Naomi Churchill Earp (born February 1950) is an American lawyer and government official from

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

and

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

. From 2007 to 2009 she served as chair of the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, where she established the Youth At Work Program. She was designated by President

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

in 2006, succeeding Cari M. Dominguez. Prior to her appointment as Chair, she had served as vice chair of the commission since 2003.

Early life and education

A native of

Newport News, Virginia Newport News () is an independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 186,247. Located in the Hampton Roads region, it is the 5th most populous city in Virginia and 140th most populous city in the Uni ...

, Ms. Earp received her bachelor's degree from

Norfolk State University Norfolk State University (NSU) is a public historically black university in Norfolk, Virginia. It is a member of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and Virginia High-Tech Partnership. History The institution was founded on September 18, 1935 a ...

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...

; master's degree from

Indiana University Bloomington Indiana University Bloomington (IU Bloomington, Indiana University, IU, or simply Indiana) is a public university, public research university in Bloomington, Indiana. It is the flagship university, flagship campus of Indiana University and, with ...

; and

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

Catholic University Catholic higher education includes universities, colleges, and other institutions of higher education privately run by the Catholic Church, typically by religious institutes. Those tied to the Holy See are specifically called pontifical univ ...

Columbus School of Law The Columbus School of Law, also known as Catholic Law or CUA Law, is the law school of the Catholic University of America, a private Roman Catholic research university in Washington, D.C. More than 400 Juris Doctor students attend Catholic Law ...

Washington, DC ) , 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 ...

. Earp studied

social work Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession concerned with meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society as a whole to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social work ...

as an undergraduate, which she credits with inspiring her to go into civil rights advocacy. Some report she is a member of the Supreme Court Bar and the Pennsylvania Bar, but she is not listed as either an active or inactive member of that bar.

Federal service

Earp began her career as a civil rights specialist for the

Economic Development Administration The U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) is an agency in the United States Department of Commerce that provides grants and technical assistance to economically distressed communities in order to generate new employment, help retain exist ...

from 1976 to 1979. In 1981, she became an investigator for veterans reemployment rights at the

Department of Labor The Ministry of Labour ('' UK''), or Labor ('' US''), also known as the Department of Labour, or Labor, is a government department responsible for setting labour standards, labour dispute mechanisms, employment, workforce participation, training, a ...

, serving until 1983. From 1985 to 1986, Earp served as an EEO manager for the United States Naval District of Washington. From 1986 to 1987, Earp was attorney for the

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is a federal agency that was established via the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to administer and enforce civil rights laws against workplace discrimination. The EEOC investigates discrimination ...

(EEOC) from 1986 to 1987. Earp joined the

United States Department of Agriculture The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the United States federal executive departments, federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, ...

(USDA) in 1987 as Associate Director of the Office of Advocacy and Enterprise, serving in the position until 1990. She served in the

Federal Aviation Administration The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the largest transportation agency of the U.S. government and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country as well as over surrounding international waters. Its powers include air traffic m ...

(FAA) as a temporary EEO specialist from 1991 to 1993. In 1994, Earp became Director of the Office of Equal Employment at the

National Institutes of Health The National Institutes of Health, commonly referred to as NIH (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in the late ...

(NIH), serving in this capacity until 2003.

EEOC and the Trump Administration

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)

From 2007 to 2009, Earp served as chair of the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, where she established the Youth At Work Program. She was designated by President

in 2006, succeeding Cari M. Dominguez. Prior to her appointment as Chair, she had served as vice chair of the commission since 2003. During Earp's tenure as EEOC chair, the agency filed suit against

Walgreens Walgreen Company, d/b/a Walgreens, is an American company that operates the second-largest pharmacy store chain in the United States behind CVS Health. It specializes in filling prescriptions, health and wellness products, health information, an ...

over alleged racial discrimination.

Post-EEOC career

Earp became Director of the Office of Opportunity, Inclusiveness and Compliance at the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...

from 2009 to 2011. She retired from federal service in 2011 and got involved in state service in 2012. From 2012 to 2013 she served as the equal employment opportunity labor relations coordinator and became supervisor of the labor relations division for the city of

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

. From 2013 to 2014 she served as the Director of the Workforce Investment Network. From 2015 to 2016 she served as Director for Workforce Development at

Southwest Tennessee Community College Southwest Tennessee Community College is a public community college in Memphis, Tennessee. As the product of a merger between two colleges in 2000, the school has two campuses in Memphis and several satellite centers. It is operated by the Ten ...

Trump Administration

On February 13, 2018, U.S. President

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

selected Earp for Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights at the

U.S. Department of Agriculture The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, and food. It aims to meet the needs of com ...

(USDA). While still waiting for Senate confirmation, she was appointed as Deputy Assistant Secretary on January 28, 2019, after taking the oath of office for that subordinate position. Earp received criticism from members of the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

for using the term "silliness" to describe sexual harassment. Earp responded by saying "I probably shouldn't have described sexual harassment as 'silliness,' although it is on a continuum". On January 3, 2020, absent a vote in the full Senate, the Senate returned her nomination to the President and after a rocky year with reports of poor management, she resigned in disgrace effective January 31, 2020.

Personal life

Earp is the widow of Samuel Earp, and mother of one son, Nathan.

References

External links

White House Personnel AnnouncementSecretary Perdue Statement on President Trump’s Selection of Naomi Earp for USDA Civil Rights PostNOMINATIONS OF MINDY BRASHEARS, NAOMI C. EARP, AND SCOTT HUTCHINS - HEARING BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE, NUTRITION, AND FORESTRY - UNITED STATES SENATE, ONE HUNDRED FIFTEENTH CONGRESS (S. HRG. 115–695)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Earp, Naomi C. 1950 births Living people People from Newport News, Virginia Indiana University Bloomington alumni Columbus School of Law alumni Chairs of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Virginia Republicans Trump administration personnel George W. Bush administration personnel African-American government officials Norfolk State University alumni Catholic University of America alumni