Rachel Ablin is the founder of Ablin Law, PC, a firm that specializes in providing employers with expert, professional and confidential workplace investigation solutions in the areas of harassment, discrimination, policy and employee code of conduct violations and other legal violations. Ms. Ablin has extensive employment law experience working with both employers and employees. Prior to starting Ablin Law, she worked for over 19 years as in-house employment counsel for Walgreens. In her role at Walgreens, she provided expert legal counsel to clients on a broad spectrum of employment and labor law issues. This included advising clients on complex and high-risk employee relations issues, conducting and directing internal investigations, representing the company before government agencies nationwide and successfully managing single plaintiff and class action litigation alleging violation of state and U.S. labor laws. Prior to joining Walgreens, she also conducted hundreds of investigations as a Senior Investigator for the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) offices in Chicago and Baltimore. Hired through the Outstanding Scholars program, she worked as an EEOC investigator while attending law school. After successfully conducting numerous neutral EEOC investigations at thousands of private employers across a diverse industry base, she received a special assignment investigating significant sexual harassment cases. Ms. Ablin is currently a member of the Association of Workplace Investigators (AWI) and attended AWI’s national training institute. She is admitted to practice law in Illinois and Maryland (currently inactive status in Maryland). In 2019, Ms. Ablin was awarded the CRAIN’S 2019 Notable Gen X Leaders in Law.

Investigator Theresa Bernal joined the Chicago Housing Authority OIG in April 2022. Theresa previously served as a Probation Officer for Cook County Adult Probation and also worked as a LEADS Unit Supervisor with the Cook County State’s Attorney Office for four years. She previously worked in the legal field for over 15 years. Theresa holds a BA in Criminal Justice from Roosevelt University. She is a Certified Inspector General Investigator.

Roth provides administrative support to the legal section of the Office of Inspector General for the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services. Prior to joining HFS OIG, Roth worked at the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS), Division of Rehabilitation Services Homes Services Program. His time there included work with the IMPACT enrollment program and the Home Services Program fraud unit. Before leaving IDHS, Roth served as the policy and training manager, overseeing the statewide utilization of three of the nine Medicaid home and community-based services waivers in Illinois.

Brian became Inspector General at the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services Office of Inspector General in April 2021, after having served for six years as the First Deputy Inspector General and General Counsel for the City of Chicago Office of Inspector General. Prior to that, Brian was General Counsel for the Illinois Department of Human Services and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, and an Associate General Counsel for the Office of the Governor of Illinois. Before joining public service, Brian worked as a litigation associate for Mayer Brown LLP and clerked for the Honorable James Moran in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

Tony joined the Office of Inspector General for the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services in March 2022 as the Deputy Inspector General for Investigations after having worked in the City of Chicago’s Office of Inspector General for seventeen years. Over that time, Tony worked his way from an Investigator I to a Chief Investigator, leading a team in complex investigations involving comprehensive data analysis, surveillance, extensive interviewing, and high-profile criminal and administrative allegations. Tony is a Certified Inspector General and a Certified Inspector General Investigator with the Association of Inspectors General.

Deputy Inspector General Michael Kosanovich joined the CHA OIG in February 2017 after 24 years with the FBI. As an Assistant Special Agent in Charge, he provided executive management oversight to the Chicago Division’s While Collar Crime program, leading Financial Crime and Public Corruption investigations. Prior to his arrival to CHA, Michael spent three years as the Global Security Director with General Electric. Michael earned a BA in Criminal Justice from the University of Maryland and completed FBI Executive Management Training at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. He is a Certified Inspector General.

Nathan Kipp joined OIG in February 2022 after having served nearly half of a decade in offices of inspectors general for City of Chicago sister agencies: first, as an Assistant Inspector General for the Chicago Board of Education, and then as both the Deputy Inspector General and Interim Inspector General for the Chicago Park District. A seasoned litigator, Nathan previously practiced law as a member of the global litigation groups within Mayer Brown LLP and Winston & Strawn LLP, where he handled complex and class-action lawsuits that stemmed from the 2008 financial crisis and conducted internal investigations upon the requests of Fortune 500 Companies’ and financial institutions’ Boards of Directors. Before entering private practice, he served as a Staff Attorney for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit before transitioning to the role of a judicial clerk for the Honorable Michael S. Kanne.

Michael Melcher joined the Chicago Housing Authority OIG as a Senior Investigator in June 2023 after retiring from the FBI as Acting Chief of the Crisis Management Unit at FBI Headquarters. Mike also served as the Supervisory Special Agent for the Public Corruption/Civil Rights squad at the Minneapolis Field Office. Mike previously spent several years in the Chicago field office, working terrorism, special events, and Russian Organized Crime matters. Mike previously served as a police officer in Sioux Falls, SD and also served in the U.S. Air Force as a Russian interpreter and chemical weapons arms control inspector. He has a degree in Political Science from the University of South Dakota and training in leadership development from the FBI.

Bruce Merrell joined the Chicago Housing Authority OIG in August 2019 after working for 15 years as an Engagement Manager for RSM US LLP, where he supervised numerous attestation examinations. For the last three years with RSM, Bruce was assigned to the CHA’s internal audit department and supported various data analytics projects. Bruce also previously served as a data center and application development manager for Avon Products, Inc., where he was responsible for the design, development, implementation, and support for enterprise-wise, multi-national applications. Bruce is a Certified Fraud Examiner, Certified Information Systems Auditor, a Certified Information Security Manager, and Certified in the Governance of Enterprise IT.

Kathryn Richards was appointed as Inspector General for the Chicago Housing Authority by the CHA Board of Commissioners in April 2021. Richards is a Certified Inspector General through the Association of Inspectors General and a licensed attorney. Prior to CHA, Richards spent 10 years as the Chief Assistant Inspector General for the City of Chicago OIG. In that role, she provided strategic guidance and legal counsel on all OIG activities, including investigations, audits, and reviews. Richards also serves as Board President of the Illinois Chapter of the Association of Inspectors General, which provides training in professional best practices for all Illinois IG agencies. She previously served as a staff attorney with the Seventh Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals. Richards holds a B.A. in Political Science from New York University and a J.D. from DePaul University College of Law, where she graduated summa cum laude with a certificate in public interest law.