Deputy Assistant Secretary Jesse Lawder
Jesse Lawder was appointed Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for Public Affairs on January 20, 2021. A seasoned communications and policy strategist, he has spent his career working to increase access to good jobs and health care for America's people.
A Missouri native, he was previously the Vice President of Marketing and Communications at Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri. He previously served more than seven years at the Labor Department under the Obama Administration, ending that tenure as Chief of Staff in the Office of Public Affairs.
Lawder worked on the Obama-Biden Presidential Transition Team for the NSA Review Team, and was an organizer in Broward County, Florida during the 2008 presidential campaign. He earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Conservatory of Theatre Arts at Webster University, where he currently serves on the Alumni Board of Directors.