organize and manage their organizations.

Steve is an internationally recognized expert in critical path scheduling and dispute resolution. He is the author of “How To Get Paid For Construction Changes”, McGraw-Hill, 1998. Steve is an experienced arbitrator, and an American Arbitration Association member. He has also taught over 300 seminars, workshops and presentations, in addition to teaching graduate level courses at the University of Portland and Portland State University.

Vaughn is currently a safety instructor with Integrity Safety Services. Vaughn brings over twenty years of experience as a school administrator, high school classroom instructor, and field training in both residential and commercial construction work. His safety background includes conducting site audits for large general contractors, consulting work for general industry and food processing plants, industrial hygiene for air quality and monitoring, confined space monitor and oversight, and both quantitative and qualitative respirator fit testing.

Vaughn’s strong background in teaching and experience as a contractor, combined with his passion for teaching and understanding of the materials and concepts, provide relevant and effective training skills for participants.

John Rakowitz joined AGC’s government affairs team in June, 2008 and was appointed public affairs director later in the year. In this role he manages a number of critical relationships with state agencies, including the Department of Transportation and the Bureau of Labor & Industry. Since January he has focused on managing AGC’s aggressive industry agenda in the 2009 Oregon Legislative session. He brings a breadth of experience working on behalf of a variety of business interests and issues, ranging from transportation funding to business taxes to regulatory relief. His professional experience includes working as a Portland Business Alliance lobbyist, and serving on the staff of an Oregon governor and as chief of staff for a Multnomah County Chair. In the many years John spent as a state and local economic development official he learned firsthand the many challenges Oregon’s business climate poses for businesses and industries across the state.

Joe Schneid joined AKT LLP in December of 1995. He has 20 years of public accounting experience in large, local and regional firms, and spent three years as a tax manager for the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

Joe has a Masters of Taxation degree from the American University in Washington, DC, and in 2004, became one of the very first CCIFP certification holders in the country.

Joe served as the Chair of the OSCPA Construction Team in 2003 and 2004, and currently serves on the finance committee for both the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) and Associated General Contractors (AGC). He is also an active member of both the Construction Financial Managers Association (CFMA) and CICPAC.

Craig P. Smith is the administrator of the Oregon Construction Contractors Board (CCB). He serves as executive officer of its nine-member governor-appointed board, a position he has held since 2001. Smith oversees the licensing and certification programs affecting 46,000 construction businesses. In 1980, while president of an Oregon-based residential general contracting business, Smith was appointed by Oregon Governor Victor Atiyeh to serve as a member of the Oregon Builders Board. He chaired the board from 1983–84.

Smith has served as a member of the national and Oregon Associations of Administrative Law Judges in 1996–97and served as the CCB’s chief administrative law judge (ALJ) in 1995–1996.

Smith holds a Bachelor of Science in Social Sciences from Oregon College of Education, now Western Oregon University, in Monmouth, Oregon.

David Stover is the training director at PBS Environmental + Engineering. David has taught hundreds of courses ranging from hazardous materials to general workplace health and safety. He has taught courses throughout Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Alaska, and California for various clients and trade associations, including AGC. Mr. Stover has taught courses with just a few individuals as well as large audiences. He is a knowledgeable practitioner and excellent presenter.

Angelique Whitlow, Partner, has been with Talbot, Korvola & Warwick, LLP since 1994 and has over a 15 years of experience in public accounting. She primarily serves closely-held companies and their owners working in the construction and real estate industry. She also serves other closely-held companies as well as employee benefit plans and municipal organizations. Angelique has been a contributing author to local construction trade association newsletters. Angelique is a member of CFMA, and currently serves on the Scholarship Committee, as well as, a past board member of CFMA including the position of Secretary, a member of the AICPA and OSCPA, and a member of the Surety Association of Oregon. Angelique currently serves as the Oregon-Columbia Chapter of AGC Associates Council chair which includes a position on the Board of Directors.