Unleashing the value and talent of all Americans

With deep gratitude and great anticipation, I am embarking on my new role as Assistant Secretary of Labor for Disability Employment Policy. I am honored to lead the department’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) and a team that has already earned a reputation for excellence in achieving results for American workers with disabilities.  

My commitment to this work is rooted in years of experience across the public and private sectors. I have seen how policy, practice, and partnership combine to create real opportunity. The Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the Olmstead decision, and the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act are more than milestones. They are the foundation that advances dignity, work, independence, and economic mobility. 

I know ODEP’s significant expertise, research, and leadership. In October, we celebrated the 80th anniversary of National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), and this year’s theme, “Celebrating Value and Talent,” spoke directly to our mission. NDEAM reminds us that talent and value are everywhere. Creating supportive workplaces is not only the right thing to do, but is also essential to a thriving economy in which everyone has the opportunity to work hard, earn and save, and build their future. I bring to this role a focus on conviction, clarity, and measurable results, and a belief that policy must translate into jobs, career pathways, and sustained advancement. 

Early work training programs taught me to set high expectations and opened doors to the long corridors of my career, turning my first steps into sustained momentum. Internships at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and in the White House taught me that disciplined public service can align opportunity and mobilize effort into outcomes. Policy work at HHS sharpened my focus on systems that deliver measurable results for Americans with disabilities. In the private sector, I led projects, teams, and large-scale turnarounds that required strategic partnerships across groups, organizations, and public agencies. Those experiences taught me how investments, strategy, and accountability translate into innovation, jobs, and upward mobility. Most notably, serving as U.S. Commissioner on Disabilities at HHS from 2018 to 2021 reinforced a simple truth: When we set high expectations, organize supports well, and remove barriers, people with disabilities thrive. 

I would be remiss if I did not recognize the greatest influence on my own career: mentorship. From my earliest days as an intern to my first weeks as a manager, through to today as assistant secretary, I have benefited from the investment of time and commitment of a few incredibly talented and celebrated individuals. Their active support and wise counsel are woven through every fiber of the leader I am today. To each of them, I am not only grateful but forever indebted. 

In the coming year, as we approach the 250th anniversary of our nation, we will strengthen our collective resolve and ODEP’s impact. We will empower workers, employers, and state and federal policymakers to breakdown perpetual barriers and build innovative pathways to job training and supports, career growth, and economic mobility for Americans with disabilities. We will continue to work hard, think boldly, and lead with purpose to advance the President’s priorities and unleash the value and talent of all Americans. 

Julie Hocker is the assistant secretary of labor for disability employment policy. Follow the Office of Disability Employment Policy on LinkedIn.