Jacqueline A. Berrien

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 and the Associate Director Counsel for the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund (NAACP LDF).

Jacqueline A. Berrien
Chairwoman of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
In office
April 7, 2010 – September 2, 2014
PresidentBarack Obama
Preceded byNaomi C. Earp
Succeeded byJenny R. Yang
Personal details
Born(1961-11-28)November 28, 1961
Washington, D.C.
DiedNovember 9, 2015(2015-11-09) (aged 53)
Baltimore, Maryland
Spouse(s)Peter M. Williams
ResidenceWashington, D.C.
Alma materOberlin College (B.A.)
Harvard University (J.D.)
ProfessionAttorney

Early life

Berrien 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

Berrien 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] Berrien joined the NAACP Legal Defense Fund as assistant counsel in 1994 with a focus on voting rights and school desegregation.[1]

Berrien 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

Berrien 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. 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.
  2. "Obama Chooses an EEOC Leader". New York Times. Bloomberg News. July 16, 2009. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
  3. "President Obama Announces Pick to Head Equal Employment Opportunity Commission". The White House. Office of the Press Secretary. July 16, 2009. Archived from the original on November 17, 2015.Archived
  4. 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.
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