Commissioner Bio
Jennifer Santos
Appointed by the Honorable Patrick Leahy, Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee
Ms. Jennifer Santos is currently the Principal Director for Strategic Initiatives at Draper. Santos brings more than 24 years of national security leadership experience, having served as a tri-sector leader, across government, military and industry. Santos regularly serves as a guest lecturer at the Defense Acquisition University and numerous DoD organizations. Among her publications, Santos cowrote “The Role and Nature of Anti-Tamper Techniques in U.S. Defense Acquisition” for Acquisition Review Quarterly.
Most recently, Santos served as the naval research and development investment executive for the Department of the Navy, responsible for leading the strategic budget analysis of naval research and development investment strategy.
Previously, Santos served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Policy, responsible for analyzing the capabilities, health and policies concerning the industrial base on which the DoD relies for current and future warfighting capabilities.
Earlier in her career, Santos served as vice president for Air Force and DoD innovation at consulting firm Cypress International; as a professional staff member on the United States Senate Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Defense; and in a finance and acquisitions role in the Department of the Air Force.
Santos holds a Bachelor of Science in mathematics from Wheeling Jesuit University and a Master of Business Administration in aerospace from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville.