DR. DEREK TOURNEAR Dr. Derek Tournear, a member of the Senior Executive Service, is the Director of the Space Development Agency. Established in March 2019, SDA is recognized as the Department of Defense's constructive disruptor for space acquisition. SDA will quickly deliver much needed space-based capabilities to the joint warfighter to support terrestrial missions through development, fielding and operation of the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture.Before leading SDA, Dr. Tournear most recently served as Assistant Director of Research and Development for Space within the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering where he was responsible for coordinating all DoD efforts in space and initiating programs to address critical gaps.Dr. Tournear previously held leadership roles in industry, most recently the director for Harris Corporation Space and Intelligence research and development. Prior to industry, Dr. Tournear held program management positions at the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. He has professional experience at Los Alamos National Laboratory managing intelligence and defense programs.EDUCATION1998 Bachelor of Science, Honors Physics, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind.2001 Master of Science, Physics, Stanford University, Palo Alto, Calif.2003 Doctorate of Philosophy, Stanford University, Palo Alto, Calif.CAREER CHRONOLOGY1. 2011-2012, Senior Program Manager, Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity, College Park, Md.2. 2012-2014, Deputy Vice President and General Manager for Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance & Weather, Exelis Corporation, Fort Wayne, Ind.3. 2014-2015, Director of Innovation Office, Exelis Corporation, Herndon, Va.4. 2015-2019, Director of Research and Development, Harris Corporation, Herndon, Va.5. 2019-2019, Assistant Director for Space, Office of the Under Secretary of Dense for Research and Engineering, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.6. 2019-present, Director, Space Development Agency, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONSSecretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Public ServiceOffice of Director of National Intelligence Award for Exceptional Public ServiceDefense Advanced Research Projects Agency award for Outstanding Accomplishments in a Systems Technology AreaOutstanding Alumnus award from Purdue University2023 DefenseScoop 50 Innovation Award in Defense Leadership2022 Aviation Week Laureate2021 Space News Award2021 Theodore Roosevelt Government Leadership Award2021 Wash 100 Award(Current as of March 2024)