Priya Aiyar - Deputy General Counsel for Environment and Nuclear Programs
Priya Aiyar serves as Deputy General Counsel for Environment and Nuclear Programs. Prior to joining the Department, she was deputy chief counsel to the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling, where she led the Commission’s investigation of the government and industry response to the Deepwater Horizon spill. She was previously legal advisor to the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, where she oversaw the work of the Wireline and International Bureaus. Before entering government service, she was a partner at the law firm of Kellogg, Huber, Hansen, Todd, Evans & Figel. Her practice focused on trial and appellate litigation, administrative law, and internal investigations. She began her legal career as a clerk to the Honorable Stephen Breyer of the U.S. Supreme Court and the Honorable Merrick Garland of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.
Ms. Aiyar received her J.D. from Yale Law School, her A.B. summa cum laude from Harvard College, and an M.Phil. with distinction from the University of Oxford, where she was a Rhodes Scholar.
The following offices report to Ms. Aiyar: the Office of the Assistant General Counsel for Environment, the Office of the Assistant General Counsel for Civilian Nuclear Programs, the Office of the Assistant General Counsel for International & National Security Programs, the Office of NEPA Policy & Compliance, and the Office of Standard Contract Management.