Princeton SPIA students are invited to attend a discussion with SPIA faculty about the changing public policy landscape. Topics will include international affairs, domestic politics, transitions of power, careers in public service, and more.

Ali Nouri, Lecturer with the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs

Dr. Ali Nouri was a Deputy Assistant to President Biden and Deputy Director of the White House Office of Legislative Affairs. Previously he was nominated by the President and confirmed by the US Senate as an Assistant Secretary in the Department of Energy where he led the Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs. Prior to joining the Biden Administration Dr. Nouri was the President of the Federation of American Scientists, a public policy organization focused on countering WMDs, addressing emerging infectious diseases, and crafting policy solutions to science, technology, and national security challenges. Dr. Nouri previously served on US Senate staff as a science and technology fellow, an energy and environment advisor, a national security advisor, and a legislative director over nearly a decade. He has also served as an advisor to the office of UN Secretary General Kofi Annan where he developed initiatives to block the applications of biotechnology toward biological weapons. He earned a B.A. in biology from Reed College and a Ph.D. in molecular biology from Princeton University.

Deborah Pearlstein, Director, Program in Law and Public Policy and Charles and Marie Robertson Visiting Professor in Law and Public Affairs

Deborah Pearlstein is Director of the Princeton Program in Law and Public Policy and Charles and Marie Robertson Visiting Professor of Law and Public Affairs. Before joining Princeton, she was Professor of Law and Co-Director of the Floersheimer Center for Constitutional Democracy at Cardozo Law School, Yeshiva University, and held visiting appointments at the University of Pennsylvania Law School and Georgetown University Law Center. Her work on the U.S. Constitution, international law, democracy, and national security has been published in leading journals, including the law reviews of the University of Pennsylvania, Michigan, Georgetown, and Texas, as well as peer-reviewed journals including the Journal of American Constitutional History and Constitutional Commentary. Her article, The Executive Branch Anticanon, was selected by the AALS National Security Law Section as the best paper of 2020.  Her first book, Losing the Law, is forthcoming with Princeton University Press in 2026.  Pearlstein’s work has also appeared frequently in popular venues such as The Atlantic, Foreign Policy, the Washington Post, and The New York Times, and she has repeatedly testified before Congress on topics from executive war powers to congressional oversight. Professor Pearlstein has served as Chair of the AALS National Security Law Section, as a member of the ABA’s Advisory Committee on Law and National Security, and on the editorial board of the peer-reviewed Journal of National Security Law and Policy. In 2021, she was appointed to a U.S. State Department Advisory Committee focused on helping to ensure the timely declassification and publication of government records surrounding major events in U.S. foreign policy.

A magna cum laude graduate of Harvard Law School, Professor Pearlstein clerked for Judge Michael Boudin of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, then for Justice John Paul Stevens of the U.S. Supreme Court. Before entering academia, she practiced at the law firm of Munger, Tolles & Olson in San Francisco, earning the Voting Rights Award from the ACLU of Southern California for her litigation work on voting systems reform following the 2000 presidential election. From 2003-2007, Professor Pearlstein served as the founding director of the Law and Security Program at Human Rights First, where she led the organization’s efforts in research, litigation and advocacy surrounding U.S. detention and interrogation operations, and served on the first team of independent military commission monitors to visit the U.S. Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay in 2004. In addition to developing impact litigation strategies and preparing multiple briefs amicus curiae to the U.S. Supreme Court, Pearlstein co-authored a series of reports on the human rights impact of U.S. national security policy, including Command’s Responsibility, which provided the first comprehensive accounting of detainee deaths in U.S. military custody and received extensive media attention worldwide. Throughout her tenure, Professor Pearlstein worked closely with members of the defense and intelligence communities, including in helping to bring together retired military leaders to address key policy challenges in U.S. counterterrorism operations.

Before embarking on a career in law, Pearlstein served in the White House from 1993 to 1995 as a Senior Editor and Speechwriter for President Clinton.

David Mayorga, Associate Dean for Public Affairs & Communications

David A. Mayorga is the Associate Dean for Public Affairs and Communications at Princeton University’s School of Public and International Affairs (Princeton SPIA), where he leads strategic communications efforts to amplify the school’s research, scholarship, and public engagement. With two decades of experience in public affairs, he has advised federal government leaders, elected officials, trade associations, and nonprofit organizations on strategic messaging, narrative development, stakeholder engagement, and media relations. His expertise spans energy, the environment, consumer protection, financial services, transportation, infrastructure, science and technology, and telecommunications.

Prior to joining Princeton SPIA, Mayorga was appointed by President Biden in 2021 to serve as Director of Public Affairs for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). In this role, he led communications for an agency with a $50 billion annual budget, over 100,000 employees and contractors, and 17 National Laboratories. He played a key role in promoting DOE’s mission to drive clean energy innovation, maintain the U.S. nuclear deterrent, and implement $97 billion in historic climate and infrastructure investments.

Before his tenure at DOE, Mayorga served as Director of Communications for the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia. There, he transformed the office’s communications and community engagement strategies, enhancing its ability to advance public policy and legal priorities while effectively responding to the needs of D.C. residents.

Previously, at the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), Mayorga served as the agency’s primary on-the-record spokesperson. He handled communications for major announcements, including new regulations, law enforcement actions, and consumer financial protections. Earlier in his career, he led communications for DOE’s Solar Energy Technologies Office, managing national rollouts for multimillion-dollar federal research and development grants.

Mayorga has also held senior roles in the private sector, managing communications and advocacy campaigns for major organizations such as the American Chemistry Council, the Association of Equipment Manufacturers, Google, Microsoft, Raytheon, and Bloomberg Businessweek. His work has shaped public discourse on critical policy areas, bridging the gap between government, industry, and the public.

He began his career on Capitol Hill as a senior legislative assistant to former U.S. Representative Michael Arcuri (NY) and as a staffer on the House Science Committee under former U.S. Representative Sherwood Boehlert (NY).

An immigrant and openly LGBTQ professional, Mayorga is the first in his immediate family to earn a bachelor’s degree. He is deeply committed to public service and fostering diverse, inclusive leadership in government and policy.

Sponsorship of an event does not constitute institutional endorsement of external speakers or views presented.