Phyllis Cheng

Former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed Cheng to be the Director of the DFEH in January 2008. Governor Jerry Brown retained her when he came into office. She was unanimously confirmed by the California State Senate.[3][4] Under her direction, Cheng modernized the Department into a proactive and innovative agency.[9] She harnessed new technology to automate appointment and right-to-sue systems, establish user-friendly telephone intake, launch a cost-effective cloud-based case management system, and develop a case grading system to better target resources.[10] The case management program caused investigators to duplicate some of their work, had frequent system crashes, and created a 1,200-case backlog.[11] The Senate Rules Committee documented Cheng's shortsighted attempts to quicken investigations by nixing face-to-face interviews.[12] Prior to the release of this report, Cheng abruptly resigned.[13]

Cheng also established systemic investigations and litigation to address discrimination at the DFEH; achieved a $8,730,000 nationwide settlement regarding access for test takers with disabilities against the Law School Admission Council; reached a $6,011,190 class complaint settlement regarding family leave against Verizon; launched a new attorney-staffed dispute resolution division to encourage out-of-court settlements; sponsored legislation and promulgated the Department's procedural regulations; conducted outreach in person and via mass and social media to hundreds of communities statewide; developed partnerships with seven institutions of higher learning to train future civil rights lawyers and investigators;[14] and introduced new resources to educate the public on civil rights compliance.[15][16] Cheng also helped Governor Jerry Brown reform California's civil rights enforcement in 2012.[17] In the process, the Department reduced 50 percent of its overhead, resulting in substantial savings to the State, while promoting training, retaining jobs, and providing upward mobility for its staff.[4] Due to all of these efforts and her career in public service, Cheng received the Ronald M. George Public Lawyer of the Year Award for 2012 from the State Bar of California.[18] The State Bar's Council on Access and Fairness further named the DFEH Educational Partnerships winner of the 2013 Education Pipeline Award[19] Cheng abruptly resigned days before release of a report that was expected to be critical of her department.[20]