Sheila Menz

Sheila Menz is currently the Deputy General Counsel for Legislation, Investigations, and Oversight. She joined the Department of Defense after six years at a private law firm where she focused on crisis management, strategic response, and counseling clients through a variety of complex, multi-front investigations – often involving regulatory agencies, congressional committees, and private litigants. She also served as a law clerk to the Honorable Ronald Lee Gilman on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.

Prior to law school, Sheila served in the administration of President Barack Obama at the U.S. Department of State. In the Bureau of Legislative Affairs, Sheila was responsible for advancing the Department’s legislative goals across multiple global and functional topics, including human rights and democracy; refugees and migration; global health; women’s empowerment and gender equality; and combating trafficking in persons. During her three years at the Department, she prepared dozens of witnesses for congressional hearings and counseled multiple Presidentially appointed nominees through the Senate confirmation process.

In 2010, Sheila was detailed to the Secretary’s Office of Global Women’s Issues as an adviser to the Ambassador-at-Large. In this role, she helped secure legislative support for Departmental initiatives aimed at preventing child marriage; implementing the UN Convention on Women, Peace, and Security; and reducing gender-based violence in armed conflict. She accompanied the Ambassador and several Members of Congress on various delegations – including to Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Bangladesh, and Myanmar – to help foster the integration of gender issues across U.S. foreign policy.

From 2006 to 2009, Sheila worked in the U.S. Senate as an aide to Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman, respectively, and as Deputy Press Secretary for the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

Sheila earned her bachelor’s degree from Syracuse University, where she was captain of the NCAA women’s soccer team. She earned her J.D. from UC Berkeley School of Law, where she was Senior Articles Editor of the California Law Review.

Sheila Menz

Deputy General Counsel, Legislation, Investigations, and Oversight