Keith Sonderling | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2025 | |
| 38th United States Deputy Secretary of Labor | |
| Assumed office March 14, 2025[1] | |
| President | Donald Trump |
| Preceded by | Julie Su |
| Director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services | |
Acting | |
| Assumed office March 20, 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Cyndee Landrum (acting) |
| Under Secretary of Commerce for Minority Business Development | |
Acting | |
| In office March 2025 – present | |
| President | Donald Trump |
| Preceded by | Eric Morrissette |
| Member of theEqual Employment Opportunity Commission | |
| In office September 2020 – August 2024 | |
| President | Donald Trump Joe Biden |
| Preceded by | Charlotte Burrows |
| Succeeded by | Brittany Panuccio |
| Vice Chair of theEqual Employment Opportunity Commission | |
| In office September 2020 – January 2021 | |
| President | Donald Trump |
| Preceded by | Jenny R. Yang |
| Succeeded by | Jocelyn Samuels |
| Administrator of theWage and Hour Division | |
Acting | |
| In office January 2019 – April 2019 | |
| President | Donald Trump |
| Preceded by | Bryan L. Jarrett (acting) |
| Succeeded by | Cheryl Stanton |
| Deputy Administrator of theWage and Hour Division | |
Deputy | |
| In office September 2017 – September 2019 | |
| President | Donald Trump |
| Preceded by | Bryan L. Jarrett |
| Succeeded by | Susan Boone |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 25, 1982 (age 42) New York, New York |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Fara Sonderling |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | University of Florida (BS)Nova Southeastern University (JD) |
Keith E. Sonderling (born November 25, 1982) is an American lawyer and government official. He has served as the 38thUnited States Deputy Secretary of Labor, the acting director of theInstitute of Museum and Library Services, and the Acting Under Secretary ofUnited States Department of CommerceMinority Business Development Authority since 2025, during PresidentDonald Trump's second term. From 2020 to 2024, he served as commissioner of the U.S.Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.[2] From 2017 to 2020, he served as the deputy and acting administrator of theWage and Hour Division of theUnited States Department of Labor.[3][4][5] Before government service, he was a shareholder atGunster, Yoakley & Stewart inWest Palm Beach, Florida.
Born on November 25, 1982, inManhattan,New York, Sonderling grew up inBoca Raton, Florida. Sonderling isJewish and the grandchild ofholocaust survivors.[6] He graduated fromSpanish River High School and attended theUniversity of Florida. He received a Bachelor of Science,magna cum laude, majoring in broadcast journalism. Sonderling then obtained hisJuris Doctor.,magna cum laude, fromNova Southeastern University.
Sonderling began his legal career at Gunster in West Palm Beach, Florida. At Gunster, he practiced labor and employment law and was elevated to shareholder in 2015. In 2012,Florida GovernorRick Scott appointed Sonderling to serve as a commissioner on the 4th District Court of Appealjudicial nominating commission.[7] In 2016, his fellow commissioners elected him chair.[8]
In September 2017, Sonderling joined theUnited States Department of Labor'sWage and Hour Division.[9] In 2019, Sonderling served as the acting administrator of the Wage and Hour Division.[10]
In 2019, Sonderling issued the department's first opinion letter on thegig economy, concluding that gig workers wereindependent contractors, not employees of a company, under theFair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).[11] This opinion was later withdrawn by the Biden administration in 2021, but reinstated in May 2025.[12][13] Sonderling also issued proposed rules for marquee labor issues, such as updating the overtime threshold and joint employer standards under the FLSA.[14][15]
Sonderling developed the Payroll Audit Independent Determination (PAID) the Agency's first comprehensive self-audit program.[16] The program recovered $7 million in wages to 11,000 workers.[17]
On July 3, 2019, PresidentTrump nominated Sonderling to be a member of theEqual Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) for a term expiring July 1, 2024. On June 3, 2020, theSenateHealth Education Labor and Pension Committee, by unanimous consent, favorably reported his nomination,[18] and he was confirmed by the Senate in a 52–41 vote on September 22, 2020.[19] He was also designated by the president to serve as vice chair of the commission.[20] Sonderling left the commission at the expiration of his term on August 30, 2024.[21]
During his tenure at the EEOC, Commissioner Sonderling's highest priority was ensuring thatAI-informed employment technologies are designed and deployed in ways that comply with longstanding laws.[22] Commissioner Sonderling published numerous articles and spoke globally on the benefits and potential harms of using artificial intelligence-based technology in the workplace.[23][24] Commissioner Sonderling also focused on human capital management compliance, working with human resource leaders worldwide on compliance.[25]
Sonderling also served as an adjunct professor at theGeorge Washington University Law School, teaching employment discrimination.[26]
On January 15, 2025, President-elect Trump announced his intention to nominate Sonderling as theUnited States Deputy Secretary of Labor.[27] On March 6, theUnited States SenateHealth, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee reported his nomination in a 12–11 vote.[28] Sonderling was confirmed 53–46 by theUnited States Senate on March 12.[29] As theUnited States Deputy Secretary of Labor, Sonderling is the second-highest-ranking official and oversees the day-to-day-operations of the department.[30]
On March 18, 2025, President Trump designated Sonderling as the acting director of theInstitute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), an independent government agency that is the primary source of federal funding for the nation's museums and libraries.[31] Sonderling announced that he would lead IMLS "in lock step with this administration to enhance and foster innovation", referencing a March 14, 2025 executive order that directed the agency, along with six others, be "eliminated to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law."[32][33]
On March 18, 2025, President Trump designated Sonderling the Acting Under Secretary of Commerce, leading theMinority Business Development Authority (MDBA), an agency in theUnited States Department of Commerce that promotes growth and competitiveness of theUnited States'minority-owned businesses.[34]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by | United States Deputy Secretary of Labor 2025–present | Incumbent |