EEOC ATTORNEY RECEIVES OUTSTANDING SERVICE AWARD FROM THE AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION

WASHINGTON – Peggy R. Mastroianni, Associate Legal Counsel of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), has received the "Mary C. Lawton Outstanding Government Service Award for 2008" from the American Bar Association (ABA), the EEOC announced today.

Mastroianni was selected for the award by the ABA's Section of Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice.  The distinguished award recognizes government lawyers at the federal and state levels for outstanding contributions to the development, implementation, or improvement of administrative law and regulatory practice that reflects sustained excellence in performance.

"Peggy Mastroianni exemplifies the best of public service, and we commend her for receiving this high honor from the ABA," said EEOC Chair Naomi C. Earp.  "Peggy's myriad legal policy accomplishments and tireless devotion to furthering the agency's mission for decades have been instrumental in promoting equal opportunity for all individuals in the workplace.  She continues to be an invaluable asset to the Commission."

Mastroianni has worked as an EEOC attorney for more than 30 years.  She has served as the most senior civil servant for the agency's Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) for over a decade, leading the office for several periods when no political appointee was present.  She has led and supervised the drafting of EEOC regulations, sub-regulatory guidance, and other interpretive and technical assistance documents under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), the Age Discrimination In Employment Act, and the Equal Pay Act.

When she joined OLC in 1991, Mastroianni served as the Director of the ADA Policy Division, where she was responsible for developing guidance documents interpreting the then recently-passed landmark statute prohibiting employment discrimination against people with disabilities.  She continued to supervise the development of ADA guidance after she was promoted to Associate Legal Counsel and is a nationally recognized ADA expert.  Prior to her work in OLC, Mastroianni served as a trial attorney and appellate attorney in the EEOC's Office of General Counsel.

The EEOC enforces federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination.  Further information about the EEOC is available on its web site at www.eeoc.gov.