History

Annabelle T. Lockhart (Director, Directorate of Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Labor) and Dan J. Rondeau (then, the Director, Office of Civil Rights, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and now retired) saw the need to have an organization that represented the needs of the EEO community in the federal sector. At the time, there was no organization that catered to this community. Consequently, the idea for the Council of Federal EEO and Civil Rights Executives was born, and the first meeting was held on December 16, 1993.

In September 1994, the first officers were elected for the 1995-96 term. Dan Rondeau became President; Annabelle Lockhart and Melodee Stith (Director, Office for Equal Opportunity, Department of the Interior) became Vice-Chairs; and, Kathleen Gause (from the Department of the Navy) became Secretary. Meetings were held monthly; lasted approximately two hours; and were usually held at various federal locations.

Membership of the Council is comprised of EEO/Civil Rights Directors and Professionals from most departments/agencies in the federal sector. However, all positions taken by the Council are its own, and not those of the federal agencies from its members. EEO experts and consultants are usually invited to address the Council during the first hour of meetings, while the second hour is spent discussing the Council’s internal matters.

Elections of officers are held every two years, and results are announced at the December meeting. Candidates running for office must have attended at least fifty percent of the Council meetings during the pertinent 2-year period, and officers cannot hold the same office for more than two consecutive terms. While the attendance requirement has been loosely enforced in the past, the 1998-99 officers announced at the January 20, 1999 meeting that it would be strictly enforced in future elections. Consequently, members or their designees were asked to ensure that they signed the attendance sheets circulated at Council meetings, which will be safeguarded by the President or his designee.

The officers for the 1997-98 term were: President, Luther Santiful (Director, Equal Employment Opportunity Agency, U.S. Department of the Army); Vice-Chairs, Kathleen Gause (now, EEO Director at the Architect of the Capitol) and Jorge Ponce (EEO Manager, U.S. Department of the Treasury); and, Secretary, Arlene Patel (at the time, on detail to EEOC). Ms. Patel resigned her position as Secretary after a few months, and Deborah Eyer (EEO Specialist, U.S. Department of the Army) took over as Secretary.

The officers for the 1999-2000 term were: President, Luther Santiful (Director of Equal Employment Opportunity Agency, U.S. Department of the Army); Vice-Chairs: Jorge Ponce (Chief, Policy and Evaluation Division, Office of Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Commerce) and Delia Johnson (Deputy Director, Office of Civil Rights, US Information Agency); Secretary: Deborah Eyer (EEO Specialist, U.S. Department of the Army), who did not serve in this capacity during the last year of her term; and, Treasurer, Sharon Lynn Holmes (Director, Office of Equal Employment Opportunity and Civil Rights, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration), who served in this capacity for barely a month, as this office was abolished.

The officers for the 2001/2002 term were: Co-Chairs: Jorge E. Ponce and Delia Johnson; Vice-Chairs: Era Marshall and Ana Ortiz; Secretary: Carmen Duncan (EEO Monitoring and Evaluation Systems, Army) and Robert Poindexter (Director, Office of Civil Rights, U.S. National Labor Relations Board). In October 2001, Ms. Duncan was replaced by Jackie Hoffman (EEO Specialist, Office of Civil Rights, Transportation Security Administration). For additional information on the officers, go to the Officers directory.

The officers for the 2003/2004 term are: Co-Chairs: Jorge E. Ponce and Delia Johnson; Vice-Chairs: Era Marshall and Ana Ortiz; Co-Secretaries: Michelle Peyton-Kenner (EEO Director, OPM) and Robert Poindexter. Ms. Ortiz stepped down as Vice-Chair in June 2004, as a result of her retirement from federal service. Secretaries: Michelle Payton Kenner (EEO Director, OPM) and Robert Poindexter (Director, Office of Civil Rights, U.S. National Labor Relations Board) served until March 2004. They stepped down because of increased responsibilities at their respective agencies.

The officers for 2005-- are: Co-Chairs: Jorge E. Ponce and Delia Johnson; Vice-Chairs: Era Marshall and Felton Page; Secretaries: These positions remain vacant.

Email your inquiries to: EEO@FEDCIVILRIGHTS.ORG