Les Jin


SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONS
Chief executive and operating officer for a small federal agency for over four years.
General Counsel for two federal agencies, totaling seven years. Managed diverse staffs for over ten years.
Experienced in managing to ensure quality, high volume results in a timely manner.
Have worked extensively and effectively with customers and stakeholders.
Have operated successfully in highly pressurized environments.

EXPERIENCE
Staff Director, US Commission on Civil Rights (October, 2000-December, 2004)
Agency’s chief executive officer; functioned as chief operating officer for the
federal agency responsible for studying and investigating civil rights issues and for writing and publishing reports with findings and recommendations on how to address those problems.
Developed skill and experience on a range of substantive and managerial issues in this small agency with a flat management structure.
Successfully ensured that staff produced an increasingly larger volume of quality reports in a shorter timeframe, despite diminishing resources.

General Counsel, US Broadcasting Board of Governors (1999-2000)
Managed the law office of a new federal agency.

General Counsel, US Information Agency (1993-99)
Chief legal officer and manager of the agency’s law office.
Managed the office responsible for administering the “J” immigration visa.
Improved efficiency and effectiveness of the Exchange Visitors Program.
Increased customer and stakeholder satisfaction, despite declining resources and expanding staff workloads.
Successfully supervised the units responsible for complying with the federal Freedom of Information Act, enforcing government ethics rules, and declassifying sensitive agency documents.

Senior Counsel, US Environmental Protection Agency (1990-93)
Represented the Agency’s Chicago regional office on all employment-related matters and provided counsel and advice to the region’s senior managers on employment issues.

Trial Attorney, US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (1986-90)
Litigated employment discrimination cases on behalf of the federal government and employment discrimination victims.

1978-85: Worked to increase access to justice for poor people, first as a staff attorney for the Legal Assistance Foundation of Chicago (1978-83) and then with the Legal Services Corporation, Chicago Office, (1983-85). While with LSC, I lead monitoring and evaluation teams to help legal aid programs perform more effectively and efficiently, and to ensure they complied with federal laws and regulations.

OTHER ACTIVITIES (partial)
Hearings officer for the Chicago Human Relations Commission.
Asian American Government Executive Network: former co-chair and board member.
National Asian Pacific American Bar Association: former board member and co- chair of Civil Rights Committee.
Asian Legal Services Pro Bono Clinic of Chicago: founder and original director.
Chicago Volunteer Legal Services Foundation: former board member.
Organization of Chinese Americans: former national general counsel.
Former VISTA volunteer.

AWARDS AND RECOGNITION (partial)
National Asian Pacific American Bar Association: 1994 Trailblazer Award.
Asian American Bar Association of Chicago: Member of the Year Award.
Chicago Volunteer Legal Services Foundation: Distinguished Service Award.

EDUCATION
Undergraduate degree in agricultural economics from the University of California at Davis; law degree from the University of Oregon; and master in public administration degree from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.