Trustee Appointed to White House Office of Public Engagement

Gallaudet University announced on July 17, 2013, one of the members of its Board of Trustees, Claudia L. Gordon, Esq., has been appointed associate director in the White House Office of Public Engagement. In this prestigious position, which she began on Monday, July 15, Ms. Gordon serves President Barack Obama’s administration as an adviser on disability issues.

“Claudia Gordon is well-qualified for this role as a liaison between the White House and the disability community,” said Gallaudet President T. Alan Hurwitz. “Since her appointment to our Board of Trustees in June 2011, Ms. Gordon has demonstrated superb leadership skills on numerous occasions regarding important University issues.”

Ms. Gordon comes to the job from the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, where she was a special assistant to the director. Earlier in her career, she was a senior policy adviser for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, and staff attorney for the National Association of the Deaf. Awards she has received include the Department of Homeland Security Secretary’s Gold Medal and the Paul G. Hearne Leadership Award from the American Association of People with Disabilities. Ms. Gordon has also been a lecturer in Gallaudet’s Department of Social Work.

Additional details of Ms. Gordon’s appointment are featured in a news release issued by the National Council on Disability.

Ms. Gordon received her Juris Doctorate from the American University Washington College of Law and her Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Howard University.

Gallaudet University, federally chartered in 1864, is a bilingual, diverse, multicultural institution of higher education that ensures the intellectual and professional advancement of deaf and hard of hearing individuals through American Sign Language and English. Gallaudet maintains a proud tradition of research and scholarly activity and prepares its graduates for career opportunities in a highly competitive, technological, and rapidly changing world.