Acting Assistant Secretary for Policy – Tanya L. Goldman
Tanya L. Goldman is the Acting Assistant Secretary in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Policy (OASP). Tanya has held several positions in the federal government and nonprofit sector focused on protecting and upholding labor and employment laws; improving job quality; and increasing the economic security of working families. She previously worked at the U.S. Department of Labor in the Obama Administration as Deputy Chief of Staff and Senior Policy Advisor to the Administrator of the Wage and Hour Division and as an Administrative Appeals Judge. Before working at DOL, she prosecuted violations of federal civil rights laws at the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. She also clerked on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana and taught at Tulane University Law School and as an adjunct professor at Georgetown Law. Tanya received her B.A. from Stanford University and her JD from Harvard Law School.
Chief of Staff – Patrick Oakford
Patrick Oakford is the Chief of Staff in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Policy (OASP). Patrick has spent his career working in government and the nonprofit sector advancing policies to improve labor protections and economic outcomes of low- and middle-income families. He previously worked at the U.S. Department of Labor under Secretary Perez as a Policy Advisor in the Office of the Chief Economist. He also worked in New York state government as a Senior Policy Advisor. Patrick previously held research positions at the Center for American Progress and with the Georgetown Center on Poverty and Inequality, among other organizations. His research has been covered by broadcast, radio and print media, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, Bloomberg, PBS NewsHour, and NPR, among others. Patrick received a B.S. in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University and an M.Sc. in Migration Studies from the University of Oxford.
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Research and Evaluation – Alexander Hertel-Fernandez
Alexander Hertel-Fernandez is Deputy Assistant Secretary for Research and Evaluation in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Policy (OASP). Alexander is on leave from Columbia University, where he is an associate professor of public affairs. His teaching and research has focused on labor relations and the workplace, the policymaking process, and U.S. political economy. Alexander also co-founded the Columbia Labor Lab, an interdisciplinary team of social scientists studying worker voice and collective action. His recent academic and policy research has focused on workers' knowledge of rights and access to workplace information, civic engagement in the workplace, and worker organization and collective action in the COVID-19 crisis. He is the author or co-author of three books in addition to scholarly articles, and the recipient of fellowships and grants from the National Science Foundation, the Hewlett Foundation, the Russell Sage Foundation, and the Washington Center for Equitable Growth. Alexander received his BA in political science from Northwestern University and MA and PhD in government and social policy from Harvard University.
Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy – Laura Dawkins
Laura Dawkins is the Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy. Prior to this, she was the Director of the Office of Regulatory and Programmatic Policy where she was responsible for routinely providing DOL agency leadership analyses of and recommendations regarding DOL agencies’ major regulatory, legislative, and policy initiatives. Ms. Dawkins and her team are responsible for evaluation and tracking of DOL regulatory programs and strategies, and ensuring that DOL's regulatory initiatives are in compliance with all of the relevant statutes and executive orders that govern the promulgation of regulations by Federal agencies.
Dawkins previously served as Director of the Division of Policy and Integrity in DOL's Office of Foreign Labor Certification where she was responsible for policy-related responsibilities concerning foreign workers seeking admission to work either permanently or temporarily in the United States. She has over 15 years in public service that has included serving as the Chief Regulatory Coordinator for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and as a Division Chief in USCIS's Office of Policy and Strategy. Prior to joining the Federal government, Laura held a variety of positions in both the private and non-profit sector. Ms. Dawkins has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Spanish from the University of Wisconsin and a Juris Doctorate from the George Washington University Law School.
Senior Advisor – Deborah Greenfield
Deborah Greenfield served in the Obama Administration as the Deputy Solicitor of Labor from 2009-2016. She then became the Deputy Director-General for Policy at the International Labour Organization in Geneva. Returning to the U.S. in late 2020, Deborah served on the Transition Team and is now a Senior Advisor in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Policy.
Director, Office of Compliance Initiatives – S. Marisela Douglass
S. Marisela Douglass serves as Director, Office of Compliance Initiatives, at the U.S. Department of Labor. As Director, she provides leadership and support to the Department's enforcement agencies, advancing the expansion and development of innovative approaches to compliance assistance and enforcement.
Douglass’ career includes more than 15 years in public service. She previously served as Chief, Office of Program Policy Evaluation, at the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA). She also worked as an audit manager at the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General where she led audits of MSHA, the Employment and Training Administration, and the Bureau of International Labor Affairs. Prior to her career at the U.S. Department of Labor, Douglass worked as a consultant at Deloitte and in quality assurance at the American Red Cross.
Douglass holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Rutgers College where she was a Henry Rutgers Scholar and has a Master of Public Administration from Cornell University.
Chief Evaluation Officer – Christina Yancey, Ph.D.
Christina Yancey, Ph.D., is the Chief Evaluation Officer for the U.S. Department of Labor. As the Chief Evaluation Officer, she is responsible for coordinating the Department's evaluation agenda and working with all agencies to design and implement evaluations. Dr. Yancey has over 15 years of experience in overseeing and conducting research on employment and other social policies and programs, and in working with policy makers and practitioners to build and apply evidence. Prior to joining DOL in 2014, Dr. Yancey served in the Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs, coordinating performance management and strategic planning activities for the agency. In the years prior to federal service, Dr. Yancey developed, coordinated, and directed field-based evaluations of social programs, primarily for the state of Maryland. She holds a Ph.D. from the School of Public Affairs at American University and a Master of Arts in Criminology from the University of Maryland, College Park.
Chief Data Officer – Scott Gibbons
Scott Gibbons has served as the Chief Data Officer since March 2019. In that role, he provides oversight and leadership for the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) efforts to develop, maintain, share and utilize data to best support DOL’s mission. He leads the Data Board, which serves as the Department’s data governance body, and oversees the development and establishment of coordinated Department-wide positions on data governance, strategy, quality and the management of data as a strategic asset.
Prior to this, Gibbons has worked in various analytical and statistical capacities for the Department of Labor for more than 20 years. He most recently served as Program Manager for Data Analytics for the Chief Evaluation Office at DOL. In this capacity, he led projects assessing and improving data quality and raising the capacity of staff to use data to inform program administration. Prior to that, he was a Supervisory Statistician with the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the Employment and Training Administration. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Maryland and has a master's degree in biology from American University.