NEWS News media Information 202 / 418-0500Fax-On-Demand 202 / 418-2830 TTY 202/418-2555Internet: http://www.fcc.govftp.fcc.gov Federal Communications Commission 445 12th Street, S.W. Washington, D. C. 20554 This is an unofficial announcement of Commission action. Release of the full text of a Commission order constitutes official action. See MCI v. FCC. 515 F 2d 385 (D.C. Circ 1974). FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE NEWS MEDIA CONTACT: May 14, 2012 Tammy Sun, (202) 418-0505 Email: Tammy.Sun@fcc.gov FCC COMMISSIONER AJIT PAI ANNOUNCES STAFF Washington, DC – FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai today announced the appointment of Matthew Berry as his Chief of Staff, Gene Fullano as his Acting Legal Advisor, and Lori Alexiou as his Confidential Assistant. Commissioner Pai also announced his intent to appoint Courtney Reinhard as a Legal Advisor. “I am thrilled that each of these talented individuals has agreed to join my office,” said Commissioner Pai. “Their wide range of experience in the public and private sectors as well as their communications expertise will help me to hit the ground running on the critical issues facing the Commission. I look forward to working with them to promote competition and innovation in the communications marketplace that will benefit consumers and foster economic growth.” Matthew Berry will serve as Chief of Staff. He previously served as the Commission’s General Counsel and Deputy General Counsel. In those roles, he was responsible for providing legal advice to the Commission and managing the Commission’s litigation docket. Prior to joining Commissioner Pai’s office, he was a Partner at Patton Boggs LLP, where he was a member of the firm’s Technology and Communications practice group. Mr. Berry has also worked at the United States Department of Justice, serving as Counselor to the Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Policy and as an attorney-adviser in the Office of Legal Counsel. During his tenure there, he earned the Department’s John Marshall Award for providing legal advice related to counter- terrorism policy. Mr. Berry has also served as a law clerk for United States Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas and Judge Laurence Silberman of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Additionally, he was a visiting professor at William and Mary School of Law, where he taught courses on the First Amendment and election law, and worked as a staff attorney at the Institute for Justice. Mr. Berry graduated summa cum laude from Dartmouth College and received his J.D. from Yale Law School. Gene Fullano will serve as Acting Legal Advisor. He comes to Commissioner Pai’s office from the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau, where he served as Associate Bureau Chief. In that capacity, he has worked with the Commission’s Emergency Response Interoperability Center to develop a technical and operational framework for the deployment of a nationwide interoperable public safety broadband network. Previously, he was Deputy Bureau Chief of the Commission’s Enforcement Bureau, where his responsibilities ranged from enforcement of the Commission’s consumer protection rules to investigations of matters involving spectrum use, public safety, and violations of Title II of the Communications Act. Prior to joining the Enforcement Bureau, he held a variety of legal and policy positions at the Commission. Mr. Fullano worked in private practice before entering federal service, representing telecommunications companies, electric utilities, independent power producers, and natural gas pipeline companies before state and federal regulatory agencies. He received his J.D. from the Columbus School of Law at Catholic University and his B.A. from Loyola College Baltimore. He also holds an M.B.A from Loyola’s Sellinger School of Business. 2 Lori Alexiou will serve as Confidential Assistant. Ms. Alexiou comes to Commissioner Pai’s office from the Litigation Division of the FCC’s Office of General Counsel, where she served as a Litigation Specialist. Prior to that, she served as Confidential Assistant to Commissioner Meredith A. Baker as well as Confidential Assistant to FCC Chairman Kevin J. Martin. Before joining the Commission, Lori worked at the law firms of Wiley Rein LLP and Fisher, Wayland, Cooper and Leader. Courtney Reinhard will serve as Legal Advisor and have particular responsibility for wireless, international, and public safety issues. She will join Commissioner Pai’s office from the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on the Budget, where she currently serves as Counsel and Budget Analyst to Chairman Paul Ryan. Her portfolio at the Committee has included telecommunications issues and agencies, with a focus on spectrum auctions, public safety communications, broadband grants, and the Universal Service Fund. Prior to joining the Budget Committee, Ms. Reinhard served as a Telecommunications Counsel for the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce, where she specialized in wireless policy, rural telecommunications, E-911, and interoperability. She has also served as a policy advisor on communications, technology, and intellectual property issues to U.S. Senator Jim DeMint, U.S. Senator Sam Brownback, and U.S. Representative John Shimkus. Ms. Reinhard received her J.D. from the George Mason School of Law and her B.A., with honors, from the University of California, Davis. - FCC -