FanDuel Strengthens Public Policy Expertise with New Hires

FanDuel Group, the premier online gaming company in North America, announced that Shailagh Murray has been appointed Senior Vice President of Public Affairs and Jonathan Nabavi has been appointed Vice President of Federal Affairs. Murray and Nabavi will bring their extensive experience to FanDuel as the company leads the development of a regulated gaming industry that protects customers and delivers meaningful tax revenue to states.

“As we look to the future, we understand the important role FanDuel must play in policy discussions that will address how we build and shape the online gaming industry over the long term. Shailagh and Jon bring decades of experience navigating difficult policy issues in a thoughtful, collaborative manner. We are confident they are the right leaders to work alongside key stakeholders to grow our industry responsibly and sustainably,” said Christian Genetski, President at FanDuel.

Shailagh Murray

Murray joins FanDuel having previously served as the Executive Vice President of Public Affairs at Columbia University. Prior to that, she spent six years shaping communications strategy inside the Obama White House, serving as Senior Advisor to President Obama from 2015 to 2017 after serving as Vice President Biden’s deputy chief of staff and communications director.

Murray’s career started in journalism with stops at the Wall Street Journal and Washington Post covering historic events including the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe; the expansion of the European Union; numerous presidential and mid-term election cycles; and major debates on Capitol Hill, from the Iraq War to the Affordable Care Act.

Born in upstate New York, Shailagh grew up in Charlottesville and Richmond, Va. She has a BA in humanities from University of Missouri-Columbia and a master’s in journalism from Northwestern University.

Jonathan Nabavi

Nabavi joins FanDuel from the National Football League where he was responsible for all aspects of the NFL’s public policy and legislative agenda and represented the League on a wide range of issues before the U.S. Congress, the White House, other federal and local government agencies as well as with foreign governments and international institutions. As part of his role, Nabavi advised the league on its approach to sports betting crafting the league’s policy approach to the industry.

Prior to joining the NFL, he served in a variety of senior congressional staff and political roles, including as Majority Counsel for the US Senate Committee on the Judiciary, providing strategic counsel to Chairman Chuck Grassley. He also previously served as Counsel for the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and as a senior adviser for multiple Members of the House of Representatives.

A graduate of Pennsylvania State University, Jonathan was an academic All-Big Ten member of the Penn State football team while earning a degree from the University’s Schreyer Honors College. He received his Juris Doctor from the George Washington School of Law.