EEOC Announces Two Key Staff Appointments

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced today the appointment of two key Senior Executive Service (SES) leadership positions. Christine Park-Gonzalez was named the new district director for the EEOC Los Angeles District and Elizabeth “Betsy” Rader will be the new district director of the EEOC Charlotte District.

Park-Gonzalez joined the EEOC in 2001 as an enforcement investigator. She later served as an enforcement supervisor and then as an outreach and education program manager. She was appointed deputy district director in 2015 and has been serving as acting district director since the fall of 2021.

“I am honored to be selected as district director for the Los Angeles District,” said Park-Gonzalez. “I get to work with a wonderful team who is committed to enforcing workplace discrimination laws and educating employers and employees about their rights and responsibilities at work.”

Park-Gonzalez has received numerous awards for outstanding performance at the agency, including the Chair’s Circle of Excellence Award. She is a former news reporter and earned a B.A. in history and Spanish from the University of California at Berkeley.

“I am delighted to have Christine Park-Gonzalez lead our Los Angeles District,” said EEOC Chair Charlotte A. Burrows. “Her knowledge of civil rights laws, the district, and relationships with local stakeholders will continue to make her a valuable asset to our agency’s efforts in enforcing workplace discrimination laws.”

The Los Angeles District includes Central and Southern California, Southern Nevada, Hawaii, and the U.S. territories of Guam, American Samoa, Wake Island, and the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands with offices in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, San Diego, and Honolulu.

Burrows named Rader, a legal veteran, to lead the Charlotte District which includes North Carolina and large parts of Virginia and South Carolina.

“Betsy Rader fills the needs of this position in every way,” said Burrows. “You couldn’t ask for a better or broader background in law, government and civil rights to lead the EEOC in the Charlotte District. We welcome Betsy’s experience, expertise, and passion for civil rights law enforcement.”

Rader most recently served as a regional director for the Office for Civil Rights of the U.S. Department of Education, responsible for enforcement of civil rights laws in educational institutions throughout Ohio and Michigan.

Her prior experience includes private legal practice representing victims of workplace discrimination and serving as senior counsel and chair of the employment law group at the Cleveland Clinic, Ohio’s largest employer.

Rader began her legal career as a judicial clerk for Nathaniel Jones on the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. She was a summa cum laude graduate of The Ohio State University and received her law degree from Yale Law School. She was admitted to the bars of the State of Ohio and of the U.S. Supreme Court.

Rader said, “I am honored to join the EEOC and look forward to working with its dedicated staff to accomplish the Commission’s important mission of preventing and remedying unlawful employment discrimination. I anticipate a productive dialogue with our external stakeholders to address the challenges created by both traditional and more contemporary workplace practices to ensure equality of opportunity.”

The Charlotte District includes an area office in Raleigh and local offices in Greensboro, Greenville, Norfolk, and Richmond.

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.