If you are a Department of Energy (DOE) federal employee, former employee, or applicant for employment with the DOE, you may initiate the DOE EEO complaint process if you believe that you have been discriminated against based on one or more of these factors: race; color; religion; sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and/or sexual orientation); national origin; age (40 and over); disability (physical and/or mental); genetic information; or retaliation for prior EEO activity.
INFORMAL STAGE
To initiate the EEO process, you must first contact an EEO Counselor at the DOE Office of Civil Rights/Equal Employment Opportunity office where you work or where you applied for a job, to file an informal EEO complaint. You must do so within 45 days of the alleged discriminatory act (limited exceptions apply). At the initial counseling session, you may select either traditional EEO counseling or mediation, a type of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR).
EEO COUNSELING
The EEO Counselor will provide you with information about your rights and responsibilities in the EEO complaint process. You have the right to request confidentiality during the informal stage of the process. With your permission, the EEO Counselor will attempt to informally resolve the dispute. If the dispute is not resolved, you will be given a Notice of Right to File a Formal Complaint. The EEO Counselor will inform you of where to file your formal complaint.
FILING A FORMAL COMPLAINT
Your formal complaint must be specific, and limited only to those matters previously discussed with the EEO Counselor. The complaint will then be accepted or dismissed, based on timeliness and whether the alleged discrimination affects a term or condition of your employment, among other factors. If your complaint is accepted for processing, an investigation will be conducted. When the investigation has been completed, you will receive a copy of the Report of Investigation. In most cases, you may then request a hearing, or a Final Agency Decision without a hearing.* If your complaint is dismissed, you may generally appeal that decision to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), or file a civil action in U.S. District Court.*
HEARING*
If you request a hearing, that hearing will be held by an EEOC Administrative Judge (AJ). After the hearing, the EEOC AJ will issue a decision on the complaint. The Department will then issue a Final Order, informing you of whether DOE agrees with the AJ, and whether DOE will grant any relief in your case. If you are dissatisfied with the DOE Final Order, you may appeal it to the EEOC, or file a civil action in U.S. District Court.
FINAL AGENCY DECISION WITHOUT A HEARING*
If you request a Final Agency Decision without a hearing, DOE will issue a decision on your complaint. If you are dissatisfied with the DOE Final Agency Decision, you may appeal it to the EEOC, or file a civil action in U.S. District Court.
MEDIATION
You may request mediation at any time during the complaint process. If you select mediation and management agrees to participate, a neutral third party will work with you and management in an effort to reach a settlement. If you choose to enter into mediation, the office will continue to process your EEO complaint.
*If your case is a mixed-case complaint, you do not have a right to a hearing or to appeal a DOE decision to the EEOC. However, you do have the right to appeal a DOE decision in a mixed-case complaint to the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB).
Equal Employment Opportunity and Harassment Prevention Policy Statement
Office of Civil Rights and Equal Employment Opportunity Points of Contact
To learn more about the Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) complaint process or to speak with (EEO) Counselor, please see the contact information for EEO Counselors below.
DOE Headquarters Office of Civil Rights and Equal Employment Opportunity (OCR-EEO) Contact Information
Deputy Director Office of Civil Rights and Equal Employment Opportunity | Patricia Zarate | 202-586-2248 | patricia.zarate@hq.doe.gov |
Chief External Civil Rights Compliance and Enforcement Division | Jody TallBear | 202-287-5362 | jody.tallbear@hq.doe.gov |
Chief EEO, Assessment, and Compliance Division | Jaime Claudio | 202-586-9332 | jaime.claudio@hq.doe.gov |
Chief EEO Corporate Services and Oversight Division | Moses Madera | 240-477-9462 | moses.madera@hq.doe.gov |
Headquarters Special Emphasis Program Manager | Karen Lerma | karen.lerma@hq.doe.gov | |
Chief EEO Formal Complaints Division | Allyson Jozwik | 202-586-2218 | allyson.jozwik@hq.doe.gov |
Headquarters EEO Counseling Services:
For Headquarters EEO Counseling services, please contact the main phone line for the DOE Office of Civil Rights and Equal Employment Opportunity at (202) 586-2218, or email the OCR-EEO at civilrights@hq.doe.gov.
DOE Field Site/Power Marketing Administration EEO Counseling Services
To speak with an EEO Counselor, employees or applicants for employment at DOE Field Sites or Power Marketing Administrations may contact the DOE OCR-EEO by phone at (202) 586- 2218 or by email at civilrights@hq.doe.gov.
As an alternative, employees or applicants for employment at DOE Field Sites or Power Marketing Administrations may contact the designated points of contact identified below for their respective locations.
Bonneville Power Administration | Shana Kuhn | 503-230-3836 | slkuhn@bpa.gov |
EM Consolidated Business Center | Nancy Hemphill | 240-961-8179 | nancy.hemphill@hq.doe.gov |
Golden Field Office | Brian Sutherland | 240-562-1320 | brian.sutherland@hq.doe.gov |
Idaho Operations Office | Ricardo Zaldana | 240-404-8357 | ricardo.zaldana@hq.doe.gov |
National Energy Technology Laboratory | Denise Huenefeld | 240-306-7830 | denise.huenefeld@hq.doe.gov |
National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) - Albuquerque | Bonnie Baisden | 505-845-6668 | bonnie.baisden@nnsa.doe.gov |
Office of Scientific and Technical Information | Ricardo Zaldana | 240-404-8357 | ricardo.zaldana@hq.doe.gov |
Richland Operations Office | Tamara L. Moland | 240-252-8983 | tamara.moland@hq.doe.gov |
Savannah River Operations | Dorothy Famber | 803-646-4862 | dorothy.famber@hq.doe.gov |
Giovanni Cole | 803-845-9146 | giovanni.cole@hq.doe.gov | |
SC Consolidated Service Center | Darvin Bennett | 202-355-8925 | darvin.bennett@hq.doe.gov |
Southeastern Power Administration | Orlando Sepulveda | 240-686-9686 | orlando.sepulveda@hq.doe.gov |
Southwestern Power Administration | Orlando Sepulveda | 918-595-6635 | orlando.sepulveda@hq.doe.gov |
Strategic Petroleum Reserve | Ricardo Zaldana | 240-404-8357 | ricardo.zaldana@hq.doe.gov |
Western Area Power Administration | Orlando Sepulveda | 240-686-9686 | orlando.sepulveda@hq.doe.gov |