On March 25, 2024, the Honorable Fara Damelin was sworn in as the first Presidentially appointed, Senate-confirmed Inspector General (IG) of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC or Commission). She joined the FCC OIG with over 28 years of Federal service, including two decades of oversight experience in the Inspector General community.
Prior to joining the FCC OIG, Ms. Damelin served as Chief of Staff for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General (HUD OIG), a nationwide organization with over 500 oversight professionals dedicated to protecting HUD’s programs and beneficiaries from fraud, waste, and abuse. She directed a cross functional team in executing the IG’s priorities and strategic initiatives, developing OIG-wide oversight products, and implementing diversity, employee engagement, and professional development programs. Before joining HUD OIG, Ms. Damelin was Deputy Inspector General for AmeriCorps OIG, where she was responsible for overseeing the daily operations of the office, developing and implementing strategies to meet the IG’s priorities and goals around protecting the integrity of national service programs, and serving as Whistleblower Protection Coordinator.
Previously, Ms. Damelin spent 14 years with the National Science Foundation (NSF) OIG as an investigative attorney, and subsequently as Director of its Office of Investigations Legal Division. She conducted criminal, civil, and administrative investigations involving fraud and research misconduct related to NSF grants, served as Special Assistant U.S. Attorney to help prosecute a criminal grant fraud case, and provided outreach to protect NSF programs and beneficiaries. Ms. Damelin has actively participated in cross-cutting initiatives and professional development programs sponsored by the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE) and more recently, the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee, and was recognized with multiple CIGIE Awards for Excellence. Ms. Damelin began her Federal career in 1995 as an employment attorney with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of General Counsel. She earned a J.D. from George Washington University Law School in 1994 and a B.A. in Political Science from SUNY Binghamton in 1991.