Lisa Fairhall Joins the Board’s Office of General Counsel February 27, 2006

Lisa Fairhall joined the Board in February as its new Deputy General Counsel. In this capacity, she will provide legal support to Board rulemaking efforts, including the development of new guidelines for public rights-of-way and the update of the section 508 standards for electronic and information technology. She will also oversee the Board’s compliance and enforcement unit which investigates complaints filed under Architectural Barriers Act, a law that ensures access to federally funded facilities.

Fairhall comes to the Board with over 20 years experience at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Part of the Executive Office of the President, OMB oversees preparation of the federal budget, coordinates policy among Federal agencies, and reviews their regulatory initiatives and management policies. She served as Chief of OMB’s Personnel Policy Branch and in previous positions coordinated policy on disability issues, civil rights, and education. During the drafting of the ADA, Fairhall played a lead role in coordinating the administration’s position on the act. She also was active in implementing performance management initiatives. Before joining OMB, Fairhall was an attorney in private practice.

She succeeds Elizabeth Stewart, an attorney with the Board for 20 years, who returned to the practice of family law in her home state of Florida.