Jacqueline A. Berrien
| Jacqueline A. Berrien | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Chairwoman of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission | |
|
In office April 7, 2010 – September 2, 2014 | |
| President | Barack Obama |
| Preceded by | Naomi C. Earp |
| Succeeded by | Jenny R. Yang |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
November 28, 1961 Washington, D.C. |
| Died |
November 9, 2015 (aged 53) Baltimore, Maryland |
| Spouse(s) | Peter M. Williams |
| Residence | Washington, D.C. |
| Alma mater |
Oberlin College (B.A.) Harvard University (J.D.) |
| Profession | Attorney |
Jacqueline Ann Berrien (November 28, 1961 – November 9, 2015) headed the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) under President Obama from 2009 to 2014. She had previously been a lawyer for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Legal Defense and Educational Fund (NAACP LDF).
Early life
She was born in Washington, D.C. on November 28, 1961. She graduated from Oberlin College and Harvard Law School. At Harvard she was general editor of the Harvard Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review.[1]
Career
She was a program officer for the Ford Foundation, overseeing grants to often under-represented groups in the area of peace and justice from 2001 to 2004[2][3] She worked for the American Civil Liberties Union in the Women's Rights Project.[1] She worked for the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.[4]
She joined the NAACP Legal Defense Fund as assistant counsel in 1994 with a focus on voting rights and school desegregation.[1]
She was selected by President Barack Obama to head the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in 2009.[3]
She also taught at Harvard Law School and New York Law School.[1]
Personal life
She was married to Peter M. Williams and lived in Washington, D.C. She died of cancer in Baltimore on November 9, 2015.[1]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 Roberts, Sam (November 11, 2015). "Jacqueline Berrien, Head of E.E.O.C., Is Dead at 53". The New York Times. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
- ↑ "Obama Chooses an EEOC Leader". New York Times. Bloomberg News. July 16, 2009. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
- 1 2 "President Obama Announces Pick to Head Equal Employment Opportunity Commission". The White House. Office of the Press Secretary. July 16, 2009.Archived
- ↑ Simpson, Scott (November 9, 2015). "Civil and Human Rights Coalition Mourns Passing of Former EEOC Chair Jacqueline A. Berrien". The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. Retrieved November 12, 2015.