James J. Sullivan, Jr
On July 22, 2019 James J. Sullivan, Jr. was sworn in as Chairman of the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. Commissioner Sullivan was first sworn in as a Commissioner on August 28, 2017.
Prior to being appointed by President Donald Trump to a seat on the Commission, he was a shareholder with Cozen O'Connor and a partner with Pepper Hamilton and a shareholder with Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney. His practice focused on labor and employment law and workplace safety and health matters. He is a former management co-chair of the American Bar Association Committee on Occupational Safety & Health Law and from 2000 to 2002, Mr. Sullivan served as Vice-President of Labor and Employment Law and Deputy General Counsel for Comcast.
Mr. Sullivan graduated from the Pennsylvania State University with a B.A. in Labor and Employment Relations, cum laude, in 1977 and received his JD from Georgetown University Law Center in 1980. His honors and awards include Best Lawyers in America, 2012 – 2017, and Client Choice Award Winner, 2015.
Professional Affiliations: Labor and Employment Section Committee on Occupational Safety and Health Law American Bar Association, former management co-chair
Civic Affiliations: Former Board Member, Brandywine Red Clay Alliance Former Board Member, Pennsylvania State University, School of Labor and Employment Relations, Alumni Program Group Former Board Member, National Kidney Foundation of Southeastern Pennsylvania
Amanda Wood Laihow
Amanda Wood Laihow is a Commissioner at the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission appointed by President Donald J. Trump and confirmed by the Senate on January 9, 2020.
Prior to her appointment as a Commissioner, Ms. Laihow most recently served as Chief Counsel to Chairman James J. Sullivan, Jr., where she was the primary legal advisor to the Chairman, giving critical, independent and innovative legal advice on all pending matters.
Previously, Ms. Laihow was the Director of Labor and Employment Policy for the National Association of Manufacturers. As a labor and employment policy expert, she advocated on significant labor issues pertaining to employee health and safety under the Occupational Safety and Health Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act, the National Labor Relations Act and anti-discrimination laws.
Prior to her private sector experience, Ms. Laihow served as Deputy General Counsel on the U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee working on labor and employment legislation affecting both private and public sector employees and also served an Assistant General Counsel at the U.S. General Services Administration.
A Maine native, Ms. Laihow received her J.D. from the University of Maine School of Law and her B.A. in Political Science from the University of New Hampshire.
Cynthia L. Attwood
Cynthia L. Attwood is a Commissioner on the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission, an independent adjudicatory agency in the executive branch of the federal government. She was first appointed to the Review Commission by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the Senate in 2010 to fill a term that expired on April 27, 2013.She was reappointed by President Obama with Senate confirmation in August 2013 to fill a term that expired in April 2019. Commissioner Attwood was reappointed by President Donald Trump with Senate confirmation on January 9, 2020. She served as Acting Chairman and then Chairman from April 2015 until January 2017.
Prior to her appointment to the Commission, Ms. Attwood spent 30 years in the Federal government as a lawyer and judge. She served for three years as an Administrative Appeals Judge on the Department of Labor's Administrative Review Board adjudicating appeals brought under many labor laws and regulations. She also served in the Senior Executive Service at DOL for over ten years, as Associate Solicitor for Occupational Safety and Health, and before that as Associate Solicitor for Mine Safety and Health.
As a result of her work at the Department of Labor the President awarded her the rank of Meritorious Executive in the Senior Executive Service. Prior to her service at DOL, Ms. Attwood began her legal career as an appellate attorney in the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division, where she litigated cases before the Supreme Court and the United States Courts of Appeals.
A native of Oak Park, Illinois, Ms. Attwood holds a B.A. degree from Oakland University and a J.D. degree from the University of Minnesota, where she served on the Law Review and was awarded membership in the Order of the Coif.