Andrea Lucas Named Chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

 On November 6, 2025, President Trump named Andrea Lucas as the Chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).  

Lucas has served as Acting Chair of the EEOC since being appointed to that position by President Trump in January 2025. She was nominated and confirmed for a second five-year term that ends in July 2030. Lucas has been a member of the EEOC since 2020, when she was nominated to the commission by President Trump during his first term.

During Lucas’ time as Acting Chair the EEOC lacked a quorum, a result of President Trump’s firing of two Democratic Commissioners in January 2025. While this restricted the EEOC’s ability to issue new guidance or approve litigation, Lucas still took actions to implement President Trump’s directives outlined in a series of Executive Orders. The agency filed to dismiss transgender bias cases as well as closed pending charges based on disparate impact theory. Under Lucas’ leadership, the EEOC also sent letters to twenty law firms requesting information about their employment practices related to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Prior to Lucas’ designation as Chair, Brittany Panuccio was confirmed as the second Republican Commissioner, giving the agency a quorum. This confirmation clears the way for the EEOC to move forward with the agenda Lucas laid out when she was first appointed as Acting Chair. It is expected that the agency will move to rescind the April 2024 “Enforcement Guidance on Harassment in the Workplace” which stated that misgendering employees, barring them from dressing in line with their gender identity, and denying them access to appropriate bathrooms could constitute workplace harassment. Lucas has also expressed her intent to revise the Biden-era regulations implementing the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. On a broader scale, we expect the Commission to continue to focus on illegal DEI, religious accommodation and harassment, and anti-American bias.

The following statement from Lucas was shared as a part of the EEOC’s press release on the designation:

“I’m honored to be designated Chair of the EEOC,” said Lucas. “Under the Trump Administration, the Commission has made significant progress advancing its core mission to uphold our nation’s civil rights laws and protect American workers through consistent, effective enforcement. As Chair, I remain committed to enforcing the law evenhandedly, advancing equal opportunity, and upholding merit-based, colorblind equality in America’s workplaces.”