President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate several individuals to serve as key leaders in his administration.
GW Law alumna Fara Damelin serves as Chief of Staff for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General (OIG), a nationwide organization with over 500 oversight professionals dedicated to protecting HUD’s programs and beneficiaries from fraud, waste, and abuse. She leads a cross-functional team in executing the Inspector General’s (IG) priorities and strategic initiatives, developing OIG-wide oversight products, and implementing diversity, employee engagement, and professional development programs. Before joining HUD OIG, Damelin was Deputy Inspector General for AmeriCorps’ OIG, where she was responsible for overseeing the daily operations of the office, developing and implementing strategies to meet the IG’s priorities and goals, and serving as Whistleblower Protection Coordinator.
Previously, Damelin spent 14 years with the National Science Foundation (NSF) OIG as Investigative Attorney and subsequently Director of its Office of Investigations Legal Division. She conducted criminal, civil and administrative investigations involving fraud and research misconduct related to NSF grants, served as Special Assistant U.S. Attorney to help prosecute a criminal grant fraud case, and provided outreach to protect NSF programs and beneficiaries. Damelin has actively participated in cross-cutting initiatives and professional development programs sponsored by the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE) and was recognized with four CIGIE Awards for Excellence. She began her federal career in 1995 as an employment attorney with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of General Counsel. She earned a JD from George Washington University Law School in 1994 and a B.A. in Political Science from SUNY Binghamton in 1991. Damelin lives in Virginia with her husband and is the proud mom of their two daughters.
To read the full list of nominees, click here.