Deena Shetler
Chief of Staff and Legal Advisor
Deena serves as Chief of Staff and Legal Advisor to Commissioner Gomez. In this role, Deena oversees all operations within the Commissioner’s office and advises her on legal, policy and strategic initiatives. Prior to joining Commissioner Gomez’s staff she held numerous leadership roles at the FCC including Deputy Chief of Staff to then-Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, Acting Chief and Deputy Chief of the Office of Economics and Analytics, Deputy Managing Director, Associate Chief of the Wireline Competition Bureau, and as a Legal Advisor to Commissioner Gloria Tristani. Deena served on details to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) from 2010 to 2011 and to the Department of Justice Antitrust Division from 2016-2017. Deena joined the Commission in 1996 as an attorney in the Common Carrier Bureau. Prior to joining the FCC, she was an associate at Howrey and Simon in Washington D.C. and Los Angeles. Deena received her J.D., Order of the Coif, from University of California Los Angeles School of Law, and her B.A. from University of California San Diego.
Edyael Casaperalta
Legal Advisor
Edyael serves as Legal Advisor to Commissioner Gomez. In this role, Edyael leads legal and policy analysis on wireless, space, and consumer issues. Edyael joined Commissioner Gomez’s staff from the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau, where she served as Chief of Staff. She has extensive experience working on broadband access issues as an attorney and a consumer advocate. Prior to joining the FCC, Edyael served as Senior Policy Advisor for the Rural Utilities Service at the Department of Agriculture, where she worked on policies to fund broadband infrastructure projects in rural areas and Tribal lands. Before becoming an attorney, Edyael worked alongside rural, poor, and underserved communities advocating for policies to ensure affordable, reliable, high-speed broadband access and communications services. Edyael received her J.D. from the University of Colorado Law School, her M.A. from Ohio University, and her B.A. from Occidental College. She is proud to be from Elsa, Texas.
Jonathan Uriarte
Strategic Communications and Policy Advisor
Jonathan serves as Strategic Communications and Policy Advisor to Commissioner Gomez. In this role, he leads policy analysis on wireline, public safety, and merger issues. Most recently, he was Director of Strategic Communications and Policy Advisor for FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel. Prior to joining the FCC, he worked for nearly a decade in various communications and advisory roles on Capitol Hill, including as spokesperson and advisor for then-Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Democrats, Senator Mark Warner, and former Congresswoman Stephanie Murphy. He started his career in public service as a staffer in the California State Senate. He is a California native and a graduate of U.C. Berkeley.
Harsha Mudaliar
Policy Advisor and External Affairs Liaison
Harsha serves as Policy Advisor to Commissioner Gomez. In this role, Harsha leads policy analysis on universal service, enforcement, and technology issues. She joined Commissioner Gomez’s office from the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation where she served as a Research Assistant for the Subcommittee on Communications, Media, and Broadband. Previously, she interned at the FCC in the Office of Legislative Affairs. Harsha received her B.A. in Political Science with a minor in Information Systems and Technology from American University. She is currently pursuing her J.D. at Georgetown University Law Center as a Technology Policy and Law Scholar.
Cierra Nokes
Executive Assistant
Cierra serves as Executive Assistant in Commissioner Gomez’s office. Before moving to her most recent role as Staff Assistant, she was an Executive Assistant at Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) under the Department of Defense (DOD). Cierra has also provided interim administrative support in other departments under the DOD government agency as a federal contractor. Prior to her start in the federal government, Cierra worked in the private sector supporting executive level staff for more than 5 years.