WASHINGTON, D.C.—FCC Chairman Brendan Carr announced a number of key staff appointments to the Office of the Chairman and to the FCC.
Those appointments include Scott Delacourt, who was named chief of staff for the FCC and Greg Watson, chief of staff for the Office of Chairman Carr. In addition to the 11 people named in the Jan. 21 announcement, further appointments are expected FCC said.
“I am honored that this talented team has agreed to join me in leading the FCC and ensuring that we deliver great results for the American people,” chairman Carr said. “They bring a broad range of legal and policy expertise to their jobs and to the agency. I look forward to drawing on their counsel and advice, and I am eager to get to work alongside of them, my Commission colleagues, and the agency’s accomplished career staff.”
The FCC described the new appointees as follows:
Scott Delacourt, who has been named Chief of Staff for the FCC will direct FCC strategic initiatives, management, policy, and operations. He joins the FCC from Wiley Rein LLP where he served as Partner and Chair of the Wireless Practice Group and gained a deep breadth of substantive and management experience. He previously served in leadership positions at the FCC, including Deputy Bureau Chief and Chief of Staff of the Wireless Bureau, Senior Counsel in the Office of General Counsel, and Legal Advisor to the Wireless Bureau Chief. Delacourt has been a member of the Executive Committee for the Federalist Society’s Telecommunications & Electronic Media Practice Group since 2003. Delacourt received his Juris Doctorate, cum laude, from the University of Michigan Law School, and his Bachelor’s Degree, summa cum laude, from Georgetown University.
Greg Watson, will serve as the Chief of Staff for the Office of FCC Chairman Carr. In this role, Watson will oversee all policy and strategic initiatives, communications, and operations within the Chairman’s office. In addition, Watson will regularly engage with senior staff in Congress and the Executive Branch. Watson began working for then-Commissioner Carr in 2021, serving first as Policy Advisor before later becoming his Chief of Staff. Before the FCC, Watson was an advisor in the White House OSTP during President Trump’s first term. He started his career on Capitol Hill, working for Congressman Steve Scalise and the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. Watsong holds an undergraduate degree from East Carolina University.
Arpan Sura has been named Senior Counsel – Spectrum and Technology. Sura will serve as Senior Counsel to FCC Chairman Carr on matters before the Wireless Bureau, the Space Bureau, the Office of Engineering and Technology, and the Office of International Affairs. Before joining then-Commissioner Carr’s office in January 2024, Sura led initiatives on spectrum policy, emerging technologies, and infrastructure as Senior Counsel to the Chief of the Wireless Bureau. Prior to government service, Sura practiced for more than a decade at Hogan Lovells, Sprint, and Arnold & Porter, where he handled regulatory and litigation matters for telecom and tech clients. He graduated with distinction from William & Mary Law School and holds undergraduate degrees, including one in computer science, from the University of Texas at Austin. Sura will report directly to Chairman Carr.
Danielle Thumann has been appointed Senior Counsel – Wireline, Public Safety, and Consumer Protection. Thumann will serve as Senior Counsel to FCC Chairman Carr on matters before the Wireline Bureau, the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau, and the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau. She rejoined then-Commission Carr’s Office in August 2024, after working in the private sector on government relations matters for a nationwide telecommunications infrastructure provider. She previously served as Legal Advisor in Commissioner Carr’s Office from March 2021 until July 2023. Before that, she worked as a communications attorney in the Washington, D.C. office of Wilkinson Barker Knauer. She earned her Juris Doctorate, cum laude, from the Catholic University of America’s Columbus School of Law where she was Associate Editor of the Law Review. She also received her Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Virginia. Danielle will report directly to Chairman Carr.
Erin Boone, Senior Counsel – Media and Enforcement. Boone will serve as Senior Counsel to FCC Chairman Carr on matters before the Media Bureau and Enforcement Bureau. She previously served as Chief of Staff and wireless advisor to FCC Commissioner Nathan Simington. Prior to that role, she served as Deputy Division Chief in the Wireless Bureau’s Competition and Infrastructure Policy Division. Boone also served in the Enforcement Bureau and Wireline Bureau, and previously worked at T-Mobile, Clearwire, and Level 3 Communications. She earned her Juris Doctorate from the Catholic University of America’s Columbus School of Law and her Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Texas at Austin. Boone will report directly to Chairman Carr.
Adam Chan, National Security Counsel. Chan will serve as Chairman Carr’s senior advisor on all national security matters. He joins Chairman Carr’s Office from Boyden Gray PLLC where he was an Associate. He served previously as a law clerk to the Hon. Judge Steven J. Menashi of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Before clerking, he worked as a National Security Legal Fellow for the United States House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party. He also interned at the DOJ’s National Security Division, in the office of then-Commissioner Carr, and Kirkland & Ellis. He received a Juris Doctorate from Columbia Law School and a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Chicago, with highest honors from both institutions. Chan is also a Non-Resident Fellow at Columbia Law School’s National Security Law Program. Chan will report directly to Chairman Carr.
Anthony Patrone, Legal Advisor. Patrone will serve as Legal Advisor in the Office of Chairman Carr. He joins the Commission from the Commerce Department’s NTIA, where he served as an Attorney Advisor in the Office of the Chief Counsel with a primary focus on spectrum management issues. Prior to joining NTIA, he was an associate at Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky, and Popeo. Patrone began his legal career at the FCC as an honors attorney in the Wireless Bureau’s Broadband Division. He received his Juris Doctorate from The George Washington University Law School, with honors, and his Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from the University of Connecticut.
Callie Coker, Legal Advisor. Coker will serve as Legal Advisor in the Office of Chairman Carr. She joins from the Wireline Bureau, where she most recently served as Legal Advisor to the Bureau Chief, focusing on universal service, national security, and competition policy. She also oversaw the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Reimbursement Program and the fixed availability challenge process for the National Broadband Map. Previously, she served as an attorney advisor in the Bureau’s Telecommunications Access Policy Division. Coker joined the FCC through the Attorney Honors Program. She received her Juris Doctorate from William & Mary Law School and her undergraduate degree, magna cum laude, from Saint Mary’s College of California.
Matt Mittelstaedt, Director, Office of Legislative Affairs. Mittelstaedt will lead the FCC’s Office of Legislative Affairs. Immediately prior to joining the FCC, Mittelstaedt worked for Senator JD Vance as a Legislative Aide. In that role, Mittelstaedt supported the then-Senator Vance’s work on the Commerce Committee while managing other portfolios. Prior to that, he served in a variety of roles supporting Senator Rob Portman, including Operations Manager and Special Assistant to the Senator. Mittelstaedt received his Bachelor’s Degree in Business Economics, magna cum laude, from the University of Dayton.
Stephanie Chambless, Special Counsel, Office of the General Counsel. Chambless will serve as Special Counsel in the Office of General Counsel and will focus on advancing Chairman Carr’s agenda to restore free speech. Chambless joins the FCC from Capitol Hill where she was a Senior Counsel to the Task Force on the Attempted Assassination of Donald J. Trump and Senior Investigative Counsel to the U.S. House Committee on Small Business. Her work at the Small Business Committee included extensive research, oversight, and investigations into the censorship industrial complex. Before Congress, Chambless was an Associate Counsel to Cameo and was a law clerk at Levin & Perconti in Chicago. She received her Juris Doctorate from Loyola University of Chicago. She also holds a masters degree from Roosevelt University and an undergraduate degree from Purdue University.
Drema Johnson, Confidential Assistant. Johnson will serve as Confidential Assistant in the Office of Chairman Carr where she will be responsible for managing administrative operations, scheduling, and travel arrangements for Chairman Carr. Johnson has held several positions at the FCC. She served initially as the Confidential Assistant to then-FCC Chairman William Kennard. Drema also served in the Office of Commissioner Mignon Clyburn as Confidential Assistant and Deputy Chief of Staff. Before joining the agency, Drema served as Project Director for the Jamestown 400th Commemoration Commission. She also worked as Special Assistant to former Speaker of the House Thomas Foley.
