EEOC Chair Statement on Death of Paul Miller

Former Commissioner Advocated for ADA, Protections Against Genetic Bias

WASHINGTON - I was deeply saddened on Tuesday to learn of the passing of my law school classmate and former EEOC Commissioner Paul Steven Miller. Commissioner Miller was first nominated by President Clinton in May 1994 and served the EEOC -- and ultimately, the nation -- with great distinction until 2004.

Among many achievements during his tenure, Commissioner Miller helped to lead the agency's efforts to enforce the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), visited every state in the Union to meet with the EEOC's stakeholders, and created the alternative dispute resolution program for settling discrimination claims out of court. He also represented the EEOC internationally, and long before there was a Genetic Information Non-Discrimination Act (GINA), Paul Miller was a proponent of protections against discrimination on the basis of family medical history or genetic information. In July, 2010, Miller was honored for his contributions to the EEOC and work on behalf of people with disabilities during the EEOC's 20th Anniversary Celebration of the ADA.

After leaving the EEOC, Commissioner Miller joined the faculty of the University Of Washington School Of Law. He returned to Washington, D.C. to assist with President Obama's transition and work in the White House in 2009.

Commissioner Miller is survived by his wife, Jennifer Mechem, their daughters Naomi and Delia Mechem-Miller, two sisters, and a host of friends and colleagues, including those of us at the EEOC. He will be greatly missed.