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Grace Chung Becker
In the field of public service, Grace Chung Becker promotes civil rights on a national level. With her vast experience in a variety of government agencies, Grace Chung Becker possesses a true mastery of her field and seeks justice for the underrepresented. President Bush nominated Grace Chung Becker to be the Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division of the United States Department of Justice. Under Grace Chung Becker’s leadership, the Division effected a landmark settlement with the International Spy Museum, helping those under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Managing 700 employees, 30 federal statutes, and a budget of over $100 million, Grace Chung Becker ensured the filing of record-high numbers of criminal civil rights cases and employment discrimination matters and oversaw a record number of fair housing tests in Operation Home Sweet Home. Grace Chung Becker testified before United States Senate and House of Representatives judiciary committees and the United Nation’s Committee to Eliminate Racial Discrimination. Additionally, Grace Chung Becker has given dozens of speeches and press conferences for different audiences and international media outlets. Prior to working in the Civil Rights Division, Grace Chung Becker’s career reflects her long-standing commitment to helping those affected by civil injustice. Whether it is her pro bono publico representation of a prisoner in a civil rights matter or battered women in domestic violence cases while at the law firm of Williams and Connolly or her work as a liaison to the Native American Advisory Group while serving as Associate General Counsel at the United States Sentencing Commission, Grace Chung Becker has helped persons in vulnerable communities. Grace Chung Becker was awarded the “Outstanding Civilian Service” medal for her work as a Special Advisor to the Assistant Secretary of the Army during the Army Inspector General’s review of allegations that hundreds of South Korean civilian refugees were shot and killed by United States soldiers and airmen underneath a railroad bridge at No Gun Ri during the Korean War. In the words of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Manpower and Reserve Affairs: “Grace Chung Becker’s sage cultural and historical advice and sound judgment were instrumental in the successful completion of the Army’s intensive and thorough review of the alleged massacre … Ms. Becker’s extraordinary performance of duty reflects great credit upon her, this office and the Federal civil service.” On a personal note, Grace Chung Becker comes from a family of immigrants and grew up in New York City. Outside of her professional resume, Grace Chung Becker served on a school board’s Human Rights Advisory Committee addressing post-9/11 backlash issues. Grace Chung Becker also was the Executive Vice President and a Director of the Washington D.C. chapter of the Korean American Coalition. She worked as an interpreter at the 1988 summer Olympic games in South Korea.
