Amy M. Aukstikalnis is a Senior Economist in Welch Consulting’s Los Angeles office. Since joining Welch Consulting, Dr. Aukstikalnis’ consulting work has included the statistical analysis of promotions, demotions, terminations, layoffs & pay practices in employment discrimination cases, the preparation of employment practice audits for Fortune 500 companies & the evaluation of claims in wage & hour litigation. She has prepared, & testified about, economic loss calculations in hiring, promotion, medical malpractice, personal injury, wage & hour, & wrongful termination cases. Dr. Aukstikalnis has also prepared studies related to, & testified about, unemployment spells, job market opportunities, earnings, benefit valuations & other issues relating to claims of economic damage in employment litigation cases.

Dr. Aukstikalnis received her Ph.D. in economics & M.B.A. from the University of Houston where she specialized in labor economics & applied econometrics. Before joining Welch Consulting, Dr. Aukstikalnis was employed as an economist for the Workers Compensation Research Institute in Cambridge Massachusetts where she directed studies related to current issues in worker compensations systems. Prior to that, she worked as an analyst for the Business Operations Analysis group within AT&T Bell Laboratories. She taught several courses in microeconomics at the University of Houston & conducted research on race & gender differences in the job turnover behavior of young workers. She is a member of the American Economic Association & the Society of Labor Economists.

• Ph.D., Economics
  University of Houston
  Houston, Texas - 1995
  
  
• M.A., Economics
  University of Houston
  Houston, Texas - 1992
  
  
• M.B.A.
  University of Houston
  Houston, Texas - 1990
  
  
• B.B.A., Marketing, cum laude
  University of Houston
  Houston, Texas - 1987

• Senior Economist, Welch Consulting
  Los Angeles, California
  2000 to Present
  
  
• Economist, Welch Consulting
  Santa Monica, California
  1997 to 2000
  
  
• Economist, Workers Compensation Research Institute
  Cambridge, Massachusetts
  1996 to 1997
  
  
• Consultant
  Telstra Australia
  1996
  
  
• Analyst, AT&T Bell Laboratories
  Somerset, New Jersey
  1995 to 1996
  
  
• Lecturer, University of Houston
  Houston, Texas
  1993 to 1995

• Expert Witness, Wage & Hours Class Action case involved allegations of forfeiture of vacation time under a use it or lose it vacation pay policy at a leading printer manufacturer. Used available company records & information on vacation pay practices at the company to estimated potential forfeitures & the corresponding dollar value of potentially forfeited vacation days.
  
  
• Expert Witness, Wage & Hours Reviewed company payroll records & prepared estimates of potential overtime damages for class members working a 4/10 schedule at a California based construction company.
  
  
• Expert Witness, Wrongful Termination Single plaintiff case involved allegations of wrongful termination by a manager laid off during a reduction in force at a major information technology services firm. Prepare an estimate of the potential economic losses incurred by the plaintiff due to the termination & provided rebuttal testimony to economic loss calculations prepared by the opposing expert in the matter.
  
  
• Consultant/Expert Witness, Wage & Hours Class action case involved allegations of missed & short meal & rest breaks, misclassification of exempt employees, unpaid overtime & under-payment of vacation pay at a California based company. Performed an audit of the opposing expert’s calculations & provided feedback on underlying assumptions & potential misstatement of damages to counsel.
  
  
• Expert Witness, Economic Losses Case involved an individual who was the victim of human trafficking. Prepare an estimate of past unpaid wages & what it would take financially to get the individual back on track educationally & in terms of a proper career path.
  
  
• Expert Witness, Wage & Hours Class action case involved the estimation of forfeited vacation time for employees of a national retailer. Worked with both class & defense counsel on the identification of class members, calculation of damages & estimation of settlement awards for the various sub-classes in a mediation setting.
  
  
• Consultant, Wage & Hours Class action matter involved allegations of missed/short meal & rest breaks, off-the-clock activity, & unpaid overtime at a large national retailer. Assisted in the identification of potential class members & estimated potential damages using data from company time stamped cash register & time clock data.
  
  
• Consultant, Reduction in Force Audit Prepared adverse impact analyses (examining Gender, Race & Age) & provided feedback regarding potential problem areas during a recent reduction in force at the production facilities of a California based firm.
  
  
• Consultant, Employment Practice Audit Examined base pay, merit increases, stock & bonus allocations for areas of adverse impact (Race, Gender & Age) for a major telecommunications company during their annual review process.
  
  
• Expert Witness, Wrongful Termination Case involved single plaintiff allegations of wrongful termination, sexual harassment & gender discrimination against an investment-banking firm. Conducted an assessment of the availability of comparable positions in the industry, prepared an assessment of the plaintiff’s mitigation behavior & economic loss calculations.
  
  
• Consultant, Employment Discrimination Multiple plaintiff case involved claims of race discrimination in pay, promotion & transfers at a large supermarket chain. Supervised & performed statistical studies of promotions & movements across positions & stores.
  
  
• Consultant, Employment Discrimination Class action case involved claims of race discrimination in promotion at a large employer in the medical services industry in Michigan. Compared racial composition of workforce to availability in the local labor market & analyzed promotions over time at the facility in question.
  
  
• Expert Witness, Medical Malpractice/Personal Injury Case involved single plaintiff allegations of medical malpractice against several doctors. Prepared earnings loss calculations. Reviewed & responded to the opposing expert’s report.
  
  
• Consultant, Reduction in Force Audit Prepared adverse impact analyses regarding race, gender & age & provided feedback regarding potential problem areas for a nationwide retailer during a reduction in force.
  
  
• Expert Witness, Wrongful Termination Single Plaintiff case involved allegations of wrongful termination of an executive at a printed circuit board manufacturer. Prepared an assessment of the state of the industry, summarized the plaintiff’s job search activities & prepared economic loss calculations.
  
  
• Expert Witness, Wrongful Termination Single Plaintiff case involved claims of wrongful termination against a large employer in the Hi-Tech industry. Reviewed the opposing expert’s report & prepared a reassessment of damage calculations for use in mediation proceedings.

ABOUT WELCH CONSULTING
For over 30 years Welch Consulting has assisted clients in matters involving complex litigation & the calculation of economic damages. Welch Consulting has a team of Ph.D. economists, statisticians, & programmers to provide rigorous & careful analyses of damages that rely on the facts & unique aspects of each case while using state-of-the-art economic & statistical models. Welch Consulting has offices in Los Angeles, Texas & Washington DC.