McCourt School’s Tech & Public Policy program welcomes new cohort of visiting fellows

The McCourt School of Public Policy’s Tech & Public Policy (TPP) program welcomed Aya Ibrahim, senior advisor for the U.S. Secretary of State’s Policy Planning Staff at the U.S. State Department, Gabriel Nicholas, senior advisor at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration and Casey Pick, director of law and policy at The Trevor Project, for a semester-long term as TPP visiting fellows. The fellowship program provides a unique platform for tech policy practitioners across sectors to share their knowledge and expertise with McCourt students and the broader Georgetown community. 

Visiting fellows host events with top policy experts in Washington, DC, and host small-group discussions on leading and emerging technology policy topics, including AI, content moderation and data privacy. Fellows also lead site visits to public and private organizations, providing students with coveted opportunities to engage directly with tech policy professionals and learn about the key issues and trends shaping technology policy. 

“TPP’s Visiting Fellows program has brought some of the most influential and innovative thought leaders in tech policy to the Georgetown community. They have been an incredible resource for students and faculty across the schools,” said Michelle De Mooy, TPP director. “Our spring cohort,  Aya, Casey and Gabe,  once again represent dynamic and experienced professionals who are working at the cutting edge of technology and public policy, from examining the political and economic impacts of digital finance and labor markets to youth online safety and access to multilingual AI models. With the change in administration, 2025 will bring a shift in federal policy regarding tech, while advances in high tech will continue to accelerate. We are fortunate to have our Spring 2025 Visiting Fellows to lead the way in understanding current and future trends through their highly anticipated public events and student discussions.” 

Meet the Spring 2025 Visiting Fellows

Aya Ibrahim

Aya Ibrahim has spent her career working at the intersection of technology, economy and national security. During the Biden-Harris Administration, she served as senior advisor on the Secretary of State’s Policy Planning Staff, in the White House Office of Science Technology Policy and the National Economic Council, where she led on President Biden’s Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights and Digital Assets Executive Order.  She previously served as Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley’s senior economic advisor, managing her Financial Services Committee work and technology and civil liberties agenda. Ibrahim holds a B.A. in political science and religion from Swarthmore College.

Gabriel Nicholas

Gabriel Nicholas is a senior policy advisor at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration in the Office of International Affairs, where he advises the White House and the U.S. Department of Commerce on internet and technology policy issues. He is on leave from the Center for Democracy & Technology, where he writes, researches and advocates on topics including AI governance, content moderation and data sharing. Nicholas has authored articles for several leading law and technology journals and written for prevalent outlets, including The Atlantic, Foreign Policy and Slate. He is also a regular book review contributor at The Washington Post. Previously, he was a joint fellow at the New York University (NYU) Information Law Institute and the NYU Center for Cybersecurity. Earlier in his career, he spent five years as a software engineer at Yahoo. He holds a master’s degree in information management and systems from the University of California, Berkeley School of Information.

Casey Pick

Casey Pick (she/her) is the director of law and policy for The Trevor Project, the leading suicide prevention and mental health organization serving LGBTQ young people. She directs The Trevor Project’s work to advance state and federal policies that support LGBTQ young people in crisis, educating policymakers and the public about LGBTQ youth/mental health issues. She also writes and coordinates amicus briefs, collaborates with state and local advocates and testifies in support of legislation to protect LGBTQ young people. As a skilled legal and legislative analyst, subject-matter expert, communicator and advocate, Pick’s work has been featured in CNN, Associated Press, The New York Times, NPR, MSNBC and more. She holds a B.A. in government from Claremont McKenna College and a J.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law. 

Learn more about the Tech & Public Policy Visiting Fellows program here .