Matthew Berry | Chief of Staff
Matthew Berry 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 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.
Nicholas Degani | Legal Advisor, Wireline
Nicholas Degani comes to Commissioner Pai’s office from a detail to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce, where he served as counsel under Chairman Fred Upton and Communications and Technology Subcommittee Chairman Greg Walden. His portfolio included communications issues and agencies, with a focus on the Universal Service Fund, intercarrier compensation, privacy, cybersecurity, agency jurisdiction and spending, and the administrative process.
Before his detail, Mr. Degani served as an Attorney Advisor in the Wireline Competition Bureau’s Telecommunications Access Policy Division, where he worked on issues related to the Universal Service Fund’s low-income and schools and libraries programs, as well as contributions and eligible-telecommunications-carrier issues. Mr. Degani has also worked in the Commission’s Office of General Counsel and the Wireline Competition Bureau’s Competition Policy Division, where he worked on pole attachment issues, transaction review, broadband policy, and numbering issues related to Internet-based Telecommunications Relay Services. Mr. Degani entered the Commission through the Attorney Honors Program in 2007.
Earlier in his career, Mr. Degani served as a law clerk for Judge Jeffrey Sutton of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. He graduated cum laude from Harvard Law School and magna cum laude from Yale University, where he studied Electrical Engineering/Computer Science and History.
Courtney Reinhard | Legal Advisor, Wireless
Courtney Reinhard comes to Commissioner Pai’s office from the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on the Budget where she served as Counsel and Budget Analyst to Chairman Paul Ryan. Her portfolio 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 George Mason School of Law and her B.A., with honors, from the University of California, Davis.
Lori Alexiou | Confidential Assistant
Ms. Alexiou has served most recently as a Litigation Specialist for the Office of General Counsel. Before that, she served as Confidential Assistant to Commissioner Meredith A. Baker and Chairman Kevin J. Martin. Prior to joining the Commission, Ms. Alexiou worked at the law firms of Wiley Rein LLP and Fisher, Wayland, Cooper and Leader. She started her career working for a physician's practice in Pennsylvania.
Deanne Erwin | Staff Assistant
Ms. Erwin is the staff assistant for Commissioner Pai's office. She handles meeting requests for Nicholas Degani and Courtney Reinhard, as well as travel arrangements and greeting visitors to the office. Previously, Ms. Erwin was the assistant for William Lake, Chief of the Media Bureau. Ms. Erwin began her career at the Commission in 2000.