Chair and Commissioner

Christine Clarke serves as the Chair and Commissioner of the New York City Commission on Human Rights, where she leads enforcement of the New York City Human Rights Law, one of the most comprehensive civil rights laws in the nation, as well as the agency's public education and community engagement efforts.

Commissioner Clarke brings extensive experience as a civil rights litigator and advocate for low-income New Yorkers. Prior to her appointment, she served as Chief of Litigation and Advocacy at Legal Services NYC, one of the largest civil legal services organizations in the country. There she served on the Executive Team and led impact litigation and advocacy on a wide variety of issues affecting low-income New Yorkers, from housing rights to immigrant rights to workers’ rights and more. She previously served as Director of Legal Services NYC's Civil Rights Justice Initiative, spearheading citywide civil rights litigation and advocacy, including actions against New York City agencies such as the NYPD, the Human Resources Administration, and the New York City Housing Authority that resulted in significant policy and procedural reforms. She has worked at two private employment law practices, largely focused on employee-side wage & hour and anti-discrimination litigation, as well as providing advice and counsel to small independent media companies.

As Chair and Commissioner, Clarke is focused on strengthening the Commission's ability to deliver timely, meaningful outcomes for New Yorkers; engaging with communities to try to prevent civil rights violations before they occur; and ensuring the Commission has the resources necessary to meet its mandate. She is committed to making civil rights a reality for everyone, giving small businesses the tools they need to meet their legal obligations, working closely with the community to ensure the agency is accessible to and meeting the needs of all New Yorkers, and holding large institutions and repeat offenders accountable.

Commissioner Clarke earned her Bachelor of Arts in Politics from Oberlin College and her Juris Doctor from Yale Law School.