Keith Sonderling was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as United States Deputy Secretary of Labor on March 12, 2025. President Donald J. Trump designated him Acting Secretary of Labor on April 20, 2026, and nominated him to serve as Secretary of Labor on June 29, 2026. In June 2026, President Trump also designated Sonderling as Acting Director of the U.S. Office of Government Ethics.
As Acting U.S. Secretary of Labor, Sonderling serves as the President's principal advisor on labor and workforce matters and leads the Department's efforts to administer and enforce federal laws protecting workers' wages, workplace safety and health, retirement and health benefits.
As Deputy Secretary, he oversees the Department's day-to-day operations, including strategic planning, budget formulation, financial management, information technology, and human resources.
During President Trump's second term, he has also served as Acting Director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services and Acting Under Secretary of Commerce for Minority Business Development in 2025.
Prior to becoming Deputy Secretary, Sonderling was confirmed by the United States Senate to serve as a Commissioner of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), where he served from September 2020 to August 2024. He was designated Vice Chair of the Commission from 2020 to 2021, by President Trump. During his tenure, he became a leading global voice on artificial intelligence in the workplace, publishing extensively and speaking around the world on AI's impact on the future of work.
Sonderling previously served at the U.S. Department of Labor as Acting Administrator and Deputy Administrator of the Wage and Hour Division from 2017 to 2020. During his tenure, the agency achieved back-to-back record-breaking enforcement recoveries, conducted a historic number of compliance assistance and educational outreach events, restored the opinion letter program, and launched a self-audit initiative to promote voluntary compliance with federal labor laws.
Before entering government service, Sonderling was a partner at Gunster, one of Florida's oldest and largest law firms, where he counseled employers and litigated labor and employment matters. He also served as an Adjunct Professor at the George Washington University Law School, teaching employment law.
Sonderling received his B.S., magna cum laude, from the University of Florida and his J.D., magna cum laude, from Nova Southeastern University.
Sonderling and his wife, Fara, have two sons.