Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy

Surjeet Ahluwalia

Surjeet Ahluwalia is the Deputy Assistant Secretary (DAS) for Policy in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management (OASAM). 

In her role, Ms. Ahluwalia oversees and coordinates OASAM policy initiatives across the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). She guides OASAM's work to develop and promulgate policies, standards, procedures, systems, and materials for the efficient and effective administration and management of DOL in a changing environment.

Before her time at DOL, Ms. Ahluwalia served as a leader, advocate, and manager in effective organizations serving the public good. Most recently, she served as the Chief Operating Officer and Chief of Staff for the Constitutional Accountability Center, where she developed and implemented a planning and goal-setting process to ensure coordinated implementation of organizational priorities. She improved the hiring process, diversifying the applicant pool and the resulting team, and strengthened financial management processes. 

Prior to this, Ms. Ahluwalia was Executive Director of Asian American LEAD where she grew the organization's budget and staff team to nearly double the number of youth served in afterschool, summer, and mentoring programs. She has also held operations and project management roles in a range of other organizations including in child welfare, education, and citizen engagement.

With a proven track record of enhancing policies to overcome organizational challenges, Ms. Ahluwalia brings over two decades of operations management, program development, and policy implementation experience to OASAM. Her advocacy, management, and strategic leadership underscore her belief in creating a better world by addressing changes through thoughtful policy and practice improvements.

She earned her Masters in Public Policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.