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TRENTON
– Attorney General Paula T. Dow announced
today the appointment of Craig Sashihara,
a veteran litigator with significant experience
in discrimination and equal employment opportunity
matters, as Director of the Division on Civil
Rights.
By statute, the Division is the State agency
responsible for enforcing New Jersey’s
Law Against Discrimination (LAD).
Sashihara, who has directed the Department
of Law and Public Safety’s Office
of Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) the
past two-and-a-half years, has more than
19 years experience in the public and private
sectors handling a broad array of legal
issues.
As EEO director, Sashihara has overseen
all aspects of the Department’s anti-discrimination
efforts, including employee training and
the investigation of discrimination complaints.
Attorney General Dow noted that Sashihara
increased the EEO unit’s productivity
during his tenure despite working with a
significantly reduced work force.
“Craig
Sashihara is a committed public servant
and top-notch manager with the right background
to lead the Division on Civil Rights,"
said Attorney General Dow. “His extensive
experience in both private practice and
government service -- including many years
spent analyzing discrimination-related matters
-- have provided him with the tools to make
a difference. He brings to the position
an unyielding work ethic, an ability to
grasp and resolve complex issues and –
most of all – a commitment to equality
and justice.”
The appointment of Sashihara was recommended
by Attorney General Dow and approved by
Governor Chris Christie. By statute, the
appointment also must be approved by the
New Jersey Commission on Civil Rights. The
Commission voted its approval yesterday.
“I
am grateful for this opportunity,”
said Sashihara. “New Jersey has always
been ahead of the curve on civil rights
issues. “We were the first state in
the nation to pass a comprehensive anti-discrimination
statute, and I know Governor Christie and
Attorney General Dow remain deeply committed
to the notions of fairness and equality,
which are at the core of all civil rights
legislation.”
Sashihara
graduated from Boston University’s
College of Communications and in 1992 received
his law degree from Villanova University,
where he served as a member of Law Review.
He worked for the Attorney General’s
Office for five years handling matters ranging
from Superfund litigation to public contract
issues in federal and state courts.
In 1997, he went to work for one of New
Jersey’s largest law firms, McElroy,
Deutsch, Mulvaney & Carpenter, in Morristown,
and then Carroll, McNulty & Kull, in
Basking Ridge, where he handled commercial
litigation including employment, civil rights,
and consumer fraud issues.
In 2003, he returned to the Attorney General’s
Office, where he served with distinction
in a number of capacities. He joined the
Department of Law and Public Safety’s
EEO Unit in April 2004, and was named Director
of the unit in January 2009.
Sashihara,
47, is married with two children and resides
in Martinsville, Somerset County.
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