DEREK B. SANTOS

Derek B. Santos, a member of the Senior Executive Service, serves as the Deputy General Counsel (Acquisition Integrity) of the Department of the Air Force at the Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia. In this role, he provides oversight, guidance and direction for legal programs in anti-corruption, including acquisition integrity and remedies for misconduct affecting DAF contracts, research grants and other transactions. Mr. Santos serves as the Department’s Suspension and Debarment Official, with responsibility for evaluating corporate ethics and compliance programs and the business integrity of contractors and grantees.

Mr. Santos also serves as the DAF Dispute Resolution Official, establishing policy to promote negotiation and dispute resolution capabilities in accordance with the Administrative Dispute Resolution Act, and certifying the credentials of Department mediators, facilitators and neutrals.

Prior to his current position, Mr. Santos served as Assistant Deputy General Counsel and as Associate General Counsel. His portfolio included major weapon systems acquisitions, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems, and cyberwarfare and cyberspace acquisitions. Before joining the Air Force General Counsel’s Office, he was the senior managing counsel at the Army Transatlantic Programs Center, leading the delivery of legal services for Army construction, engineering and foreign assistance missions in the Middle East and Central Asia. Prior to that position, he served on multiple civilian deployments as Army legal counsel in operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom in Baghdad, Iraq and Kabul, Afghanistan.

EDUCATION
2001 Bachelor of Arts, Williams College, Williamstown, Mass.
2004 Juris Doctor, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia

CAREER CHRONOLOGY
1. 2004–2007, U.S. Army, Deployed Civilian Counsel, operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom, Baghdad, Iraq and Kabul, Afghanistan
2. 2008–2010, Chief Center Counsel, U.S. Army Transatlantic Programs Center, Winchester, Va.
3. 2010–2015, Associate General Counsel (Acquisition), Department of the Air Force, Washington, D.C.
4. 2015–2017, Assistant Deputy General Counsel (Contractor Responsibility and Conflict Resolution), Department of the Air Force, Arlington, Va.
5. 2017–2018, Acting Deputy General Counsel (Acquisition Integrity), Department of the Air Force, Arlington, Va.
6. 2018–present, Deputy General Counsel (Acquisition Integrity), Department of the Air Force, Arlington, Va.

MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Air Force Meritorious Civilian Service Award
Army Superior Civilian Service Awards (2)
Air Force Exemplary Civilian Service Award
Army Commander’s Award for Civilian Service
Army Achievement Medal for Civilian Service

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS
American Bar Association, Public Contract Law Section
Co-Chair, ABA Debarment and Suspension Committee

(Current as of January 2023)