Maya Raghu

Maya Raghu is a seasoned leader with 20 years of experience in public policy, stakeholder engagement, and litigation centered on gender and racial equity, workplace civil rights, and economic security. Presently, Raghu serves as the national director, protecting and advancing diversity, equity and inclusion initiative at the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.

Before joining the Lawyers' Commitee, Raghu was a senior advisor to then-Chair Charlotte A. Burrows at the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). She also served as a political appointee in the Biden-Harris Administration as the Deputy Director, Policy at the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP), US Department of Labor under then-Director Jenny R. Yang. As a senior executive, Raghu provided strategic counsel to the agency's Director and Department leadership on the development and implementation of strategies, regulations, policies and programs to protect workers and advance equal employment opportunity

Prior to July 2021, Raghu was Director of Workplace Equality and Senior Counsel at the National Women's Law Center in Washington, D.C. She led federal and state policy development and advocacy, litigation, public education, and stakeholder engagement focused on women's economic security and employment opportunity, including equal pay, pregnancy discrimination, and sexual harassment, with an emphasis on women of color in low wage jobs. Raghu provided expert assistance to federal and state policymakers, including legislative analysis and bill tracking, and providing testimony, letters of support, comments, and fact sheets. She built, led, and worked in coalitions with advocates, attorneys, and grassroots organizations. She monitored and analyzed legal, policy, and research developments related to workplace anti-discrimination issues. She engaged in public education and outreach to various stakeholders, including creating public education materials and resources, developing website and social media content.

Raghu frequently speaks and writes about issues related to women's equality and economic security, and has appeared in a number of media outlets, including PBS Newshour, NPR, and The New York Times. She is the author of articles including Lisalyn R. Jacobs and Maya Raghu, The Need For a Uniform Federal Response To the Workplace Impact of Interpersonal Violence, 11 GEO. J. GENDER AND THE LAW 593 (2010).

Prior to joining NWLC, Raghu was a senior attorney for six years at Futures Without Violence in Washington, D.C., where her work focused on the intersection of economic security, gender and human trafficking. She developed and managed an innovative national project focused on workplace and gender-based violence issues, including strategies to facilitate multi-sector collaboration and cross-movement building, and an initiative to address exploitation of low wage and immigrant workers. She is a national expert on legal issues concerning the workplace effects of gender-based violence.

As a senior staff attorney for six years at Legal Momentum (formerly NOW Legal Defense and Education Fund) in New York City, Raghu focused on human rights, gender discrimination and economic security. She represented plaintiffs in employment and housing discrimination cases, engaged in legislative and policy advocacy, and conducted legal and public education.

Raghu was also previously an associate at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP and a law clerk to the Hon. Vanessa D. Gilmore of the Southern District of Texas. She is a graduate of Trinity University, summa cum laude and Georgetown University Law Center, cum laude.

Sub-specialties: employment discrimination; equal pay; pregnancy discrimination; workplace justice; economic security