(Washington, D.C., February 13, 2018) – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today applauded President Donald J. Trump’s selection of Naomi Earp for Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Perdue issued the following statement:

“Our aim at USDA is to treat everyone fairly, with transparency, objectivity, and consistency. Naomi Earp is an excellent choice to help us meet those goals, as her experience in civil rights issues and in the federal government make her uniquely qualified to fill this important role. I commend President Trump for this excellent selection, and I urge the Senate to take up her nomination at the earliest opportunity, along with our other nominees who are awaiting confirmation.”

Background:

Naomi Churchill Earp is a retired career civil servant with more than 20 years of experience in federal equal opportunity policy, charge processing, complaint handling, and employment law. She entered federal services as a GS-9 career employee and worked her way to the Senior Executive Service level prior to appointments as Chair and Vice Chair of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission under President George W. Bush. Throughout her career, Earp has been a strong advocate for labor-management partnership and cooperative business models to raise awareness and address both disparate treatment complaints and allegations of systemic discrimination. Her federal equal opportunity, civil rights compliance, and public policy career includes positions with the U.S. Departments of Commerce and Agriculture and the National Institutes of Health. Born and raised in Newport News, Virginia, Earp received a BS in Social Work from Norfolk State University, an MA from Indiana University, and a Juris Doctorate from the Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law. She is widowed with one son.