Rae Vann

Meeting of July 15, 2009 – Age Discrimination in the 21st Century-Barriers to the Employment of Older Workers

Rae T. Vann is a partner with Norris, Tysse, Lampley & Lakis, LLP, the Washington, D.C., management labor and employment law firm that manages EEAC. Rae first joined the EEAC staff as counsel in July 2000. After a three-year hiatus, Rae returned to EEAC in January 2007 as its new general counsel. As general counsel, Ms. Vann supervises the preparation and filing of EEAC amicus curiae briefs in important EEO cases.

Prior to rejoining EEAC, Ms. Vann was associated with Shipman & Goodwin, LLP, a major Connecticut law firm, where she practiced Labor and Employment and School Law. She also worked for Chubb Specialty Insurance as an Employment Practices Liability (EPL) severity claims examiner.

Ms. Vann previously served as Special Counsel to the New Haven Board of Education, where she represented the Board in various matters, including state and federal employment discrimination claims, federal compliance reviews, termination proceedings, and labor disputes before the State Board of Mediation and Arbitration and the State Board of Labor Relations. Prior to that, Ms. Vann was an associate attorney with Hartford, Connecticut-based Updike, Kelly & Spellacy, representing clients in labor and employment litigation matters. She also provided in-house and external training on compliance with equal employment opportunity laws and responding to discrimination claims.

Ms. Vann began her career in the position of Staff Attorney for the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities ("CCHRO"), where she was involved in all aspects of the discrimination complaint investigation process, including pre-investigative review, expedited fact-finding, full investigation, conciliation and mediation. During her tenure at CCHRO, Ms. Vann also provided training on diversity and discrimination complaint investigation methodology.

Ms. Vann received her B.S. in Policy and Management from Carnegie Mellon and her law degree from the University of Connecticut School of Law. She is admitted to practice law in the District of Columbia, the State of Connecticut, as well as before the U.S. Supreme Court and other federal appellate courts.