Nicole L. Angarella Named Smithsonian Inspector General

Nicole L. Angarella, currently the general counsel to the inspector general for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), has been appointed inspector general of the Smithsonian. Angarella will join the Smithsonian.

Angarella most recently 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 more than 13 years of experience in the inspector general community. She 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.

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.

At the Smithsonian, Angarella will have the full responsibilities of an inspector general as set out in the Inspector General Act. 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 Congress informed of her audits and investigations.                   

Angarella will report directly to the Smithsonian Board of Regents and Congress. She succeeds Cathy Helm, who retired as the Smithsonian’s inspector general last year.