GW Law is pleased to announce Matt Nosanchuk as the new Lerner Family Associate Dean for Public Interest and Public Service Law and Professorial Lecturer in Law, effective February 2026.
Nosanchuk will lead the Public Interest and Public Service Law Center, following Dean Alan Morrison, who is retiring from the role after 16 years of outstanding leadership in the program.
Nosanchuk is an experienced civil rights and constitutional lawyer with an over 30-year career in litigation, legislative advocacy, civil rights, and policy development. He comes to the position after serving as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Strategic Operations and Outreach in the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) in the U.S. Department of Education under President Joe Biden’s administration. In addition to his work at OCR, Nosanchuk co-founded and led a nonprofit organization – the New York Jewish Agenda – that focused, among other things, on combatting antisemitism.
He has also served in positions as a senior advisor in the Office of Religion and Global Affairs in the U.S. Department of State; Director of Outreach for the White House’s National Security Council during the Obama administration; the Associate General Counsel for Legal Counsel at the Office of General Counsel in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security; and as the Senior Counselor to the Assistant Attorney General in the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. He is a graduate of Stanford University and Stanford University Law School and a former adjunct professor of law at Georgetown University where he taught a civil rights law and policy course for seven years.
“I am honored to be selected as the Lerner Family Associate Dean of Public Interest and Public Service at GW Law,” Nosachuk said. “It is a great privilege to build on outgoing Associate Dean Alan Morrison's foundation, realize Dean Dayna Matthew's vision, and ensure that GW Law graduates launch careers that serve the public good. I am especially eager to help GW law students experience the satisfaction of using their legal training in service of something larger, whether they end up at a law firm, a tech start-up, a trade association, the JAG corps, or a public defender’s office.”
“I’m proud to welcome Matt Nosanchuk to GW Law,” Dean Dayna Bowen Matthew said. “His extensive experience as a public servant and civil rights advocate perfectly position him to lead the GW Law Public Interest and Public Service Law Center. Matt’s deep connections with all three branches of the federal government, technology and telecommunications companies, non-profit organizations, and big-law foundations will allow him to support all of our public interest students’ career aspirations. His strategic and policy skills will be invaluable in helping to raise funds for our program. Matt is the ‘whole package’ and I can’t wait to see the center continue to thrive under his leadership.”
Nosanchuk will work closely with the Public Interest Advisory Council (PIAC) to advance the center’s mission of equipping the next generation of leaders to serve people and advance the public good.
About GW Law’s Public Interest and Public Service Law Center
The Public Interest and Public Service Law Center’s mission is to equip the next generation of leaders committed to serving people and advancing the public good. The Center takes advantage of GW Law’s location at the nation’s capital, the law school’s rich legacy of public service, and the deep expertise of GW Law alumni, faculty, and staff to prepare students to enter fulfilling careers serving the public. The center provides GW Law students with extensive public interest experiential learning opportunities through the Jacob Burns Community Legal Clinics, Pro Bono Program, and Field Placement program. It also convenes top public interest lawyers through the Richey Fellows Program and events hosted throughout the year.
About the Public Interest Advisory Council
The GW Law Public Interest Advisory Council is the primary advisory body to the Public Interest and Public Service program. It is a diverse group that advises the Dean, the Associate Dean for Public Interest and Public Service Law, and the Faculty Director, to assure the law school prepares students for careers in nonprofit and government sectors.