Veronica Venture, Equal Opportunity Employment Office

Veronica Venture was born in Georgetown, Guyana. Ms. Venture's family then moved to Wheatley Heights, NY, where she spent her formative years. Ms. Venture graduated from Connecticut College in New London, Connecticut, with a Bachelor of Arts in English and Government. Subsequently, Ms. Venture served as a Research Assistant for Connecticut College where she aided in translating documents from "olde" French into modern French. Thereafter, Ms. Venture moved to Washington, DC, where she attended the Washington College of Law at the American University, receiving her Juris Doctor in 1990.

Prior to assuming the position of Equal Employment Opportunity Officer in March 2002, Ms. Venture was employed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Ms. Venture commenced her career at the EEOC in 1990, in its Baltimore District Office as a Law Clerk and, after passing the bar examination, became a Trial Attorney in that office. Ms. Venture was then reassigned to the Washington Field Office of the EEOC in March of 1993, when she became an Administrative Judge. As an Administrative Judge, Ms. Venture conducted hearings on EEO complaints brought by employees of various and numerous federal agencies, including the FBI.

In 1997, Ms. Venture also became the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Coordinator of the EEOC's Washington Field Office, in addition to her regular Administrative Judge duties. As the ADR Coordinator, Ms. Venture was part of the national task force that, from 1998, developed and implemented the highly successful private sector mediation program at the EEOC. During that time, Ms. Venture also served on the national task force that was responsible for the 1999 revisions to the EEOC regulations which govern the entire EEO Federal sector process.

In February 2000, Ms. Venture became the Acting Area Director of the EEOC's San Diego Field Office. Then, in June of 2000, she was appointed as a Special Assistant to the then Chair of the EEOC. In January 2001, Ms. Venture was selected for the position of EEO Director for the EEOC. In that position, Ms. Venture was responsible for implementing an ADR program for the EEOC's internal complaint process, as well as for restructuring and streamlining the operations of the EEO office.

Ms. Venture has been a speaker/presenter in various forums, including the World Bank, the Society for Professionals in Dispute Resolution, the Public Administration Forum, and at the Federal Dispute Resolution Conference.

Ms. Venture is currently a member of the Maryland Bar, and has been a member of the United States District Courts for Maryland and the District of Columbia, and the American Bar Association.