Nicole Angarella named new Smithsonian Inspector General

Nicole L. Angarella, currently the General Counsel to the Inspector General for the U.S. Agency for International Development, has been appointed the Smithsonian’s Inspector General. She will join the Smithsonian May 20.

Angarella brings a wealth of oversight experience to her new role, with 13 years of federal experience in the inspector general community along with deep investigative and litigation experience in private practice.

Nicole Angarella (Photo courtesy USAID)

Previously, she served for 18 months as the Acting Inspector General at USAID where she led a team of more than 275 auditors, investigators, mission support staff and attorneys located in Washington, D.C., and 11 offices overseas. Angarella previously served as Senior Counsel in the Office of Inspector General at the U.S. Department of Transportation, and has held leadership positions in the oversight community, including serving as the Vice Chair and Chair of the Council of Counsels to the Inspectors General from 2018–2022.

Nicole Angarella will report directly to the Smithsonian Board of Regents and Congress and will have the responsibilities and independence outlined in the federal Inspector General Act of 1978. Her office will conduct audits and investigations related to Smithsonian programs and operations; promote efficiency and effectiveness within the Institution; prevent and detect cases of fraud, waste and abuse; make recommendations regarding existing policies and regulations at the Smithsonian; and keep the Board of Regents and Congress informed of OIG audits and investigations.

Before joining the federal government, Angarella worked as an associate attorney in the General Litigation & White-Collar Criminal Defense Practice Group at Cozen O’Connor in Washington, D.C., where she represented corporate and individual clients in federal investigations and complex criminal and civil matters. She has also worked as an associate attorney specializing in employment and labor relations law.

Angarella has a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from the University of Mary Washington and a law degree from the Columbus School of Law at The Catholic University of America where she graduated cum laude and was a member of the Law Review. She is a member of the Virginia State Bar and the District of Columbia Bar, and she is an active member of the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency.

Nicole Angarella succeeds Cathy Helm, who retired as the Smithsonian’s inspector general last year. Joan Mockeridge has served as Acting Inspector General since Helm’s retirement.

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