Charlotte Burrows

Charlotte Burrows is the former chair of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and is currently a fellow at both the University of California Berkeley’s Applied Technology Policy group and the New York University School of Law.

During her tenure as chair, Burrows advocated for strong civil rights protections and robust cooperation between the Commission, employers, and employees to advance equal opportunity in the workplace. She fought to enhance the Commission’s enforcement of all laws within its jurisdiction, focusing on initiatives to combat harassment, foster pay equity, and advance diversity and inclusion

Prior to her appointment to the EEOC, Burrows served as associate deputy attorney general at the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), and as general counsel for civil and constitutional rights to Sen. Edward M. Kennedy on the Senate Judiciary Committee and later on the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. 

Before working on the Hill, she held several roles in the Civil Rights Division’s Employment Litigation Section at DOJ, including deputy chief of the Section, and as a judicial clerk on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. She also served as an associate at the firm of Debevoise & Plimpton, LLP.

Burrows earned her bachelor’s degree at Princeton University and her JD at Yale Law School.