WASHINGTON, D. C. – Attorney General Karl A. Racine announced today the addition of several members to leadership positions within the Office of the Attorney General (OAG). The positions announced today are: Chief Operating Officer; Senior Counsel for Policy; Senior Advisor for Strategic Communications; and Director of the Office of Consumer Protection. These appointments will support OAG’s policy and law enforcement work, continued efforts to improve operational efficiency, and efforts to become the nation’s premier public law firm by recruiting top legal and administrative talent.
“Exceptional work starts with exceptional colleagues, and these new additions continue our record of recruiting top talent,” said Attorney General Racine. “This group has already hit the ground running and will provide great value to the Office of Attorney General as we continue to serve and protect District residents.”
The following hires to OAG’s leadership team were announced today:
Penelope Thornton Talley is joining OAG as the Chief Operating Officer. Prior to joining OAG, Ms. Talley was Senior Director at Alvarez & Marsal, a consultancy, where she evaluated and improved the operational efficiency of education clients. Ms. Talley also has extensive experience working in the not-for-profit and public sectors, improving organizational performance and customer service metrics. She served as the Chief Performance Officer for Maryland State Department of Education and the Deputy Chief of Staff to the Deputy Mayor of Education for the District of Columbia. Additionally, Ms. Talley spent more than a decade in leadership roles at AARP in business operations, personnel management, and procurement. She holds a J.D. from the University of Richmond, an MBA from John Hopkins University, and a B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Elizabeth Wilkins will serve as Senior Counsel for Policy. In her previous role at OAG, Ms. Wilkins served as Senior Counsel to the Attorney General and Chief of Staff, helping to set agency priorities and providing strategic and legal advice to the Attorney General. Prior to joining OAG in 2015, Ms. Wilkins was a law clerk to Chief Judge Merrick Garland of the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, and then a clerk for Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan. She also served in field positions with President Obama’s 2008 campaign, and went on to serve as an urban policy and economic opportunity adviser in the White House Domestic Policy Council. Ms. Wilkins holds both a J.D. and B.A. from Yale University.
David A. Mayorga is joining OAG as the Senior Advisor for Strategic Communications. Prior to joining OAG, Mr. Mayorga was Senior Spokesperson for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), where he led strategic messaging and media relations for the agency. Before joining the CFPB, Mr. Mayorga managed the communications team for the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office, providing communications strategy for the national SunShot Initiative. Prior to his work in federal government agencies, Mr. Mayorga provided policy and public relations counsel to clients in the financial services, energy and environment, transportation, and telecommunications industry. He also served as a policy aide to former Congressman Michael A. Arcuri and the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Science. Mr. Mayorga holds a B.A. from the University of Florida.
Benjamin Wiseman will serve as Director of the Office of Consumer Protection. In his previous role at OAG, Mr. Wiseman was an Assistant Attorney General in the Office of Consumer Protection, conducting investigations and enforcing the law with a focus on privacy and data security, sharing economy companies, for-profit schools, student loan debt relief scams, and housing providers. Prior to joining OAG in 2016, Mr. Wiseman was an associate at Covington & Burling LLP. Previously, he served as a law clerk on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit. He holds a J.D. from Georgetown University and a B.A. from Brown University. Mr. Wiseman is also a graduate of Woodrow Wilson Senior High School in the District.