Speaker's Name
Rita Sampson

Title
Chief of Equal Employment Opportunity and Diversity

Company Name
U.S. Intelligence Community

Bio

Ms. Sampson is the Chief of Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and Diversity within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI). She is the principal advisor to the Director of National Intelligence on all matters relating to diversity within the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC). Ms. Sampson also oversees compliance with federal EEO laws, policies, and directives that impact the ODNI workforce and the IC. She serves as the Chair of the IC EEOD Council (comprised of senior EEO and diversity leaders from all 17 IC elements), and leads the implementation of strategic diversity initiatives aligned with the IC EEO and Diversity Enterprise Strategy (2015-2020). Promoting greater transparency, outreach, and awareness of opportunities for employment and advancement within the IC is one of Ms. Sampson’s key priorities. She advances the IC’s commitment to hire, promote, and maintain a highly-skilled, diverse, and inclusive IC workforce, and engages key stakeholders through partnerships that enable innovative approaches and leverage best practices for achieving EEO and diversity objectives.

From 2010-2013, Ms. Sampson served as a Senior Civil Liberties Advisor in the ODNI’s Civil Liberties and Privacy Office. She supported efforts to ensure that the IC maintained effective safeguards to protect the civil liberties and privacy rights guaranteed by the Constitution, Executive Orders, and federal laws. She also led IC initiatives to provide greater public transparency into IC programs and activities, evaluated compliance, and served as the lead for intelligence oversight reporting.

Prior to joining the ODNI, Ms. Sampson served in various capacities within the United States Department of Justice. As an Assistant Director within the Executive Office for United States Attorneys (EOUSA), she served as the Agency’s EEO Officer, and led all aspects of the Agency’s EEO program covering 94 district offices. Ms. Sampson also served as an Assistant General Counsel within EOUSA, specializing in government ethics and employment litigation. Before joining EOUSA, she worked in the Office of the General Counsel at the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) where she litigated a range of civil matters, including complaints related to excessive use of force, Federal Tort Claims Act, and Title VII civil rights violations. Ms. Sampson was an Assistant Attorney General in the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Office of the Attorney General, where she litigated complex civil litigation matters.

Ms. Sampson is a member of the Virginia State Bar, National Bar Association (NBA), and served as Special Counsel and Executive Board member of the NBA. She formerly served as President of the Greater Washington Area Chapter of the NBA, Women Lawyer’s Division. She earned her juris doctorate degree from Wake Forest University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Government from the College of William and Mary.

Session List

Let’s Get Ready to Rumble! Managing Groups and Cultures When You Are Not in Charge
Friday, February 08th 10:15 AM to 11:30 AM Room: Maryland Suite C- Lobby Level