Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski has announced the members who will make up his staff.

Edward P. Lazarus will serve as chief of staff. He joins the FCC from Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, where he was co-head of the global litigation practice and a member of the firm’s management committee.

Colin Crowell will serve as senior counselor, while Bruce Liang Gottlieb will serve as chief counsel. Cromwell served on the staff of the Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) for 20 years and on the staff of the House of Representatives subcommittee on telecommunications and the Internet. Gottlieb was a legal advisor to FCC Commissioner Michael J. Copps from 2006-09.

Genachowski’s legal advisors will be Priya Aiyar and Sherrese Smith. Aiyar previously practiced law in the fields of litigation and telecommunications as a partner at Kellogg, Huber, Hansen, Todd, Evans and Figel. Smith previously served as vice president and general counsel of Washington Post Digital.

Other appointments include Sherry Gelfand as confidential assistant, Daniel Ornstein as special assistant, Mary Beth Richards as special counsel for FCC reform and Ruth Milkman as head of the Chairman’s transition effort in the office.

“The FCC should be a model for excellence in government, and this extraordinarily accomplished team will help us achieve that,” said Chairman Genachowski. “The agency will benefit enormously from their leadership, from their private and public sector experience, and from their dedication to public service. I look forward to drawing on their diverse and strong talents to ensure that the FCC pursues policies that unlock opportunity, unleash innovation and job creation, protect consumers, and help address many of our nation’s most pressing challenges.”

–Vlada Gelman