Friday, June 3, 2005
Contact: Spence Jackson, (573)751-0290
Blunt Appoints Donna White to Serve as State Director of Equal Opportunity
JEFFERSON CITY - Gov. Matt Blunt today appointed Donna White to serve as director of the Office of Equal Opportunity.
White served as the director of the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations from 1989 until 1993. White has spent twenty-eight years practicing law in areas of civil litigation and municipal law. White served as the chief administrative law judge from 1988 through 1989. White holds a bachelor’s degree from Augustana College in Illinois and a juris doctorate from Washington University.
White will be responsible for informing and updating the governor and state agencies on issues pertaining to diversity in the state and monitoring state agencies for compliance with federal and state equal employment and affirmative action laws, goals and timetables.
White is also tasked with creating a new standard for addressing and dealing with issues related to minority and women owned businesses by moving the state away from the failed practices of previous administrations, which were found unconstitutional.
The Office of Equal Opportunity (OEO) monitors and assists all state agencies with equal opportunity and affirmative action. OEO also works to ensure there are no remnants of discrimination against people based on race, sex, color, religion, national origin, age, disability or veteran status. OEO also assists managers and supervisors and others who make hiring decisions by ensuring they have a diverse, qualified pool of applicants to choose from.