Cynthia L. Attwood Sworn In As Review Commission Chairman

Cynthia L. Attwood was designated Chairman of the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission by President Barack Obama on January 13, 2016. She was first appointed to the Review Commission by President Obama and confirmed by the Senate in 2010 to fill a term that expired on April 27, 2013, and was reappointed by the President with Senate confirmation in August 2013 to fill a term that expires in April 2019. Chair Attwood served as Acting Chairman since April 28, 2015.

 

I am deeply honored that the President has designated me to serve as Chairman of the Review Commission. Congress enacted the Occupational Safety and Health Act “to assure as far as possible every working man and woman in the Nation safe and healthful working conditions . . . .” And it created the Commission, a small agency with a significant role under the Act, to fairly and expeditiously adjudicate contests involving the Department of Labor, employers cited for violations of the Act, and employees and/or their representatives. We take our responsibility seriously. I am proud to say that the people who work here are wholly dedicated to our mission, and I am pleased to be given the opportunity to encourage our talented staff in their continuing efforts.

Prior to joining the Commission, Ms. Attwood served as Associate Solicitor of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health and as Associate Solicitor of Labor for Mine Safety and Health. She spent her early years of federal service in the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, where she litigated cases before the Supreme Court and the United States Courts of Appeals.

A native of Oak Park, Illinois, Ms. Attwood holds a B.A. degree from Oakland University and a J.D. degree from the University of Minnesota, where she served on the Law Review and was awarded membership in the Order of the Coif.