Jocelyn Samuels Sworn in as EEOC Commissioner

WASHINGTON – Jocelyn Samuels was sworn in today as Commissioner of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced this morning.  Samuels was nominated by President Trump on March 16, 2020, and was confirmed on September 23, 2020, to serve as Commissioner, for a term expiring July 1, 2021.

Samuels joins Chair Janet Dhillon, Vice Chair Keith Sonderling and Commissioner Charlotte Burrows on the presidentially appointed bipartisan Commission. 

"I am delighted to welcome Jocelyn Samuels to the EEOC," said Chair Janet Dhillon.  "Her broad experience in government and in Congress will make her a valued partner as we move to remedy and prevent discrimination in our nation’s workplaces.”

From June 2017 until the present, Jocelyn Samuels was Executive Director of the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law.  Prior to that, Samuels was the Director of the Office for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services and served as Acting Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Justice during the Obama Administration.  Earlier in her career, she worked as a senior policy attorney at the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, as Labor Counsel to Senator Ted Kennedy, and as the Vice President for Education & Employment at the National Women’s Law Center in Washington, D.C. She is a graduate of Middlebury College and Columbia University Law School. 

"I am committed to advancing the rights of all Americans, regardless of their race, gender, or other protected characteristics,” Samuels said. “It is an incredible honor to apply these principles to the critical work of the EEOC to remove barriers to employment and foster inclusive and diverse workplaces.”

The EEOC advances opportunity in the workplace by enforcing federal laws prohibiting emp­loyment discrimination. More information is available at www.eeoc.gov.  Stay connected with the latest EEOC news by subscribing to our email updates.