DOJABA’s Women’s History Month: You Go Girl!
In honor of Women’s History Month, we will circulate a “You Go Girl!” segment each week featuring the outstanding female leaders on DOJABA’s Executive Council. This week we celebrate the following DOJABA Executive Council members Brandie Weddle and Oneshia Herring.
DOJABA’s Corresponding Secretary, Brandie Weddle. Brandie is a Trial Attorney in the Civil Fraud Section where she investigates healthcare providers and government contractors who are alleged to have engaged in fraudulent conduct against the United States. Prior to joining the Department, Brandie worked in private practice at Arnold & Porter LLP. Following graduation from Harvard Law School, Brandie clerked for the Honorable Frank Sullivan, Jr., at the time, an Associate Justice on the Indiana Supreme Court. Prior to law school, Brandie was a member of the United States Navy.
DOJABA’s Chair, Oneshia Herring. Oneshia Herring is currently on detail as Senior Counsel in the Office of the Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division, where she uses her policy expertise and litigation background to advance and support Division’s priorities. Oneshia started her career in the Department in 2014 as Senior Trial Attorney in the Civil Rights Division, Housing and Civil Enforcement Section, where she investigates and litigates systemic fair housing and fair lending discrimination matters. While in HCE, Oneshia helped lead the Fair Lending Testing Initiative, Race and National Origin Working Group, Implicit Bias Series, and served on the Section’s Hiring Committee. She also received the Civil Rights Division’s 2020 Special Commendation Award in recognition of her leadership.
Before DOJ, Oneshia was a Senior Policy Counsel at the Center for Responsible Lending (CRL), where she worked with state and federal lawmakers, regulators, and partners to draft and enact laws that promote fair and equitable lending practices for low-income persons and communities of color. While at CRL, Oneshia played critical role in drafting and negotiating several important legislative efforts to combat foreclosure at the state level including the Nevada Homeowner Bill of Rights, Colorado Housing Stabilization and Mortgage Accountability Act, and others. She also worked on federal issues surrounding predatory small dollar lending and loss mitigation mortgage issues.
Prior to CRL, Oneshia was selected for the esteemed Congressional Fellows Program with the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Inc. Oneshia began her fellowship as Policy Advisor and Legislative Counsel for the Honorable Alcee L. Hastings, managing his legislative strategy on judiciary, housing, and economic development issues. During her second term, she worked as Counsel for the U.S. Senate Housing, Banking and Urban Affairs Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation, and Community Development chaired by Senator Robert Menendez, where she worked on the Choice Neighborhoods Act and several other housing reform bills. Oneshia also worked as Counsel with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s Appellate Review Sector and a Legal Intern in Microsoft’s Legal and Corporate Affairs Division.
A National Bar Association (NBA) 40 Under 40 Award recipient, Oneshia is involved with several civic organizations including the NBA, NBA Young Lawyers Division (General Counsel), Washington Bar Association, National Association of Consumer Advocates, Washington Government Relations Group, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated.
Oneshia is a proud graduate of the Florida State University, where she was a Florida Bright Futures Scholar. She also holds a M.A. from the University of Central Florida, and a J.D. from the North Carolina Central University School of Law.
