Cari M. Dominguez was sworn in Monday as chairwoman of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).
Dominguez, nominated by President Bush on May 10 and unanimously confirmed by the Senate on July 19, succeeds Ida L. Castro, who had served as EEOC chairwoman since October 1998.
Castro will remain a member of the commission, however, since her term does not expire until July 1, 2003.
The other two sitting members of the commission are Vice-Chairman Paul M. Igasaki and Commissioner Paul Steven Miller. Their terms expire on July 1, 2002 and 2004, respectively. The fifth commission seat remains vacant, along with the position of general counsel.
Dominguez will serve as the chief executive officer of the Commission for a five-year term expiring on July 1, 2006.
"I am humbled and honored to have this opportunity to serve President Bush and the American people as Chair of the EEOC," Dominguez said at her swearing-in at agency headquarters. "EEOC has a unique and rich history. Its mission captures the promise of America and the mandate of our times: that no worker be left behind for reasons as wasteful and abhorrent as prejudice and discrimination."
Dominguez formerly served as a principal of Dominguez & Associates, a Maryland-based consulting firm she established in 1999 to focus on senior management recruitment, diversity evaluations, ongoing employment-related matters, and workforce preparedness assessments.
Previously, Dominguez held senior positions at two international executive search firms.
In Washington, D.C., she was a Partner at Heidrick & Struggles, one of the world's leading executive-search fir There, she served with the firm's financial services, human resources, and board of directors practices.
She was also a director at Spencer Stuart in the San Francisco office.
As EEOC Chair, Dominguez continues her distinguished career in the federal government, having served in the U.S. Department of Labor as assistant secretary for employment standards and as director of the office of federal contract compliance programs. In the latter capacity, she launched and led the Labor Department's "Glass Ceiling Initiative," designed to remove barriers in the workplace affecting the advancement of individuals on the basis of race or gender.
Her corporate experience also includes holding various human resources positions with Bank America Corporation, including director of executive programs. Her responsibilities included executive compensation and benefits, succession planning, executive staffing and development, and diversity initiatives. She received Bank America CEO's "Eagle Award," the highest corporate recognition for functional excellence.
Dominguez has served on numerous nonprofit Boards, including the Leadership Foundation of the International Women's Forum and the Hispanic Business Roundtable. She is also a former Board Member of Holy Names College in Oakland, California, and the Human Resources Planning Society. In addition, she has been recognized as one of the "100 Most Influential Hispanics in the Country" by Hispanic Business magazine. The American Biographical Institute has listed her as one of the "Two Thousand Most Notable American Women."
EEOC enforces Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin; the Age Discrimination in Employment Act; the Equal Pay Act; Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which prohibits employment discrimination against people with disabilities in the private sector and state and local governments; prohibitions against discrimination affecting individuals with disabilities in the federal government; and sections of the Civil Rights Act of 1991. Further information about the Commission is available on its web site at www.eeoc.gov.
