Berkeley Research Group adds five leaders
Berkeley Research Group (BRG), a global consulting firm based in Emeryville, CA, has added five leaders in the US. David Sunding, PhD, joins the firm as vice chairman and managing director, while labor economists Mike DuMond, PhD, Eric Mitchem, PhD, Benjamin Shippen, PhD, and Wayne Strayer, PhD, have joined as managing directors in the firm’s labor and employment practice.
Based in San Francisco, David Sunding brings more than 25 years of experience as an economist and consultant, with deep expertise in antitrust and competition, product liability, and environmental regulation. In his new role as vice chairman, Sunding will initially focus on growing the firm’s international competition economics offering into a world-leading practice.
Sunding has taught law, economics, and industrial organization at the University of California, Berkeley, since 1992. He currently serves as Thomas J. Graff professor emeritus and professor of the graduate school. Sunding also previously taught at Stanford University and Boston College.
He joins BRG from rival consultancy The Brattle Group, where he was a principal since 2011 and spent the last two years as president and board member.
"I have worked alongside David for many years and am delighted to have him join our firm. I have the utmost respect for his academic and professional work and also his leadership style. I look forward to realizing our ambitious plans together," said David Teece, PhD, executive chairman and founder of BRG and a professor at the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley.
The four new managing directors in the labor and employment practice join BRG from Secretariat Economists/Economists Incorporated, where they were also managing directors. BRG says the new team will turn the practice into “one of the most robust in the marketplace today.”
Mike DuMond (Tallahassee) advises on pay equity, disparate impact, wage and hour compliance, EEOC investigations, and OFCCP audits.
He spent the last eight years at Economists Incorporated. He was also previously a principal at Charles River Associates and a labor economist at ERS Group. DuMond also taught labor economics for 14 years at Florida State University as an adjunct professor.
He has a PhD, MS, and BS in economics from Florida State University.
Eric Mitchem (College Station, Texas) focuses on applying economic, econometric, and statistical analysis to employment litigation, EEOC investigations, and OFCCP audits.
He previously spent eight years at Economists Incorporated and seven years at ERS Group. Mitchem also was an adjunct professor at Florida State University for four years.
He has a PhD in economics from Texas A&M University and a bachelor’s degree in economics from Virginia Tech.
Benjamin "Bo" Shippen (Tallahassee) specializes in economic modeling and statistical analysis for labor and employment. He has worked on engagements related to discrimination in compensation, hiring, termination, performance, promotion, and other employment decisions.
He previously spent eight years at Economists Incorporated and five years at ERS Group. Earlier in his career, Shippen spent five years as an assistant professor of economics and quantitative methods at Mercer University.
He has a PhD in economics from Florida State University and a bachelor’s degree in economics from Mercer University.
Wayne Strayer (Tallahassee) advises on claims of discrimination in employment practices, pay equity, and EEOC and OFCCP audits and investigations.
He previously spent eight years at Economists Incorporated and four years at Charles River Associates. Strayer also worked as an economist at Welch Consulting for nine years. Earlier in his career, he was an assistant professor at Texas A&M University.
Strayer has a PhD in economics from The Ohio State University and a bachelor’s degree in economics from Washington State University.
"This distinguished group will deepen our Labor and Employment practice's consulting and litigation capabilities, encompassing everything from class certification matters, wage and hour, pay equity studies, EEOC risk assessment, and OFCCP compliance, as well as disparate impact testing in promotions, terminations, and assessments of employee performance. With these additions, BRG is now home to one of the most comprehensive L&E consulting and expert witness groups in the industry," said Raymond Kolls, a managing director and co-leader of BRG's economics and damages community.
