By Godson Umejiego, Bureau Chief, The Americas

Yaw Gyebi Jr. has been chosen as the new director of the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) New York District Office, the federal agency  has announced. Gyebi, who most recently served as the founding chief of enforcement and investigations at the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission, started today.

“Mr. Gyebi brings a wealth of knowledge from his work as a senior state government leader with extensive enforcement, employment law and labor relations experience,” said EEOC Chair Charlotte A. Burrows. “I am confident that he will provide excellent leadership for the New York District.”

Gyebi said, “I am grateful to be appointed New York District Director and return to doing the work of civil rights. This appointment also carries a personal significance: I was born in New York City and now my life will come full circle. I look forward to meeting and working with the staff of the New York District Office and important stakeholders, including civil rights organizations, members of the employment bar, and the employer community. The work for civil rights is not finished — the EEOC’s mission of preventing and remedying unlawful employment discrimination is more vital than ever.”

Prior to joining the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission, Gyebi served for more than seven years at the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination, including several years as the chief of enforcement. He also served as an assistant district attorney in the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office. Gyebi started his career in law after receiving his juris doctor from Indiana University following his undergraduate career at Connecticut College, where he earned bachelor’s degrees in economics and history.

The EEOC’s New York District Office is responsible for receiving and investigating charges of employment discrimination and conducting agency litigation in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont, and the State of New Jersey counties of Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, Union, and Warren.

The EEOC prevents and remedies unlawful employment discrimination and advances equal opportunity for all.