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NIH Record - National Institutes of Health

Awoniyi Is New Director of NIH Ethics Office

Tonia Awoniyi

Tonia Awoniyi

Tonia Awoniyi joined NIH as the new director of the Ethics Office. She oversees the NIH Ethics Program, after serving as the director of advice and education since 2014 for the U.S. House of Representatives committee on ethics and heading the primary office that provides counsel and education on ethics to members of Congress and their staff. 

Awoniyi spearheaded programs in efficiency and transparency, working to ensure that both the parameters and the responsibility of ethical conduct were effectively communicated and understood. 

Before the House post, she was director of education and training for the Senate select committee on ethics, where she gained distinction as the first-line advisor on ethical concerns. In addition to overseeing the federal ethics education of Senate members and their staff, she also assessed and met the training needs of external stakeholders such as the representatives of lobbying groups.

Awoniyi brings nearly 17 years of experience counseling, training and leading on the statutes and regulations governing ethical conduct within the federal government. 

A cum laude graduate in political science from Morgan State University, Awoniyi also holds an M.S. in management information systems from the University of Baltimore and a J.D. from the University of Maryland School of Law. 

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