Christine M. Griffin
Assistant Secretary for Disability Policies and Programs, Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services
In office
August 29, 2011 – 2013
GovernorDeval Patrick
SecretaryJudyAnn Bigby
John Polanowicz
Deputy Director of the United States Office of Personnel Management
In office
January 4, 2010 – August 2011
PresidentBarack Obama
DirectorMorrell J. Berry
Preceded byHoward Weizmann
Succeeded byEarl L. Gay
Vice Chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
acting
In office
January 2009 – January 2, 2010
PresidentBarack Obama
Preceded byLeslie E. Silverman
Succeeded byJenny R. Yang
Commissioner of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
In office
January 2005 – January 2, 2010
PresidentGeorge W. Bush
Barack Obama
Preceded byPaul S. Miller
Succeeded byJacqueline A. Berrien
Personal details
Born (1955-02-10) February 10, 1955
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
SpousePhilip D. Berry[1]
EducationMassachusetts Maritime Academy (BS)
Boston College (JD)
Signature
Military service
AllegianceUnited States
Branch/serviceUnited States Army
Years of service1974–1977 (active)
1977–1979 (reserves)

Christine M. Griffin (born February 10, 1955) is an American lawyer. From 2011 to 2013 she served as Assistant Secretary for Disability Policies and Programs for the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services.

After military service on active duty from 1974 to 1977, Griffin graduated from the Massachusetts Maritime Academy in 1983 and worked for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. She received a Juris Doctor from the Boston College Law School in 1993 and held posts in disability advocacy groups and as commissioner of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission until 2009. From 2010 to 2011 she served as deputy director of the United States Office of Personnel Management under John Berry.

Early life and career

Griffin was born in Dorchester, Boston, Massachusetts.[2] She went to St. Patrick's High School in Roxbury, Boston and served on active duty in the United States Army from 1974 to 1977.[3][4] Griffin later entered the Massachusetts Maritime Academy to become a marine engineer.[2] A car accident in her third year left her partially paralyzed and using a wheelchair.[2] She graduated in 1983 with a Bachelor of Science in marine engineering.[3][4] In the summers of 1991 and 1992 she was a legal intern for the U.S. Attorney's office in Boston and for McDermott, O'Neil & Associates. She has served on the boards of many business and educational organizations including the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education, the Massachusetts Maritime Academy Board of Trustees. From 1999 to 2001 she served as the disability liaison for the Massachusetts Democratic Party.

After her graduation, Griffin tested medical devices in a laboratory of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in Winchester, Massachusetts.[2] She later became a field investigator and faced difficulty due to her disability.[2] A FDA prosecution of a medical device manufacturer got Griffin interested in law and she entered Boston College Law School in 1990 to become a legal adviser for the FDA or a medical equipment company.[2] As a student, Griffin was hired as an intern to study the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 for a Boston lobbyist and came in contact with disability rights movement advocates.[2] She graduated in 1993 with a Juris Doctor.[2][3] Upon graduation, she was awarded a Skadden Arps Fellowship at the Boston Disability Law Center and worked as Interim President of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy from 1993 to 1994.[1]

Disability advocacy

From 1995 to 1996, Griffin served as an attorney advisor to the Vice Chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Paul Igasaki, and served as executive director of the Boston Disability Law Center from 1996 to 2005.[1][5] Griffin is a labor law expert and was named "Lawyer of the Year" by Lawyers Weekly in 2005.[5][6]

Griffin is sworn in as commissioner by Cari M. Dominguez while her husband looks on.

Griffin is a Democrat, and in January 2005 agreed to fill a vacancy on the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.[7][8] She was nominated by President George W. Bush on July 28, 2005, and confirmed unanimously by the United States Senate on November 4, 2005.[1] Griffin was sworn in on January 3, 2006, to serve the remainder of a five-year term expiring July 1, 2009,[1] and became the first female member of the commission with a physical disability.[9] As commissioner, Griffin advocated for increasing the number of disabled workers in the federal government.[6] In January 2009, President Barack Obama appointed Griffin as acting vice chairman of the commission.[7] Griffin served until December 2009.[8]

Office of Personnel Management

President Barack Obama announced his intention to nominate Griffin as deputy director of the United States Office of Personnel Management on April 17, 2009.[10] She was nominated May 12, 2009, and confirmed by the United States Senate on July 30.[11][12] Griffin took office on January 4, 2010.[13]

Return to Massachusetts

Massachusetts Secretary of Health and Human Services JudyAnn Bigby announced on July 21, 2011, that she has appointed Griffin as Assistant Secretary for Disability Policies and Programs, beginning on August 29, 2011.[8] From 2013 to 2018 she has served as the executive director of the Disability Law Center.[14][15] Since 2018 she has served as a search specialist consultant with Bender Consulting Services, Inc.[15]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Christine Griffin takes oath as EEOC Commissioner" (Press release). Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. January 3, 2006. Archived from the original on August 13, 2009. Retrieved April 19, 2009.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Whitehead, Jane (Spring 2006). "Griffin Goes to Washington". BC Law Magazine. Archived from the original on October 8, 2012. Retrieved April 19, 2009.
  3. 1 2 3 "Acting Vice Chair Christine M. Griffin". Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Retrieved April 19, 2009.
  4. 1 2 "Christine M. Griffin". Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. January 27, 2009. Archived from the original on May 27, 2010. Retrieved April 19, 2009.
  5. 1 2 O'Keefe, Ed (April 17, 2009). "Obama to Add 13 More to Administration". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 19, 2009.
  6. 1 2 Rosenberg, Alyssa (April 17, 2009). "Christine Griffin to OPM". National Journal. Archived from the original on April 29, 2009. Retrieved April 19, 2009.
  7. 1 2 Vogel, Steve (January 23, 2009). "Obama Names Acting EEOC Chair". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 19, 2009.
  8. 1 2 3 "Secretary Bigby Appoints Christine Griffin as Assistant Secretary for Disability Policies and Programs" (Press release). Executive Office of Elder Affairs. July 21, 2011. Retrieved August 14, 2011.
  9. ↑ Hsieh, Sylvia (December 19, 2005). "Christine Griffin - Massachusetts Disability Rights Attorney". Lawyers Weekly. Retrieved April 19, 2009.
  10. ↑ "President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts" (Press release). Office of the Press Secretary. April 17, 2009. Retrieved April 19, 2009.
  11. ↑ "Nomination sent to the Senate" (Press release). Office of the Press Secretary. May 12, 2009. Retrieved May 27, 2009.
  12. ↑ Shadovitz, David (August 6, 2009). "An EEOC under Berrien?". Human Resource Executive Online. Retrieved August 15, 2009.
  13. ↑ Losey, Stephen (January 4, 2010). "Griffin steps in as OPM's deputy director". Federal Times. Retrieved January 11, 2010.
  14. ↑ CHRISTINE M. GRIFFIN - Veteran, U.S. Army
  15. 1 2 Christine M. Griffin
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