Special Counsel Hampton Dellinger has named Karen Gorman as Acting Principal Deputy Special Counsel. Gorman, along with veteran Department of Justice (DoJ) attorney Jacqueline Coleman Snead, will serve as Transition Co-Chairs as Dellinger begins his term heading the U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC).
Gorman joined OSC in 1998 after private practice and served as an attorney and Chief in several units before leaving to serve as the Deputy Chief Counsel for the United States Senate Select Committee on Ethics. Gorman returned to OSC in 2020, later serving as Associate Special Counsel for Investigation and Prosecution. In October 2023, she was designated Acting Special Counsel and led the agency in the months prior to Dellinger's confirmation. Gorman received her J.D. from The Catholic University of America's Columbus School of Law, and her B.A. from Seton Hill University.
Coleman Snead has been with DoJ since 2003. She began as a trial attorney in the Civil Division's Federal Programs Branch and now serves as an Assistant Branch Director. In 2021-2022, she assisted Dellinger in heading up the Department's Office of Legal Policy, serving as Acting Chief of Staff. Prior to joining the Justice Department, Coleman Snead was a litigator with Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP and served as a law clerk to The Honorable Theodore McKee on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. She received her J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School where she was Executive Editor of the Michigan Law Review, and her B.A. from Harvard University.
“I am grateful for the assistance of Karen Gorman and Jacqui Coleman Snead as we work with everyone in the agency to develop priorities for OSC. Karen served as Acting Special Counsel before I was confirmed and has a distinguished resumé of positions within the agency. Her experience will be invaluable to me as the Acting Principal Deputy Special Counsel. Jacqui has extensive legal and management experience at DoJ and I know her advice and input will be a great asset to OSC in the coming months. I want to thank both of them for leading the transition."
Over the last several weeks, Dellinger has met individually with each employee at OSC.
“OSC has been named one of the top places to work in the federal government for several consecutive years, and after meeting individually with my colleagues, I understand why. OSC's staff are committed to the agency's mission and understand that their work is making a difference. I am honored to lead an agency with so many dedicated professionals whose work is making our government more efficient and accountable."
In addition to internal meetings with staff, Dellinger has set up meetings with stakeholder groups and non-profit organizations that file complaints with OSC. He welcomes additional feedback that is not specific to any individual case. If you would like to offer suggestions for ways you think OSC can best enforce its statutes and fulfill its mission, please feel free to provide them via email at Transition@osc.gov.
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