EEOC Announces Two High-Level Staff Appointments

McCallister and Williamson to Lead Two Key District Offices

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has announced the appointment of two career federal employees to key Senior Executive Service (SES) mana­gerial positions at the agency. The SES is a federal government personnel program in which civil service employees serve at various agencies at a level just below the top presidential appointees. Belinda F. McCallister is the new director of the Dallas District Office, and Jamie Williamson has entered federal service as the new director of the Philadelphia District Office.

McCallister, currently acting district director in Dallas, is a 27-year employee of the EEOC. She started her career in 1990 as a student intern, and held progressively higher positions moving steadily through the clerical, investigator, supervisory and managerial ranks, achieving an appointment as area director for the El Paso Office, and subsequently deputy district director in Dallas. During her tenure with the EEOC, McCallister has been the recipient of numerous agency awards.

An active participant of the agency's outreach education programs since 1995, McCallister regularly presents to employer groups, special emphasis groups, non-profits and student organizations. She also has steered the development of many important enforcement cases.

McCallister, a Texas National Guard veteran, is a graduate of Dallas Baptist University, where she obtained a bachelor's degree in business administration. She also holds a master's degree from Southern Methodist University in conflict management and dispute resolution.

Williamson comes to the EEOC with vast experience in civil rights.  She is an experienced agency leader with significant history of improving and transforming organizations.  Williamson was appointed to the Massachusetts Commission Against Dis­crim­ination (MCAD) in 2010 and became its Chair in 2014.  She served in that position until accepting the appointment as the EEOC's Philadelphia District director. Prior to joining the MCAD, Williamson was the exec­utive director of the Massa­chu­setts Fair Housing Center, a private non-profit fair housing organ­ization serving central and western Massachusetts. In 2005, Williamson was appointed by the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts to serve on the state's Access to Justice Commission. That commission was created by the Supreme Court to provide leadership, vision, and coordination in assuring access to civil justice for families and individuals in the Commonwealth.

Williamson has lectured and conducted seminars on fair housing, employment law and civil rights enforcement to public and private housing organizations, real estate agents, chambers of commerce, attorneys and government officials. She is a frequent guest lecturer at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, Smith College and Western New England School of Law. In 1995, Williamson became the first African‐American woman to serve on the Pittsfield City Council and the first African-American to serve at-large. Over the years, she has served on the boards of several community and charitable organizations including the Red Cross, the Berkshire Medical Center, the Rotary and the Norman Rockwell Museum. She is a graduate of Smith College in Northampton, Mass.

"My goal is to continue our pursuit of justice in the communities we serve. We cannot just stand by; we must continue to stand up and ensure that every individual is afforded equal opportunities in the workplace," said McCallister.

Williamson said, "I'm excited and honored to join the Philadelphia District Office. I look forward to working with the incredibly talented staff and business community to carry out the EEOC's mission to stop and remedy unlawful employment discrimination." 

The EEOC's Dallas District Office includes the San Antonio Field Office and the El Paso Area Office and has jurisdiction over North, Central, West, and South Texas and Southern New Mexico.  The EEOC's Philadelphia District Office encompasses the states of Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, and part of the state of Ohio and includes the Baltimore Field Office, the Cleveland Field Office and the Pittsburgh Area Office. 

The EEOC advances opportunity in the workplace by enforcing federal laws prohibiting employ­ment discrimination. More information is available at www.eeoc.gov.  Stay connected with the latest EEOC news by subscribing to our email updates.