Facebook Names State Department’s Newstead as General Counsel

Facebook Inc. named Jennifer Newstead, a legal adviser to the U.S. State Department, as the social media giant’s general counsel to replace Colin Stretch, who announced he was leaving last year.

Newstead, who has worked at the State Department since 2017, previously was a partner at law firm Davis, Polk & Wardwell LLP, where she focused on cross-border regulatory, enforcement and litigation issues, Facebook said Monday in a blog post. She also has worked in other senior government roles at the Department of Justice, Office of Management and Budget, and the White House.

Jennifer Newstead

Photographer: Jerry Lampen/AFP via Getty Images

Facebook’s new top lawyer is ...