Rukku Singla

You want to get to know her because:

• Rukku leads ERA’s advocacy efforts around meeting workforce needs on infrastructure projects nationwide, engaging with federal, state, and local stakeholders and supporting local grassroots organizations in coalition-building and policy advocacy. Her work advocates for and tracks provisions to increase worker opportunities on infrastructure projects around the country.
• With extensive experience across multiple federal agencies, she has shaped policy on issues ranging from combatting race- and sex-based discrimination in schools and workplaces, to providing equitable workforce development pathways, such as pre-apprenticeship programs and supportive services.
• During the Biden-Harris Administration, Rukku served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy in the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, where she led the development of critical policy guidance and regulations advancing compliance with federal civil rights laws, including Title VI (addressing race discrimination) and Title IX (addressing sex discrimination).
• Prior to that, she was Policy Advisor for the Department of Labor’s Good Jobs Initiative, where she developed strategies to increase access to opportunities for underserved communities and supported the launch of OFCCP’s Mega Project Program to enable equal access to good jobs on large-scale construction projects.
• Rukku has held senior policy roles across multiple administrations, including as Head of Policy for the first-ever Second Gentleman at the White House, framing his priorities around gender equity, civil access to justice, and pandemic recovery.
• Her extensive background includes significant experience at the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, where she managed fact-finding investigations resulting in over 15 reports on critical civil rights issues. 
• Rukku began her career with federal clerkships at the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.

• University of Michigan Law School, where she served as an Executive Editor on the Michigan Journal of Race & Law
• The Ohio State University, where she majored in Classics (Latin and Greek) and South Asian and Asian American Studies

• Rukku is an enthusiast of cross-country road trips, hiking, and exploring National Parks
• She is an active member of the DC legal community, serving on committees such as the Nominations Committee for the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of DC