Culture of CARE Forum: Navigating New DEI Liability & Preserving Inclusion Culture in 2025

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Culture of CARE Forum: Navigating New DEI Liability & Preserving Inclusion Culture in 2025

Join us in March for a virtual Culture of CARE forum aimed at keeping your Culture of CARE program up to date and effective in 2025. AGC members can register on this event page. Non-members can register by emailing sforster@agcwa.com.
Virtual access information will be emailed to all registrants prior to the event date.

Agenda

• Featured Presentation: Navigating New DEI Liability with Executive Orders
• Forum Conversation: The Benefits Inclusion Culture in Construction & It’s Role in Achieving High Retention Rates
• New Resource Highlight: ICE Raid Action Plan

Navigating New DEI Liability with Executive Orders
The construction industry is facing significant changes due to evolving federal policies and executive orders from the change in administration. Join Miller Nash LLP employment law partners April Fredrickson and Heather Van Meter, together with James Yand from the construction practice group, for a discussion focused on how President Trump’s new executive orders related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and immigration enforcement are impacting the construction sector. Key topics will include the impact of restrictions on federal DEI initiatives on hiring practices, workforce diversity, employee retention, contractor compliance and liability, as well as the potential effects of stricter immigration enforcement on the construction workforce. The session will explore how construction firms can navigate legal challenges, stay compliant with shifting federal priorities and maintain diverse jobsites.

Presenters

James Yand, Partner
Jim Yand is a construction partner with Miller Nash LLP. His practice focuses on resolving challenges involved in construction and property development that often arise from competing interests in allocating risk and responsibility in the complex supply chain for bringing new projects out of the ground. Jim has more than 30 years of experience resolving high-conflict cases that often determine the continued success of the client’s project or business. His representation across the construction chain also allows him to craft and litigate contract terms that achieve the most effective results. This work also extends to serving as outside counsel for various trade groups and advising on a range of business questions that arise.

April Fredrickson, Partner
April Fredrickson is an employment law partner with Miller Nash LLP. She represents public and private employers throughout Washington and Oregon in all areas of labor and employment law. April advises clients on a broad range of workplace and employment issues, including employment policies and practices, state and federal leave laws, wage-and-hour compliance, disability accommodation, employment discrimination, harassment and retaliation claims, noncompetition agreements, predictive scheduling compliance, and employee discipline and termination. April has extensive experience representing employers in litigation in state and federal court as well as before administrative agencies including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Bureau of Labor and Industries, the Washington Human Rights Commission, and the Department of Labor & Industries.

Heather Van Meter, Partner
Heather Van Meter is an employment law partner with Miller Nash LLP. She represents and advises private, public, and not-for-profit entities throughout the Pacific Northwest. Heather counsels employers on a full range of employment- and workplace-related issues, including employment handbook and policy development, compliance with complex state and federal leave laws, wage and hour issues, disability and religious accommodations, employment discrimination, harassment and retaliation claims, and employee discipline and termination. Heather also helps employers draft, negotiate, and enforce employment-related contracts, such as noncompete, no solicitation, and nondisclosure agreements, as well as employment and executive employee contracts. She regularly prepares employment-related and contractor agreements and advises on employee situations for regional, national, and international companies. When litigation is unavoidable, Heather litigates employment cases in state and federal courts. As a former professor and teacher, Heather enjoys providing workplace trainings on a variety of topics to ensure legal compliance while fostering a culture of inclusion.

Virtual Meeting