Skip to main content
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • Videos
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Library
    • Research
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Media, Law & Policy
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • |
  • Alumni
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
Sections
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • |
  • Alumni
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • Videos
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Library
    • Research
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Media, Law & Policy

The Honorable Nazak Nikakhtar L’02, G’02 to Speak at College of Law Opening Convocation Ceremony

Tuesday, July 26, 2022, By Robert Conrad
Share
alumniCollege of LawconvocationFall 2022speaker
Nazak Nikakhtar portrait

Nazak Nikakhtar L’02, G’02

Syracuse University’s College of Law announced today the Hon. Nazak Nikakhtar L’02, G’02 as its 2022 opening convocation speaker.

Currently partner at Wiley Rein LLP, chair of the firm’s national security practice and co-chair of its foreign investment practice (Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, or CFIUS), Nikakhtar specializes in international trade national security law, global competition policy and supply chain resilience. Nikakhtar is also a trade economist and former Georgetown University adjunct law professor.

From 2018-21, with unanimous confirmation by the U.S. Senate, Nikakhtar served as the U.S. Department of Commerce’s assistant secretary at the International Trade Administration (ITA). Nikakhtar also fulfilled the duties of the under secretary for industry and security at the department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS).

In these roles, Nikakhtar shaped America’s international trade and national security policies in this new era of intensified economic competition, spearheaded the U.S. government’s first-ever analysis on strengthening supply chains, shaped U.S. investment policy and implemented groundbreaking national security legislations.

During her previous tenure at the Department of Commerce, and immediately upon graduating from Syracuse, Nikakhtar worked at both ITA and BIS advising on the domestic industrial base. She has received numerous award medals from the U.S. government for her work on trade and national security.

Nikakhtar is also a prolific lecturer on trade and national security issues, and most recently, she appeared as the chief legal expert before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence at a hearing on Threats to National Security: Countering the People’s Republic of China’s Economic and Technological Plan for Dominance.

Of her relentless drive to advance U.S. national security, Nikakhtar has said, “I am deeply patriotic to the country that gave me my home, my education and my freedom, and it is my duty to serve this great country through my legal career.“ About her plans to address the entering classes at Syracuse Law this fall, she says, “I am deeply grateful to Syracuse University for giving me the foundational skills and education to succeed professionally, and I look forward to passing forward my knowledge and expertise to enable the new generation of Orange lawyers to succeed in rewarding careers.”

Nikakhtar has served as a distinguished guest lecturer in the College of Law’s externship program in Washington, D.C. Nikakhtar earned juris doctor and master of economics degrees from Syracuse University, where she served as editor-in-chief of the Syracuse Journal of International Law and Commerce. The College of Law looks forward to welcoming Nikakhtar back to her alma mater this fall.

“We anticipate great words of wisdom and encouragement from Nazak,” says Dean Craig M. Boise, “and believe she has so much to offer the incoming class considering her breadth of experience on matters of law and national security.”

Opening convocation will be held during orientation week, Aug. 15-19, at the College of Law.

  • Author

Robert Conrad

  • Recent
  • WWII Veteran, Syracuse Alumnus Laid to Rest in Arlington National Cemetery 77 Years Later
    Wednesday, August 10, 2022, By Austin Philleo
  • Creative Advertising Students Win 2 of 10 Communication Arts Student Awards Given Worldwide
    Tuesday, August 9, 2022, By Wendy S. Loughlin
  • Maxwell Faculty Expert on Autonomous Systems Policy Presents at White House Summit on Advanced Air Mobility
    Tuesday, August 9, 2022, By Diane Stirling
  • Veterans Thrive During Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans and Warrior-Scholar Project
    Tuesday, August 9, 2022, By Austin Philleo
  • Syracuse Stage Adds Sensory Friendly Performances to 2022-23 Season
    Monday, August 8, 2022, By Joanna Penalva

More In Media, Law & Policy

Creative Advertising Students Win 2 of 10 Communication Arts Student Awards Given Worldwide

The Newhouse School ranked as the second most awarded school internationally in the Communication Arts Advertising Annual 62, winning two out of the 10 student awards given and five Shortlists. “The students at Newhouse continue to impress,” said alumnus Dan Lucey…

Tula Goenka Named Inaugural Newhouse Dean’s Leadership Fellow

Tula Goenka, professor of television, radio and film (TRF) and director of the TRF graduate program, has been named the inaugural Dean’s Leadership Fellow at the Newhouse School. In this role, Goenka will focus on the engagement, inclusivity and support of the…

‘Open to Reimagining Things:’ Ashley Smith-Purviance G’14 Discovered Her Passion for Educational Policy at Syracuse

Ashley Smith-Purviance’s G’14 interest in researching education systems and policies—and especially their impact on youth of color and Black girls—stems from her study abroad experience while completing an M.S. in higher education at the Syracuse University School of Education. “My…

Maxwell Faculty Experts Discuss Future Implications and Historical Context of Dobbs v. Jackson Ruling

In a panel discussion last week, faculty experts from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs shared expertise and insight on the recent Supreme Court ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson, which overturns the precedent set by Roe v. Wade…

Maxwell School Launches Center for Policy Design and Governance

A new research center at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs will integrate policy, political and computational sciences to support scientists and practitioners in understanding and addressing critical governance challenges. The Center for Policy Design and Governance will serve…

Subscribe to SU Today

If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.

Connect With Us

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
Social Media Directory

For the Media

Find an Expert Follow @SyracuseUNews
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
  • @SyracuseU
  • @SyracuseUNews
  • @SUCampus
  • Social Media Directory
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy
  • Campus Status
  • Syracuse.edu
© 2022 Syracuse University News. All Rights Reserved.