Attorney General Platkin Announces Changes to Executive Leadership Team

TRENTON — Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin today announced changes to his executive leadership team including the appointment of Sundeep Iyer as Chief Counsel as Daniela Nogueira departs the Department of Law and Public Safety (LPS). The change will go into effect on Monday, April 28th.

“In addition to proving to be an extremely talented, fearless, and dedicated attorney, Daniela Nogueira served with passion and heart-felt commitment. She fought tirelessly to preserve reproductive rights, to maintain a fair and just marketplace for New Jersey consumers, and led our litigation team to hold social media companies accountable. We are all truly indebted to her for her service,” said Attorney General Platkin. “While Daniela’s departure is bittersweet, I am thrilled that Sundeep Iyer will be serving as the next Chief Counsel.  Sundeep is an outstanding lawyer who has worked tirelessly to protect the rights of all New Jerseyans, both in my office and as Director of the Division on Civil Rights.  As Chief Counsel, Sundeep will continue to play a critical leadership role in our Department’s advocacy on behalf of our state’s residents.”

Nogueira served as Senior Counsel from May 2022 until accepting the position of Chief Counsel to the Attorney General in September 2024. She joined the Office from the World Bank, where she advised data teams using machine learning to address biases and inefficiencies in legal systems around the world. She previously worked in the New York Attorney General’s Office overseeing complex civil litigation, including matters involving labor and elections. Nogueira clerked for the Honorable Analisa N. Torres for the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York and Honorable Richard A. Paez for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. She received her A.B. from Harvard University and J.D. from Yale Law School.

Iyer, who currently serves as Acting Executive Assistant Attorney General and will continue to serve in that role until Executive Assistant Attorney General Angela Cai returns from temporary family medical leave in early spring 2025, was the Director of the Division on Civil Rights (DCR) from September 2023 until March of this year. Under Iyer’s leadership, DCR dramatically expanded its strategic efforts to enforce New Jersey’s civil rights laws, making New Jersey a national leader in civil rights enforcement. Prior to his appointment as Director of DCR, Iyer was an Assistant Attorney General and Senior Counsel to Attorney General Platkin, serving as the Attorney General’s principal advisor on civil rights matters. Iyer came to the Office following his tenure as a senior associate at Hogan Lovells US LLP.  During his time at the firm, Iyer served as a special attorney for the State of Minnesota, where he was part of the legal team that obtained a conviction of Derek Chauvin. He was also part of the litigation team that obtained an injunction against President Trump’s travel ban; represented death-row inmates in a challenge to the Trump Administration’s federal lethal injection protocol; and served as one of the lead attorneys for a group of eight organizations challenging the rescission of the Bears Ears National Monument in Utah.

Iyer clerked for U.S. Supreme Court Justices David H. Souter and Stephen G. Breyer, as well as for then-Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. He received his A.B. from Harvard College and J.D. from Yale Law School.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to continue to serve the people of New Jersey, and I am honored by the trust that Attorney General Platkin continues to show in me,” said incoming Chief Counsel General Sundeep Iyer. “The Department’s work has never been more important, and I look forward to continuing to advance it work on behalf of our state’s residents.”

Other recent changes to the leadership include the following:

Stephen Ehrlich has been appointed as Deputy Solicitor General. In that role, Ehrlich litigates significant constitutional and appellate issues in federal and state courts. Ehrlich previously served for seven years in the Federal Programs Branch of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Division, where he represented the federal government in constitutional and statutory challenges to federal and state laws, nationwide policies, and agency decisions. Earlier in his career, Ehrlich practiced at Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP and Morvillo Abramowitz Grand Iason & Anello PC. He also clerked for Judge Julio M. Fuentes of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and Judge Claire C. Cecchi of the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey. Ehrlich received his B.A. from the University at Buffalo and his J.D. from Columbia Law School, where he teaches as a Lecturer in Law.

Whitney Lewis, previously a Deputy Director of Communications, took over the role of Director of Community Engagement following Yolanda Melville’s appointment as the Director of DCR.  In her new position, Lewis works with stakeholders across the state to connect them with the Office’s initiatives. Before joining the Office of the Attorney General, Lewis served as the Senior Marketing Manager at the New Jersey Business and Industry Association. She graduated from The College of New Jersey and earned her Master of Business Administration from Thomas Edison State University.

Nelson Delgado has joined the Office of the Attorney General as Chief Security Officer. He brings significant international and national security experience from serving on multiple diplomatic assignments abroad as he manages the crisis and security response throughout LPS. Having previously worked at the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Delgado most recently served as the Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Newark Field Office. His public service career began in the U.S. Marine Corps, where he served as an officer and is a decorated combat veteran. Delgado received his B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Asheville and M.S. from Boston University.

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