Four GW Law alumni were recently chosen to serve in leadership roles in the federal government and in national organizations.
President-elect Donald Trump chose William "Bill" McGinley and Russell Vought, who both received their JD from GW Law, to serve in his upcoming administration. The Association of American Law Schools elected Danielle M. Conway, who received her LLM from GW Law to be its new president. And the Federalist Society chose Sheldon Gilbert, who received his JD from GW Law, to be its new president and CEO.
Read on to learn more about the alumni serving in leadership roles.
GW Law alumni chosen to lead in federal government

William "Bill" McGinley
Bill McGinley, JD ‘97, will serve in a role in the newly created Department of Government Efficiency, led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy. McGinley served as the White House Cabinet secretary in President-elect Trump’s first administration, and is a partner at the Holtzman Vogel law firm. McGinley has also served as deputy general counsel to the Republican National Committee.

Russell Vought
President-elect Trump chose Russell Vought, JD ‘04, to be the director of the Office of Management and Budget in the new administration. Vought previously served as the director of OMB during President-elect Trump’s first term in office. Prior to joining the Trump administration, Vought was the Vice President of Heritage Action for America and worked as the policy director for the House Republican Conference and as the executive director of the Republican Study Committee. Vought’s nomination to the role awaits confirmation from the U.S. Senate.
GW Law alumni chosen to lead national organizations

Danielle M. Conway
The Association of American Law Schools (AALS) elected Danielle Conway, LLM ‘96, as its new president earlier this month. Conway is currently the Dickinson Law Dean and Donald J. Farage Professor of Law at Penn State. Prior to joining Penn State, she served on the faculty at the University of Hawai’i at Manoa, William S. Richardson School of Law and as the dean of the University of Maine School of Law.

Sheldon Gilbert
The Federalist Society elected Sheldon Gilbert, JD ‘08, to serve as its next president and CEO. Gilbert is currently Walmart’s senior led counsel for strategic initiatives. He has an extensive career representing clients in nearly 100 cases at the U.S. Supreme Court. He has also worked in roles at the National Constitution Center, the Institute for Justice’s Center for Judicial Engagement, and the U.S. Chamber Litigation Center. In addition to being a former student, Gilbert has taught as a professorial lecturer at GW Law.