Amanda Wood Laihow

Acting Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health

Amanda Wood Laihow is the Acting Assistant Secretary for OSHA. She has also been the Deputy Assistant Secretary for OSHA. Prior to this appointment, she was nominated by President Trump in 2019 and confirmed by the U.S. Senate in 2020 to serve as a Commissioner to the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission from 2020 until 2023. Previous to her appointment, Ms. Wood Laihow served at the Review Commission as Chief Counsel to then-Chairman James J. Sullivan, Jr.

Ms. Wood Laihow was formerly the Director of Labor and Employment Policy for the National Association of Manufacturers. As a labor and employment policy expert, she advocated on significant labor issues pertaining to employee health and safety under the Occupational Safety and Health Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act, the National Labor Relations Act and anti-discrimination laws.

Ms. Wood Laihow has served as Deputy General Counsel on the U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee working on labor and employment legislation affecting both private and public sector employees. She also served as an Assistant General Counsel at the U.S. General Services Administration.

Ms. Wood Laihow received her J.D. from the University of Maine School of Law and her B.A. in Political Science from the University of New Hampshire.