Jenny R. Yang
Jenny Yang | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Director of the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs | |
| In office January 21, 2021 – April 1, 2023 | |
| President | Joe Biden |
| Preceded by | Craig Leen |
| Succeeded by | Michele Hodge (acting) |
| Commissioner of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission | |
| In office May 13, 2013 – January 3, 2018 | |
| President | Barack Obama Donald Trump |
| Preceded by | Stuart Ishimaru |
| Succeeded by | Janet Dhillon |
| Chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission | |
| In office September 1, 2014 – January 25, 2017 | |
| President | Barack Obama Donald Trump |
| Preceded by | Jacqueline A. Berrien |
| Succeeded by | Victoria Lipnic (acting) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Jenny Rae Yang 1970 or 1971 (age 53–54) |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Kil Huh |
| Education | Cornell University (BA) New York University (JD) |
Jenny Rae Yang (born 1970/1971)[1] is an American attorney and public official. In 2021, Yang was appointed by President Joe Biden to serve as the Director of Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, an agency within the Department of Labor.[2]
Prior to this, Yang served as a member of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) from 2012 to 2017, and led the commission as chair from 2014 to 2017.[3]
Early life and education
[edit]Yang grew up in Livingston, New Jersey, where she attended Livingston High School and played on the tennis team. Yang has a bachelor's degree in government from Cornell University and a Juris Doctor degree from New York University School of Law.[3][4]
Legal career
[edit]Yang clerked for Edmund V. Ludwig at the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.[3] Between 1998 and 2003, Yang worked as an investigating prosecutor for the Labor Litigation Section of the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division.
In 2003, Yang joined the firm Cohen Milstein as a partner, where she primarily represented workers in civil rights litigation.[5]
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
[edit]Yang was appointed to a position on the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), a federal agency tasked with enforcing civil laws against workplace discrimination,[6] by President Barack Obama on August 2, 2012.[7]
In 2014, Yang was chosen to succeed Jacqueline A. Berrien as Chair of the EEOC.[8] She was succeeded as chair by acting chair Victoria Lipnic[9] and left the commission on January 3, 2018.[10] During Yang's time as chair, the EEOC established a Select Task Force on the Study of Harassment in the Workplace to address workplace sexual harassment.[11]
Post-EEOC career
[edit]Yang served as a Leadership in Government Fellow at the Open Society Foundations from January 8, 2018, to July 2019.[12][10] She served as a Fellow and later Senior Fellow at the Center on Labor, Human Services, and Population at the Urban Institute from June 2018 to January 2021.[13] She testified before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on best practices in preventing sexual harassment in the federal courts.[14]
In 2019, Yang was mentioned by liberal group Demand Justice as one of their recommended Supreme Court nominees.[15]
In 2020, Yang testified before the House Committee on Education and Labor,[16] where she advocated for what she describes as a "Workers' Bill of Rights for Algorithmic Decisions" to regulate algorithmic employment decisions.
Department of Labor
[edit]In November 2020, Yang was named a volunteer member of the Joe Biden presidential transition Agency Review Team to support transition efforts related to the Department of Labor.[17] Upon Biden's inauguration, Yang was appointed to serve as Director of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (FCCP) at the Department of Labor.[2] In this capacity, she indicated that prioritizing pay equity and workforce diversity initiatives would be a key goal of the FCCP.[18]
Personal life
[edit]Yang is married to Kil Huh, also a graduate of Cornell, NYU and Columbia University.[1] The couple have two sons.
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Weddings; Jenny Yang, Kil Huh". The New York Times. March 25, 2001. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
- ^ a b Wiessner, Daniel (January 21, 2021). "Jenny Yang, former EEOC chair, tapped to lead DOL federal contractor watchdog". Reuters.
- ^ a b c "Presidenta Jenny R. Yang | Comisión para la Igualdad de Oportunidades en el Empleo". EEOC. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
- ^ "2019 Women's Power Summit on Law & Leadership | Jenny R. Yang". Retrieved July 30, 2020.
- ^ "Featured Alumna". NYU School of Law. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
- ^ "Discrimination by Type | U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission". EEOC. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
- ^ "Obama Nominates Jenny Yang to be New EEOC Member". Littler Mendelson P.C. August 6, 2012. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
- ^ "President Appoints Jenny R. Yang EEOC Chair | U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission". EEOC. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
- ^ "A Message from Acting Chair Victoria A. Lipnic | U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission". EEOC. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
- ^ a b Lee, Jacquie (January 11, 2018). "Yang Tackles Sexual Harassment of Contract Workers". Bloomberg Law. Archived from the original on January 12, 2018. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
- ^ "Jenny". Working IDEAL. Retrieved July 30, 2020.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Leadership in Government Fellowship". Open Society Foundation. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
- ^ "Jenny R. Yang". Urban Institute. June 8, 2018. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
- ^ "Confronting Sexual Harassment and Other Workplace Misconduct in the Federal Judiciary | United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary". U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee. June 13, 2018. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
- ^ "Demand Justice - Demand Justice Releases Supreme Court Shortlist of Diverse, Progressive Lawyers". Demand Justice. October 15, 2019. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
- ^ Yang, Jenny (February 5, 2020). "Ensuring a Future That Advances Equity in Algorithmic Employment Decisions" (PDF). urban.org.
- ^ "Agency Review Teams". President-Elect Joe Biden. Archived from the original on August 28, 2022. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
- ^ "Jenny Yang Sees Pay Equity as a Top Federal Contracting Priority". news.bloomberglaw.com. Retrieved October 15, 2021.