The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) announced on Friday that it named Debra Chew as Deputy Director of the Office of Minority and Women Inclusion (OMWI).
Chew will continue in her role as Deputy Director of the Office of Equal Opportunity and Fairness (OEOF).
OEOF was created in January 2020 to elevate the importance of Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO), Alternative Dispute Resolution, and anti-harassment functions within FHFA and reaffirm FHFA's commitment to a workplace free of harassment and discrimination.
Per the FHFA, OMWI oversees all diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility activities for the agency in management, employment and business activities as well as diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) regulation and supervision of FHFA’s regulated entities – both the Enterprises (Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac) and the Federal Home Loan Banks (FHLBanks).
“Debra’s work in EEO, and her vast experience in diversity, inclusion, and civil rights, have immensely enhanced the culture and daily work of the agency,” said FHFA Director Sandra Thompson. “I look forward to the indispensable perspectives she will bring to the FHFA Leadership team.”
Chew came to FHFA from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) where she served as the Director for the Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion since 2012. Prior to NIH, Chew served as the Chief Human Capital Officer for the Internal Revenue service and led a staff of 1,600 human capital professionals across the country. She held a similar diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility-focused leadership position at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
Prior to FDA, she served as a senior staff attorney at the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the General Counsel, Business and Administrative Law Division where she litigated EEO complaints with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and personnel litigation before the Merit Systems Protections Board. While at the FDA, Chew was awarded the Health and Human Services Award for Excellence in Management, the highest award for leadership at the department. She is a licensed attorney who practiced in the areas of employment discrimination and medical malpractice defense both for governmental and private entities. Chew graduated from the University of Virginia and received her law degree from American University, Washington College of Law.
