On December 22, 2021, Attorney General Merrick Garland announced the appointment of Corey P. Ellis to serve as the Interim United States Attorney for the District of South Carolina. Ellis will be sworn in on January 10, 2022. He recently served as the acting director of the Executive Office for United States Attorneys. On October 28, 2020, he appeared on the NAFUSA webinar along side then chair of the AGAC, and now NAFUSA member, Erin Nealy Cox. He is presently serving as chief of staff for FBI Director Christopher A. Wray.

Previously, Ellis served in several leadership roles in the Department of Justice, including as chief of staff to Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein. Ellis was also the first assistant in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina. While an assistant U.S. attorney, he handled a wide range of criminal investigations, including public corruption, white collar fraud, securities fraud, and cybercrime. Ellis began his career as a prosecutor in the district attorney’s office in Hendersonville, North Carolina and has tried more than 100 jury trials.

Ellis received his undergraduate degree from Brown University and his law degree from the University of Memphis School of Law.