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CORVALLIS, Ore. – Winston Wilkinson, outgoing director of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service’s Office for Civil Rights, will speak at Oregon State University on Thursday, Jan. 29, beginning at 7 p.m. in Milam Auditorium.

Wilkinson has served as director since December of 2005. He will speak on the topic, “Social Justice: The State of the Union,” timed in conjunction with incoming President Barack Obama’s first state of the union speech.

As director, Wilkinson helps promote and ensure that individuals have equal access and opportunity to all Health and Human Services-funded programs. His office is also responsible for implementing and enforcing privacy acts such as HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act), which protects an individual’s health information.

Wilkinson has more than 35 years of public and private sector experience in civil rights and public policy. He has held a number of senior positions in the federal government, including working as a senior official with the U.S. Department of Education.

Wilkinson’s address is part of the Oregon State University’s ongoing celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and is sponsored by the Black Student Union, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Student Association, the Office of the Vice Provost for Student Affairs and the Office of Community and Diversity.