Kalpana Kotagal | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Commissioner of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission | |
| Assumed office August 9, 2023 | |
| President | Joe Biden |
| Preceded by | Janet Dhillon |
| Personal details | |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Stanford University (BA,BS) University of Pennsylvania (JD) |
Kalpana Kotagal is an American employment attorney who is a commissioner of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Kotagal earned a dual Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts degree from Stanford University and a Juris Doctor from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 2005. [1] [2]
Kotagal served as a law clerk for Judge Betty Binns Fletcher. She later joined Cohen Milstein,where she has since worked as a partner. Kotagal was also a Wasserstein Public Interest Fellow at Harvard Law School. She specializes in employment law,Title VII,the Equal Pay Act of 1963,and diversity,equity,and inclusion. [3] Kotagal is also known for co-creating the concept of the inclusion rider,a legal stipulation that has become popular to include in entertainment industry contracts. [4] [5] [6]
Kotagal has represented workers in civil rights and employment class actions,including litigation against Sterling Jewelers alleging gender bias in pay and promotions and litigation against AT&T Mobility alleging pregnancy discrimination. [7] [8] [9] She also represented female Walmart employees in Dukes v. Wal-Mart ,and has continued to represent workers in individual cases against Walmart. [7]
In 2021,Kotagal and the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund concluded negotiations with Aetna that ensured access to breast augmentation surgery for transfeminine policyholders. [8] [10]
Kotagal frequently writes and speaks on diversity,equity,and inclusion topics for general audiences. Her articles have appeared in outlets including The Washington Post ,The Hill,and Refinery29. [11] [12] [13] She appeared in the 2018 documentary film This Changes Everything. [14]
Kotagal serves on the Advisory Board of University of Pennsylvania Law School's Office of Equity &Inclusion, [15] as well as the Board of Directors of public interest legal organizations A Better Balance and Public Justice. [16] [17]
In April 2022,Kotagal was nominated to be a commissioner of the EEOC to replace Republican commissioner Janet Dhillon. Her nomination was held up because it was deadlocked in the Senate’s Health,Labor,Education,and Pensions Committee;but the 1 seat majority Democrats secured in 2023 allowed her nomination to move out of committee by a 1-vote margin. Because Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) opposed her nomination,the vote to invoke cloture to allow her nomination to proceed was tied at 50-50,and Vice President Kamala Harris had to break the tie,thus tying the record for the most tie-breaking votes ever cast by vice-president. Manchin opposed her nomination because “Ms. Kotagal does not represent West Virginia values and would prioritize a partisan agenda over creating commonsense,bipartisan solutions that bring our nation forward,”he said. Republicans also unanimously opposed her nomination. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) wrote "Based on Kotagal’s record I think she will use her position to attack religious liberty and force her politics on Texas companies." Her addition as an EEOC Commissioner gave Democrats a majority on the five-member panel. [18] [19]
Kotagal lives in Cincinnati with her husband,Wyatt King,and two sons. [20]
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