Adam P. Romero

Chief Deputy Director @California Department of Industrial Relations

Los Angeles, CA, US

Adam P. Romero was appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom in February 2025 to be the Chief Deputy Director of the California Department of Industrial Relations (DIR). The mission of DIR is to protect and improve the health, safety, and economic well-being of over 18 million wage earners and to help employers comply with state labor laws. DIR administers and enforces laws governing wages, hours, overtime, retaliation, workplace safety and health, apprenticeship training programs, and medical care and other benefits for injured workers. Romero helps direct all aspects of the department\'s functions, goals, and strategies. With offices throughout California and approximately 3,700 authorized positions, DIR’s broad portfolio includes: the Labor Commissioner’s Office (Division of Labor Standards Enforcement), Cal/OSHA (Division of Occupational Health and Safety), Division of Workers’ Compensation, and Division of Apprenticeship Standards, among other offices and boards. Previously, Romero served as a deputy director of the California Civil Rights Department, a position to which he was appointed by Governor Newsom in March 2020. Adam was a scholar and adjunct professor at UCLA School of Law and a senior associate at WilmerHale, where he specialized in appellate, Supreme Court, and intellectual property litigation. An attorney admitted to practice law in California and New York, Romero earned his J.D. from Yale Law School and A.B. from Cornell University (summa cum laude).

Cornell University

A.B.

Yale Law School

Doctor of Law (J.D.)