NASA Attorney Dawn Oliver Served Under U.S. Executive Office of the President
Montgomery native and Alabama Law alumna, Dawn L. Oliver (Class of 2000) — assistant chief counsel for commercial partnerships at NASA — recently completed her time as a fellow in the 2024 White House Leadership Development Program in Washington, D.C. The year-long program, which is sponsored by the Executive Office of the President of the United States, provides senior federal government employees the opportunity to address cross-agency challenges while networking with other federal leaders at the center of U.S. government.
As one of 18 fellows selected to receive this honor, Oliver began her fellowship in October 2023 serving as a senior policy analyst in the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) Office of Federal Financial Management (OFFM). In this position, she led a cross-agency working group made up of payment integrity professions from 20+ federal agencies to rewrite the guidance that implements the Payment Integrity Information Act of 2019 (PIIA). This statute addresses how executive agencies must assess risk estimate and report improper payments. Oliver has also served on a Joint Management Improvement Program payment integrity working group — a cooperative effort to promote continuous improvement of federal financial management across the Office of Management and Budget, the Government Accountability Office, the Department of the Treasury, and the Office of Personnel Management.
“This experience has provided a wonderful opportunity to contribute to a high priority challenge that impacts the whole of government and the American public,” said Oliver. “My career has been enriched because I have gained an experience that provided me a broader perspective of the federal government priorities, and I have stretched myself in a way that allows me to return to NASA with additional skills, knowledge, and abilities that will make me even more effective at enabling the mission of NASA. Working at the center of government provided me a unique experience that gave me an even greater appreciation for the opportunity to be a public servant.”
Upon completing her fellowship in September 2024, Oliver returned to Houston to continue her work for NASA as the assistant chief counsel for commercial partnerships at the Johnson Space Center. Over the course of her tenure, she has served as counsel for NASA’s Institutional Review Board, primary legal advisor to the NASA Science Mission Directorate and Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, and as the Board Executive to the NASA Legal Leadership Board. She has also received multiple honors and recognitions, including being named NASA Attorney of the Year in 2016.
Reflecting on the career path she has taken since law school, Oliver pointed out that her initial introduction to NASA came through a fellow Alabama Law alumnus.
“The individual who interviewed and ultimately hired me to serve as an attorney at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center was an Alabama Law graduate,” said Oliver. “It is my belief that in addition to my qualifications and demonstrated commitment to public service, I was selected because he knew the value of a person who graduated from this Law School. He provided me an opportunity because of my Alabama Law education and experience.”
As a student, Oliver took advantage of several internship and legal clinic opportunities available at Alabama Law, and she was one of the first recipients of the Order of the Samaritan award — the highest honor granted by the Law School’s Public Interest Institute.
“While at Alabama Law, I was committed to public service … and my desire upon graduation was to work as an attorney for the federal government,” said Oliver. “Not only have I had the opportunity to achieve that goal … of serving the American public, but I now have the opportunity to work at the center of government. My education at The University of Alabama enabled these opportunities.”
The statements Ms. Oliver shared for this article are her own, expressed in her personal capacity, and do not necessarily represent the views, opinions, policies or positions of the U.S. or any agency thereof.