Charlotte A. Burrows, Chair

Chair Charlotte A. Burrows believes that every worker deserves dignity and respect in the workplace and has the right to work free from discrimination. To protect that right, Chair Burrows has focused on strong enforcement of the nation’s workplace civil rights laws and robust cooperation between the Commission, employers, unions, and employees to help create an inclusive economy that works for everyone. Designated by President Biden as Chair of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) on Jan. 20, 2021, she has served as a member of the Commission under Presidents Obama, Trump, and Biden. First appointed as a Commissioner in 2015 and unanimously confirmed for a second term in 2019, Chair Burrows was most recently confirmed on Nov. 8, 2023 to a third term expiring July 1, 2028.

As Chair, she launched key agency-wide initiatives, including

• EEOC’s Initiative on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Algorithmic Fairness: helping to educate employers, employees, technology creators, and the public about how workplace civil rights laws apply to AI technologies and
• The Hiring Initiative to Reimagine Equity (HIRE): joining with partners at the Department of Labor to identify lawful recruitment and hiring practices that can expand equal opportunity and foster diverse and inclusive workplaces and advance equal employment .   

While at the Commission, she has worked to combat unlawful retaliation and increase the agency's outreach to Native Americans, vulnerable immigrant and migrant communities, and other traditionally underserved populations.  In addition, she is particularly interested in the impact of technology and big data on civil rights and employee privacy. As EEOC Chair, she strengthened the agency’s technical expertise in the area of artificial intelligence and expanded training for law enforcement staff on emerging technologies. She also spearheaded a comprehensive campaign to implement the newest workplace civil rights law, the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act of 2022 (PWFA), through extensive public outreach, training, and issuance of the agency’s PWFA regulations.

Prior to her appointment to the EEOC, Chair Burrows served as Associate Deputy Attorney General at the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and previously as General Counsel for Civil and Constitutional Rights to Senator Edward M. Kennedy on the Senate Judiciary Committee and Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, working to pass the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act, and the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, among others.

Before working on the Hill, Chair Burrows held litigation roles in the Civil Rights Division's Employment Litigation Section at DOJ, including Deputy Chief of the Section, and in private practice. Earlier in her career, she served as a judicial clerk on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.

Chair Burrows is a graduate of Princeton University, cum laude, and Yale Law School.