Julie Hocker serves as the U.S. Assistant Secretary of Labor for Disability Employment Policy. Sworn in on October 23, 2025, after confirmation by the U.S. Senate, she leads the Office of Disability Employment Policy with a clear mandate to expand opportunity, strengthen accountability, and deliver results for American job seekers, workers, and retirees with disabilities and mental health conditions.
Hocker brings a record of national leadership in workforce development, disability policy, and public private collaboration. As Assistant Secretary she leads the federal effort to expand opportunity, improve workplace safety, and strengthen long term economic security for disabled workers.
From 2018 to 2021, Hocker served as the U.S. Commissioner on Disabilities at the Department of Health and Human Services where she oversaw federal programs on developmental disabilities, independent living, brain injury, and limb loss differences. She launched several national initiatives, including the first federal prize competition for innovation in job training. In 2021, she testified before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on the civil rights impact of the COVID 19 pandemic.
From 2018 to 2021, Hocker served as the U.S. Commissioner on Disabilities at the Department of Health and Human Services where she oversaw federal programs on developmental disabilities, independent living, brain injury, and limb loss differences. She launched several national initiatives, including the first federal prize competition for innovation in job training. In 2021, she testified before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on the civil rights impact of the COVID 19 pandemic.
Before joining the Department of Labor, Hocker worked as a consulting executive, leading nationwide efforts to modernize vocational rehabilitation, Medicaid, and developmental disability programs. She supported clients advancing breakthrough therapies for rare diseases and worked directly with Congress on legislation expanding access to lifesaving care and strengthening savings and retirement accounts for Americans with disabilities.
Assistant Secretary Hocker previously served on the board of directors of the Osteogenesis Imperfecta Foundation and as a trustee of St. Mary’s College of Maryland. She earned a Master of Business Administration from the Kenan Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Bachelor of Arts in economics and political science from St. Mary’s College of Maryland.
