President, CEO

Patricia “Patti” Pannell is a Human Resources consultant, attorney, and mediator. In 2014, Patti and her long-time colleague Stefanie Allweiss founded Gotcha Covered HR to provide human resources support to small and mid-sized businesses. A graduate of the University of South Carolina School of Law, Patti was engaged in the practice of labor and employment law in the Greater New Orleans area for more than 25 years before following her dream of becoming an entrepreneur.

Patti has lectured at seminars both for individual businesses and for fellow attorneys on topics such as sexual harassment, family and medical leave, and wage and hour law. She works extensively with HR professionals and business owners in proactive problem solving, including developing and implementing drug testing protocols; working with managers in dealing with employees in difficult situations, providing advice, guidance and coaching as needed; formulating general workplace policies and strategies; and conducting independent investigations into allegations of sexual harassment and other forms of workplace discrimination.

In 2012, Patti received her certification in Employment Mediation from The Mediation Institute and is a registered Civil Mediator with the Louisiana State Bar Association. She is a member of the Louisiana State Bar Association as well as the South Carolina Bar. Patti is also a member of the New Orleans affiliate of the Society for Human Resource Management (NOLA-SHRM), the American Business Women’s Association (ABWA), and the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO).

Patti is married to her law school sweetheart, John Dunlap, and has two adult sons. She enjoys cooking, reading, gardening, travel, and SEC football. She is an active member of St. Charles Avenue Presbyterian Church and is past chair of the Global Ministries Committee.