EEOC NAMES VICTOR VOLOSHIN DIRECTOR OF AGENCY'S INTERNAL MEDIATION PROGRAM

Succeeds Founding Director Irene Hill at Helm of RESOLVE

WASHINGTON – Stuart J. Ishimaru, Acting Chairman of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), has appointed expert mediator and manager Victor Voloshin as the EEOC's Chief Mediation Officer and Director of RESOLVE, the agency's internal mediation program, the EEOC announced today.

Voloshin came to the EEOC from the District of Columbia Superior Court, where he served as ADR Training and Evaluation Manager at the Multi-Door Dispute Resolution Division.  He succeeds Irene Hill, who has served as RESOLVE's director since the program's inception in 2003.

Ishimaru said, "We offer a heartfelt thank you to Irene Hill for a job superbly done, and a hearty welcome to Victor Voloshin, who I am convinced is uniquely qualified to carry on the excellent work done by the RESOLVE program, and to carry it to new heights."

"I'm excited to join EEOC and humbled to follow in Irene's footsteps leading the RESOLVE program," Voloshin said.  "RESOLVE plays a vital role in supporting the agency's mission, and I'm thrilled to be a part of it."

The RESOLVE program mediates conflicts among EEOC employees, both in Washington headquarters and in the agency's 53 field offices throughout the nation.  RESOLVE addresses both individual concerns and systemic problems in an office or office component.  The program conducts vigorous outreach and maintains a roster of skilled external mediators.  Each year, RESOLVE handles some 50 mediation cases, maintaining a processing rate of under 80 days per case, and also conducts several group facilitations and conflict-resolution trainings.

Before his stint at DC Superior Court, Voloshin, served as ADR Director and EEO Officer for New York City Civilian Complaint Review Board, an independent mayoral agency responsible for handling complaints against the New York City Police Department; as an adjunct professor in the Conflict and Dispute Resolution Program at New York University; and in private practice as an attorney, mediator and arbitrator.  He holds a B.A. from Christopher Newport University and an M.B.A. and J.D. from the College of William and Mary.  A native of Kiev, Ukraine, who has lived in the United States for over 18 years, Voloshin brings a strong cross-cultural and cross-ethnic perspective.

"I leave the program in excellent hands," Hill said, following a transition with Voloshin.  "Victor is extremely well qualified to take the program to the next level."  Hill has returned to her position as Attorney-Advisor to the Director of EEOC's Office of Field Programs.

In addition to the internal mediation program RESOLVE, the EEOC operates FAST, an external federal ADR program directed by veteran attorney Douglas Gallegos through the agency's Office of Federal Operations, and private-sector mediations out of agency field offices.

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