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Douglas L. Parker
Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health
Assumed office
November 3, 2021
PresidentJoe Biden
Preceded byDavid Michaels
Personal details
Children2
EducationJames Madison University (BA)
University of Virginia (JD)

Douglas L. Parker is an American attorney and government official who has served as the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health in the Biden administration since November 2021. He previously served as the chief of the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health.

Education

Parker earned a Bachelor of Arts in history from James Madison University and his Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia School of Law.

Career

Prior to law school, Parker worked in the private sector as a sales and marketing director, in communications for the Democratic National Committee, 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. He was a partner with Mooney, Green, Saindon, Murphy and Welch in Washington, D.C.[1]

Obama administration

During the Obama administration, Parker served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy in the Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration. He also held positions as a senior policy advisor and special assistant at the Department of Labor.[1]

Cal/OSHA

From 2019 to 2021, Parker served as chief of the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health. He previously served as the executive director of Worksafe Inc.[1]

Biden administration

Parker was a member of the Biden-Harris transition team focused on worker health and safety issues. On April 9, 2021, President Joe Biden nominated Parker to serve as the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health.[1][2] Hearings were held on his nomination before the Senate HELP Committee 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.[3][4]

Parker was sworn in on November 3, 2021.[5] Parker is the first U.S. Senate-confirmed assistant secretary of labor for occupational safety and health since the Obama administration.[6]

Personal life

Parker is married and has two daughters. Parker is originally from Bluefield, West Virginia, and grew up in Lynchburg, Virginia.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "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 Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  2. ^ Slowey, Kim (April 14, 2021). "Biden nominates California safety chief as head of OSHA". Construction Dive. Retrieved June 4, 2021.
  3. ^ "PN270 — Douglas L. Parker — Department of Labor 117th Congress (2021-2022)". US Congress. 25 October 2021. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
  4. ^ "On the Nomination (Confirmation: Douglas L. Parker, of West Virginia, to be an Assistant Secretary of Labor)". United States Senate. Retrieved 2021-11-04.
  5. ^ "Douglas L. Parker, Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health". Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Retrieved 2021-11-04.
  6. ^ Hobbs, Eric E.; Davis Jenkins, J. (April 13, 2021). "President Biden to Nominate Cal/OSHA Chief to Be DOL's Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA". Ogletree Deakins. Retrieved June 4, 2021.
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