Workplace Investigations

Anne Marie began working for the State of Hawaii in 2012. After working as a Deputy Attorney General in the Employment Law Division of the Attorney General’s office, Anne Marie worked for the Department of Human Resources Development and created the Equal Employment Opportunity (“EEO”) Office to provide centralized EEO services to the departments of the State Executive Branch (excluding the Department of Education and University of Hawaii Board of Regent appointees). As the program manager, Anne Marie oversaw the EEO Office in developing policies, overseeing and conducting investigations, providing guidance to departments relating to recruitment and personnel practices, conducting training to ensure an environment free of discrimination and harassment, and providing guidance for departments relating to reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities.  She continued and expanded this work as the Director of the State of Hawaii Department of Education Civil Rights Compliance Office, where she was responsible for selecting, training and managing Equity Specialists in handling investigations relating to Title IX, Title VI, Title VII, and Section 504/Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act for all employees and students.

After leaving the State of Hawaii in 2018, Anne Marie joined Bank of Hawaii as Vice President & Employee Relations Manager to help ensure workplace excellence for all employees. She helped build the bank’s employee relations and ADA reasonable accommodation programs, oversaw the employee relations team in responding to employee concerns relating to workplace conduct, conducted and oversaw workplace investigations, compiled data relating to employee concerns to identify trends, developed and provided training relating to workplace conduct and reasonable accommodations, coached and trained managers on performance management and the disciplinary process, and assessed departmental situations and/or concerns and made recommendations to improve the workplace.

Anne Marie began her law practice in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1994 and shortly thereafter returned to her native New Mexico.  She defended companies in the areas of personal injury, medical malpractice, commercial disputes, oil and gas, construction, and surety and fidelity bond litigation and ultimately focused in the area of employment and labor law litigation.  In that practice, she advised employers in employment matters, including age, race, disability and gender discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and wage and hour issues.  She developed policies and procedures for various types of companies, advised on compliance with policies and procedures and state and federal laws and provided training to management and employees.  She represented employers in claims brought before the New Mexico Human Rights Commission, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Department of Labor and in lawsuits brought in state and federal court.  

As a labor lawyer, Anne Marie represented management in unfair labor practices claims, in administrative hearings before the National Labor Relations Board, in collective bargaining, in grievance arbitrations, and in union organizing campaigns. She advised clients on labor matters, interpretation of collective bargaining agreements and provided training to management and staff regarding their rights under collective bargaining agreements.

Anne Marie is a trained conflict coach and is a Certified Workplace Mediator and Trainer by the Mediation Training Institute at Eckerd College. She is a certified practitioner for the Conflict Dynamics Profile-Individual (CDP-I) and a Qualified Mediator through the International Mediation Institute.Additionally, she is a trained mediator and volunteers at the Mediation Center of the Pacific. In 2022, she completed the training on Mediating the Litigated Case offered by the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution at Pepperdine Caruso School of Law.

After leaving the practice of law in 2006, Anne Marie went to work for a large electrical contractor providing construction services throughout the State of New Mexico. She served as both general counsel and human resource director. As general counsel, she oversaw pending litigation, reviewed construction contracts, and drafted contracts. She also provided legal advice in employment matters, revised employment policies and handbooks, and provided training to management and employees. As the human resource director, she was in charge of all employment matters for over 200 employees, including the administration of employee benefits, workers’ compensation claims, unemployment claims, and the preparation of an annual affirmative action plan.

In 2007, Anne Marie formed Skill Supply, which was a temporary staffing company that provided temporary employees to construction and law firms. Anne Marie oversaw all operations, including organizing the business to operate in each individual state, overseeing sales and marketing, obtaining the necessary insurance for each state, performing accounts receivable/payable functions, preparing monthly financials, preparing payroll, managing the office staff and temporary employees and ensuring customer satisfaction. She also provided Human Resources consultation services to clients, which included overseeing human resource  functions, reviewing and updating policies and procedures and conducting investigations.  In Skill Supply’s first full year, it employed 80 temporary employees and operated in eight states.