New Faces, Big Shifts: EEOC and OFCCP in Transition

Quick Hits

• The EEOC announced that Catherine Eschbach had been sworn in as principal deputy general counsel.
• Eschbach had been serving as OFCCP director since March 2025.
• Her move brings contractor enforcement expertise to the EEOC’s litigation and legal strategy. Ashley Romanias will step in as OFCCP director with Eschbach’s departure.

The principal deputy general counsel position is a new role at the EEOC, and Eschbach’s appointment comes at a time of transition for the EEOC’s OGC. Indeed, current EEOC Acting General Counsel Andrew Rogers is expected to leave the Commission at any moment, as on October 7, 2025, the U.S. Senate confirmed him as administrator of the DOL’s Wage and Hour Division. With Rogers leaving for a new role at DOL, Eschbach will remain as the sole political appointee in the general counsel’s office. As such, she is expected to carry out the Commission’s enforcement agenda. The Trump administration has not publicly commented on a nomination to the general counsel role. Other key members of the EEOC’s litigation team include several associate general counsel and regional attorneys, but the top leadership structure may continue to shift pending new appointments.

OFCCP’s leadership is also shifting. While the agency has not officially announced a new director, Ashley Romanias’s LinkedIn profile now lists her as director. The future of OFCCP itself remains uncertain, as ongoing budget negotiations in Washington, D.C., have raised questions about the agency’s continued funding and existence.

Next Steps

Employers—especially federal contractors—should anticipate closer coordination between EEOC litigation priorities and contractor compliance issues and monitor for OFCCP leadership and policy updates.

Ogletree Deakins’ Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Compliance, Government Contracting and Reporting, Leaves of Absence/Reasonable Accommodation, Pay Equity, and Workforce Analytics and Compliance Practice Groups will continue to track developments at the EEOC and provide updates as the Commission’s policy direction becomes clearer on the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Compliance, Employment Law, Government Contracting and Reporting, Governmental Affairs, Leaves of Absence, Pay Equity, Technology, and Workforce Analytics and Compliance blogs.

This article and more information on how the Trump administration’s actions impact employers can be found on Ogletree Deakins’ Administration Resource Hub.

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