NALSWD Blog

On August 8, 2009, Christine M. Griffin delivered the keynote address at the NALSWD annual conference. Christine M. Griffin is currently a commissioner at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Hailing from Boston, Ms. Griffin earned her undergraduate degree from the Massachusetts Maritime Academy in 1983 and a law degree from the Boston College Law School. Upon completing law school, Ms. Griffin was awarded the prestigious Skadden Arps Fellowship. Ms. Griffin has worked extensively in labor and employment law positions in both government and the private sector. Most recently, she held the position of Commissioner at the EEOC from 2006 to 2009, where she launched the Leadership for the Employment of Americans with Disabilities (LEAD) Initiative to contend with the substantial underemployment of people with disabilities in the federal government. Prior to that, She served as the Executive Director of the Disability Law Center in Boston from 1996 to 2005 and as an Attorney Advisor to the former Vice Chair of the EEOC, Paul M. Igasaki from 1995 to 1996, advising him on legal matters and policy issues. Ms. Griffin has also served on many boards and task forces, including the national Social Security Administration Ticket to Work Advisory Panel, the Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities Council and the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education. In December 2005, Ms. Griffin was selected as one of the nation’s eleven “Lawyers of the Year” by Lawyers Weekly USA newspaper. Ms. Griffin is also a Vietnam-Era Veteran of the U.S. Army, serving on active duty from 1974-1977.