According to published reports, the Director of the Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP), Ondray T. Harris, is stepping down after just seven months on the job.
The reports also indicate that Mr. Harris is to be replaced, at least temporarily, by Craig E. Leen, who has served as a senior advisor within OFCCP since last year, and who was quietly named Deputy Director earlier this week. As Deputy Director, Leen would become Acting Director upon Harris’ departure.
During his brief tenure at OFCCP, Director Harris has instituted a very different ‑ and welcome ‑ tone from his predecessor, Patricia Shiu. Mr. Harris openly expressed his interest in reconsidering many agency policy and enforcement practices and began a dialogue with the federal contractor community and other stakeholders about several new areas of focus. The change in policy perhaps has been best reflected in the agency’s approach to enforcement, which has largely veered away from citing technical violations to focusing on substantive violations.
New Deputy OFCCP Director Craig Leen has served quite literally at the side of Director Harris, as evidenced by their work together in numerous public meetings and engagements. While we cannot predict whether OFCCP’s current policies and enforcement priorities will shift significantly under Acting Director Leen, he is well-positioned to continue the agency’s work with little disruption.
Members of the Center for Workplace Compliance (CWC) can read more here.