GAO Names New Head of Its Office of Opportunity and Inclusiveness

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Sept. 24, 2009)—The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) has announced that Reginald Jones, a labor and employment attorney and former Commissioner of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), has joined the legislative branch support agency as Managing Director of its Office of Opportunity and Inclusiveness.

"I am very pleased we were able to recruit someone of the caliber of Reg Jones to manage this important office," said Acting Comptroller General of the United States Gene L. Dodaro. "He will report directly to me and also provide counsel on key initiatives as well as our diversity and human capital programs. Our goal is to ensure that every GAO employee has an opportunity to reach his or her full potential in support of the agency's mission," Dodaro said.

"GAO has a reputation for independence and professionalism and its leadership has demonstrated a strong commitment to diversity and fairness. I look forward to working with top management to help promote an unbiased, inclusive workplace," Reginald Jones said.

Jones has extensive experience in diversity and equal opportunity matters in both the legislative and executive branches of the federal government and in the private sector. From 1989 to 1993, he worked as minority counsel and staff director for the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Labor and Human Resources. Jones then served as the Subcommittee's senior legislative counsel until 1996, overseeing legislative negotiation and drafting legislation on civil rights, labor, and employment issues.

Jones was an EEOC Commissioner from 1996 to 2000. In that post, he played a lead role in policy formulation, rule making, orders, litigation participation, and other adjudication issues. Subsequently, Jones practiced labor and employment law with several national and international law firms and, since 2008, has headed his own law and consulting practice.

Jones holds an undergraduate degree from Yale University, an MBA from New York University, and a law degree, also from New York University. He has published articles on equal opportunity and diversity in journals on law and human resource issues and has made presentations at numerous conferences. Jones began work at GAO on September 14.

For more information, contact Chuck Young, Managing Director of Public Affairs, at (202) 512-4800.

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