Officer of Equal Employment Opportunity Office

Pronouns: She/They

Eliot Sutler (she/they) joined the U.S. DOT Volpe Center in 2021 as the officer of the Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Office. Sutler is focused on supporting our EEO compliance, diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) program activities, special emphasis groups (Federal Women’s Program, Disability Employment Program, and Hispanic Employee Program), employee resource groups, and reasonable accommodation program.

Sutler is a civil rights and employment attorney from Washington, D.C. They specialize in cutting edge EEO topics, special emphasis, crisis management, alternative dispute resolution (ADR), reasonable accommodations, and broad-range DEIA work. Sutler has served as an investigator, counselor, special emphasis program manager, mediator, cradle-to-grave case manager, and acting branch chief at agencies such as USDA, FEMA, and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, focusing on Title VI, Title VII, and Title IX cases.  

In her spare time, Sutler works diligently to create rapid response networks and emergency legal assistance as well as a global lifeline to underserved communities, bridging local, domestic, and international organizations. They have founded community organizations, co-hosted conferences, been a guest speaker at various events, including on Capitol Hill and the White House, and served on community boards to provide essential employment law and EEO perspectives that champion equitable access for all. Sutler graduated with a degree in cultural studies from the New School (New York City) and obtained her Juris Doctor from Howard University School of Law (Washington, D.C.).