Douglas L. Parker is an American attorney and government official who has served as the

Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Assistant may refer to: * Assistant (by Speaktoit), a virtual assistant app for smartphones * Assistant (software), a software tool to assist in computer configuration * Google Assistant, a virtual assistant by Google * The Assistant (TV series), ...

in the Biden administration since November 2021. He previously served as the chief of the

California Division of Occupational Safety and Health The Division of Occupational Safety and Health of California (DOSH, but more commonly known as Cal/OSHA) is an agency of the Government of California established by the California Occupational Safety & Health Act of 1973. Administered by the Califo ...

Education

Parker earned a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

in history from James Madison University and his

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

from the

University of Virginia School of Law The University of Virginia School of Law (Virginia Law or UVA Law) is the law school of the University of Virginia, a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson as part of his "academical v ...

Career

Prior to law school, Parker worked in the private sector as a sales and marketing director, in communications for the

Democratic National Committee The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is the governing body of the United States Democratic Party. The committee coordinates strategy to support Democratic Party candidates throughout the country for local, state, and national office, as well a ...

, and was a staff assistant for Senator Paul Wellstone. Parker began his legal career as a staff attorney at the

United Mine Workers of America The United Mine Workers of America (UMW or UMWA) is a North American Labor history of the United States, labor union best known for representing coal miners. Today, the Union also represents health care workers, truck drivers, manufacturing worke ...

. He was a

partner Partner, Partners, The Partner, or, The Partners may refer to: Books * ''The Partner'' (Grisham novel), by John Grisham, 1997 * ''The Partner'' (Jenaro Prieto novel), 1928 * ''The Partners'' (book), a 1983 book by James B. Stewart * ''Partner'' (m ...

with Mooney, Green, Saindon, Murphy and Welch in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

"President Biden Announces his Intent to Nominate Key Members for the Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Labor, Department of Energy, and Department of Transportation", White House, April 9, 2021

Obama administration

During the Obama administration, Parker served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy in the

Department of Labor's Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

Mine Safety and Health Administration The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) () is a large agency of the United States Department of Labor which administers the provisions of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 (Mine Act) to enforce compliance with mandatory safet ...

. He also held positions as a senior policy advisor and special assistant at the Department of Labor.

Cal/OSHA

From 2019 to 2021, Parker served as chief of the

. He previously served as the executive director of Worksafe Inc.

Biden administration

Parker was a member of the

Biden-Harris transition The presidential transition of Joe Biden began on November 7, 2020 and ended on January 20, 2021. Unlike previous presidential transitions, which normally take place during the roughly 10-week period between the election in the first week o ...

team focused on worker health and safety issues. On April 9, 2021, President Joe Biden nominated Parker to serve as the

. Hearings were held on his nomination before the

Senate HELP Committee The United States Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) generally considers matters relating to these issues. Its jurisdiction also extends beyond these issues to include several more specific areas, as defined by Sena ...

on May 27, 2021. The committee favorably reported his nomination to the Senate floor on June 16, 2021. Parker was confirmed by the Senate on October 25, 2021. Parker was sworn in on November 3, 2021. Parker is the first U.S. Senate-confirmed assistant secretary of labor for occupational safety and health since the Obama administration.

Personal life

Parker is married and has two daughters. Parker is originally from Bluefield, West Virginia, and grew up in

Lynchburg, Virginia Lynchburg is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. First settled in 1757 by ferry owner John Lynch (1740–1820), John Lynch, the city's populati ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Parker, Douglas L. Living people 20th-century American lawyers 21st-century American lawyers Year of birth missing (living people) Biden administration personnel Democratic National Committee people James Madison University alumni Lawyers from Washington, D.C. Obama administration personnel People from Bluefield, West Virginia United States congressional aides United States Department of Labor officials University of Virginia School of Law alumni