Jocelyn Samuels is a former Commissioner and Vice Chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and served in those capacities from October 14, 2020 until January 28, 2025, when she was removed from her position by President Trump.

While serving on the EEOC, Commissioner Samuels helped to develop the regulations implementing the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act and the Commission’s comprehensive guidance on preventing and responding to unlawful harassment, among other policy initiatives.  Commissioner Samuels reviewed and voted on dozens of Commission litigation recommendations and federal sector draft decisions.  She maintained an active speaking docket, making presentations to stakeholders across the country on topics including compliance with EEO laws; harassment; pregnancy discrimination; diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility initiatives; artificial intelligence; and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Immediately prior to joining the Commission, Commissioner Samuels served as the Executive Director and Roberta A. Conroy Scholar of Law at the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law.  From August 2014 through January 2017, she was the Director of the Office for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, where she oversaw civil rights enforcement with respect to hospitals, healthcare providers, insurers, and human services agencies. In that role, she spearheaded development of regulations implementing Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act—the first broad-based federal law to prohibit sex discrimination in healthcare.  

Earlier in the Obama Administration, Commissioner Samuels served as Acting Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Justice and held other positions as a political appointee within the DOJ Civil Rights Division.  There, she directly supervised enforcement of federal laws barring discrimination in employment and education and oversaw the Division’s broad portfolio, including voting rights, police department reform, housing discrimination, prosecution of hate crimes, and protections for individuals with disabilities. 

Prior to joining the Obama Administration, Commissioner Samuels was the Vice President for Education & Employment at the National Women’s Law Center, where, among other accomplishments, she spearheaded the campaign that led to enactment of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.  She had previously served as Labor Counsel to Senator Edward M. Kennedy and as a senior attorney in the Office of Legal Counsel at the EEOC.

Commissioner Samuels earned her bachelor’s degree magna cum laude with Phi Beta Kappa honors from Middlebury College. She is a graduate of Columbia University Law School where she was a Note Editor for The Columbia Law Review and a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar