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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.

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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.  
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