Catherine E. Lhamon

Catherine Lhamon
Assistant Secretary of Education for Civil Rights
In office
November 17, 2021 – January 20, 2025
PresidentJoe Biden
Preceded byKenneth L. Marcus
Succeeded byKimberly Richey
In office
August 2013 – December 2016
PresidentBarack Obama
Preceded byRusslynn Ali
Succeeded byKenneth L. Marcus
Deputy Director of the Domestic Policy Council for Racial Justice and Equity
In office
January 20, 2021 – October 25, 2021
PresidentJoe Biden
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byChiraag Bains
Chair of the United States Commission on Civil Rights
In office
December 2016 – January 20, 2021
PresidentBarack Obama
Donald Trump
Preceded byMartin Castro
Succeeded byNorma Cantú
Personal details
Born (1971-08-05) August 5, 1971
PartyDemocratic
Children2
EducationAmherst College (BA)
Yale University (JD)

Catherine Elizabeth Lhamon (born August 5, 1971) is an American attorney and former government official serving as the executive director of the Edley Center on Law and Democracy at the UC Berkeley School of Law.

Lhamon served as assistant secretary for civil rights at the Department of Education during both the Obama and Biden administrations. During her tenure with the department, she instituted changes to Title IX rules that some feminist and progressive groups praised but conservatives, libertarians, and some liberals and feminists criticized.

Lhamon was deputy chair of the United States Domestic Policy Council for racial justice and equality from January to October 2021 and chaired the United States Commission on Civil Rights from 2016 to 2021.