Office of Public Engagement
Leadership Team
Gabriela Lemus, Ph.D. — Senior Advisor and Director
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Dr. Gabriela D. Lemus was appointed Senior Advisor and Director of the Office of Public Engagement at the Department of Labor in July 2009.
Prior to her appointment, she was the first woman to hold the position of Executive Director at the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA) from 2007-2009, as well as the first woman to chair the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda (NHLA) from 2008-2009. During her tenure at LCLAA, she helped co-found the National Latino Coalition on Climate Change (NLCCC) and was a Commissioner for the Commission to Engage African-Americans on Climate Change (CEAAC). She served 3-year terms on the advisory boards of both the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) from 2005-2008 and the United States Labor Education in the Americas Project (USLEAP) from 2006-2009.
From 2000-2007, she was Director of Policy and Legislation at the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) where she launched the LULAC Democracy Initiative, a national Hispanic civic participation campaign and founded Latinos for a Secure Retirement - a national campaign to fight against the privatization of Social Security.
Under both the Clinton and Bush administrations, she was invited by the State Department to travel to Latin America to lecture on democracy and civil society participation. Dr. Lemus was an adjunct professor of international relations and border policy at the University of Memphis, San Diego State University, and the University of San Diego; as well as a Guest Scholar at the University of California, San Diego — Center for U.S.-Mexico Studies.
Dr. Lemus has appeared in both English and Spanish language media outlets, including CNN, CNN en Español, C-SPAN, MSNBC, NBC's Hardball, Fox's Neil Cavuto, Univision and NBC-Telemundo among others.
She received her doctorate in International Relations from the University of Miami in 1998.
A’shanti Gholar – Special Assistant
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In March 2011, A'shanti was appointed Special Assistant to the Secretary in the Office of Public Engagement of the Department of Labor. She is responsible for working with and engaging African Americans, women, veterans, small businesses, and young people around the nation on the many programs, policies, and services that the Department of Labor offers to educate and assist the public.
Prior to coming to the Department of Labor, A'shanti served as the Deputy Director of Faith and Constituency Outreach at the Democratic National Committee where she developed programs and organized events to reach out to minority communities. The experience that she gained has allowed her to cultivate alliances and involvement in numerous community, state, and national organizations. In her efforts, she also built strong relationships with elected officials at every level of government and engaged community stakeholders to allow voices from all to be heard.
In June of 2012 A'shanti took an extended leave of absence from DOL to serve as the first ever Director of Public Engagement for the Democratic National Convention Committee in Charlotte, NC. In running the Office of Public engagement, she and her team ensured that the convention was open and accessible to all Americans by conducting nationwide outreach and creating convention week activities that were open to the general public
A'shanti earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas and has begun graduate work in Industrial and Organizational Psychology. A native Nevadan, she is the recipient of several state honors and scholarships, and is proud to be a Truman Project Partner.
Jeremy Bishop — Special Assistant
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Jeremy Bishop is a Special Assistant to the Secretary, in the Office of Public Engagement. In his current role, his primary responsibilities include engagement with the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community (LGBT), the disability community, people and families affected by HIV / AIDS, and also issues dealing with pensions and retirement.
Previously, Jeremy was Executive Director of Pride At Work, AFL-CIO, the constituency group for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender workers in the organized labor movement. During his tenure at Pride At Work, Jeremy negotiated union contracts to includes issues of importance to the LGBT community, including non-discrimination clauses, domestic partner benefits, transgender health benefits, and inclusive pension packages.
Before joining Pride At Work, Jeremy was Chapter Services Manager for Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG). He assisted PFLAG’s more than 500 chapter network with technical issues and traveled extensively around the country to perform trainings on LGBT issues.
A native North Carolinian, Jeremy received his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Religion at Wake Forest University in 2000 and in 2007, he participated in the Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government's Senior Executives in State and Local Government program.