The Sterling Institute
Sterling Institute for Certified Federal EEO Investigators and Practitioners
A rigorous, federally-grounded program for HR professionals, attorneys, agency personnel, ADR practitioners, and career changers who want to conduct equal employment opportunity investigations with credibility, neutrality, and rigor.
Now Enrolling
Current Offering
32-hour certification program
Next session begins June 8, 2026.
A complete grounding in the federal civil rights framework, investigative planning, interview craft, evidence analysis, and the discipline of writing reports that withstand scrutiny.
Request Enrollment InformationComing Next
Opens the month after June
A condensed program for working investigators maintaining their credential and sharpening their practice.
Join the interest list →Opens the month after the refresher
A focused program for attorneys and holders of a JD on drafting final agency decisions that hold up on appeal.
Join the interest list →Designed For
HR & ER Professionals
Practitioners ready to lead investigations in-house with confidence and defensibility.
Attorneys
Employment counsel adding investigation craft to their advisory toolkit.
Federal & State Agency Staff
EEO counselors, investigators, and managers seeking a sharper analytical foundation.
Career Changers
Professionals entering the field who want training that translates to real engagements.
Curriculum
Module 01
Title VII, ADA, ADEA, Rehabilitation Act, GINA, and the regulatory architecture EEO investigators work within.
Module 02
Translating a complainant's narrative into legally cognizable claims, identifying bases and issues with precision.
Module 03
Scoping, witness lists, document requests, timelines, and the strategic architecture of a defensible investigation.
Module 04
Question sequencing, neutrality, handling reluctant witnesses, trauma-informed practice, and recording protocols.
Module 05
Direct, circumstantial, and comparator evidence; preponderance standard; and weighing credibility on the record.
Module 06
Writing reports of investigation that are clear, complete, neutral, and ready for adjudication or external review.
Prerequisites & Eligibility
The Certified EEO Investigator Training welcomes applicants from a range of professional paths. The forthcoming Final Agency Decision Writers program is limited to attorneys and holders of a JD.
What we expect of applicants
Instructor
The Institute is led by Sheryl, founder of Sterling Advisory and a former director of a federal agency's civil rights office. She has built investigative programs, supervised investigators, and adjudicated the reports they produced.
The curriculum reflects what actually holds up: under appeal, under audit, and under the careful eye of a hearing examiner.
How to Enroll
01
Email Sheryl with your background, what you'd like to learn, and your timing. A prefilled template gives you a starting structure.
02
A short call to answer your questions and confirm the details that matter for your enrollment.
03
Once we've confirmed the program is right for you, complete enrollment and tuition through our secure course portal.
Reserve your seatNext session — June 8, 2026
Share your background and what you'd like to learn. Sheryl will reply with program details and the next steps for enrollment.
sheryl@sterlingadvisory.com