Karla Gilbride Sworn In as EEOC General Counsel

EEOC Chair Charlotte A. Burrows administers the oath of office to the agency’s new General Counsel Karla Gilbride Oct. 23, with Gwendolyn Young Reams attending. (EEOC photo/Christopher Butler)

WASHINGTON – Karla Gilbride was sworn in today as General Counsel of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Gilbride was nominated by President Biden on Jan. 3, 2023, and was confirmed by the Senate on Oct. 17, for a four-year term.

Gilbride joins the EEOC with over 15 years of experience litigating cases on behalf of workers and consumers. Previously, she worked at the non-profit organization Public Justice, where she served as co-director of the Access to Justice Project. In this role, she focused on dismantling structural barriers that make it more difficult for people to access justice through the civil courts.

“We are delighted to welcome Karla Gilbride to the EEOC as our new general counsel,” said EEOC Chair Charlotte A. Burrows. “She has extensive experience in employment discrimination law, and her dedication to EEOC’s mission will be an excellent asset to the agency.”

“I am thrilled to join the EEOC, whose mission resonates deeply with my belief in removing barriers and opening up pathways to opportunity,” said Gilbride. “I look forward to learning more about the important work the Commission is already doing and how I can best contribute my skills and experience to advancing that mission.”

Before joining Public Justice, Gilbride worked as an associate at Mehri & Skalet PLLC, on wage, hour, and employment discrimination cases, as well as consumer class actions and cases brought under the Fair Housing Act. In addition, she spent three years at Disability Rights Advocates in Berkeley, California, bringing disability discrimination class actions and representing disabled consumers before the California Public Utilities Commission.

In May 2022, Gilbride won a significant victory in the fight against forced arbitration arguing before the U.S. Supreme Court in Morgan v. Sundance. Ultimately, the Supreme Court ruled 9-0 in her client’s favor.

Gilbride is a member of the bar in New York, California, and the District of Columbia, as well as several federal district courts, the U.S. Supreme Court and the Courts of Appeals for the First, Second, Third, Fourth, Sixth, Seventh, Eighth, Ninth, Tenth, Eleventh and D.C. Circuits.

After graduating with honors from Georgetown Law in 2007, Gilbride clerked for Judge Ronald Gould on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. She received her undergraduate degree from Swarthmore College with highest honors in 2002 with a major in linguistics and minor in psychology.

Gilbride, who is blind, is the first person with a known disability to be appointed to the role of general counsel at the EEOC.

The EEOC’s general counsel is appointed by the President to support the commission and provide direction, coordination, and supervision to the EEOC's litigation program.

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.