John K. Guenther is the Deputy General Counsel for Administration and is responsible for managing the Department’s administrative law practice through the offices of four Assistant General Counsels (Ethics Law and Programs; Employment, Litigation, and Information; Legislation and Regulation; and Transactions and Technology).  He also oversees the management arm of the Office of the General Counsel (OGC) through the Office of Chief Administrative Officer.

John joined OGC’s Employment and Labor Law Division (ELLD) in January 2000, after receiving his J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center.  He spent 20 years in ELLD, as a staff attorney, team leader, Deputy Chief, and ultimately Chief.  In 2008, he was recognized as the Department’s Attorney of the Year for his efforts representing Commerce before the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, local government, and others, following a plutonium spill at NIST’s Boulder Labs.  From 2019 to early 2021 he was the Department’s acting Chief Human Capital Officer and Director for Human Resources Management.  In March 2020, John became the Associate Deputy General Counsel, and in October of that year he became the acting Deputy General Counsel for Administration, before ultimately being reassigned to that position. 

Before law school John spent several years teaching English at a large mid-western university, where he was also responsible for Title VII and Title IX training and led the office of Student Mediation Services. John received his B.A. from Kenyon College and a M.A. from Indiana University.  He is a member of the Maryland state bar.

Visit: Office of the Deputy General Counsel for Administration