Tuesday, April 25, 2000
Mayor Appoints Public Service Commission Chair
Mayor Announces Other Key Positions in Boards & Human Rights Office
Biography:
Charles F. Holman, III
Director of the Office of Human Rights
Charles F. Holman, III has been nominated as Director of the Office of Human Rights for the District of Columbia by Mayor Anthony A. Williams. In this position, he will be responsible for enforcing the D.C. Human Rights Act of 1977, the D.C. Family and Medical Leave Act of 1990, the Parental Leave Act of 1995, and other laws and policies on nondiscrimination. The Office is the advocate for the practice of good human relations and mutual understanding among the various racial, ethnic and religious groups in the District of Columbia.
Mr. Holman comes to this position with more than 20 years of experience in civil rights law. Since 1998, he has served as Senior Trial Attorney for the Housing and Civil Enforcement Section of the Civil Rights Division for the U.S. Department of Justice. He investigated and prosecuted civil cases of discrimination in housing and public accommodations based on race and national origin across the nation. He also provided outreach and guidance to civil rights groups and members of the public in discrimination cases across the country.
In 1997, Mr. Holman was selected from a nationwide pool of Assistant U.S. Attorneys to serve as a prosecutor as part of a one-year detail which prosecuted cases of church arson for a task force established by President Clinton. In this position, Mr. Holman supervised and led teams of Assistant U.S. Attorneys, FBI and ATF agents and paralegals in the investigation of high-profile arson cases. He solved and successfully prosecuted racially motivated arson cases through all steps of the criminal justice system, receiving a personal citation from FBI Director Louis Freeh for outstanding work.
From 1990 to 1997, Mr. Holman served as Assistant U.S. Attorney for Detroit, Michigan. In this position, he prosecuted a wide range of criminal cases, achieving victory in every case tried before a judge or jury. Prior to that experience, he served as a Civil Rights Trial Attorney in Detroit for the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. He also worked for the Michigan Department of Civil Rights.
Mr. Holman earned his law degree from Wayne State University in Detroit in June 1980 as one of the youngest graduates in the school's history. He received his Bachelor's Degree from the University of Michigan. Throughout his career, Mr. Holman has received numerous awards and commendations for his civil rights work, including the Mitchell Leadership Award for Exemplary Dedication in Civil Rights from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
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