Ms. Jennifer Maceda joined the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General (DoD OIG) in March 2021 and has served as the Senior Counselor to the Inspector General (IG) since July 2023. As Senior Counselor, Ms. Maceda provides legal expertise to the Inspector General and other DoD OIG senior leaders on planned and ongoing DoD OIG oversight work, including audits, investigations, and evaluations. She reviews all DoD OIG written products and oversees development of statutory publications.
Ms. Maceda previously served in the DoD OIG’s Office of General Counsel where she provided legal advice on senior official misconduct investigations, whistleblower reprisal investigations, and DoD OIG Hotline complaints. She also advised on criminal investigative matters, litigation issues, and other administrative law topics. Prior to joining the DoD OIG, Ms. Maceda was an attorney at the Department of Justice (DOJ), serving as an investigative counsel in the DOJ’s Office of the Inspector General and as an aviation tort litigation counsel in the DOJ’s Civil Division.
Retired from the United States Air Force in 2016, Ms. Maceda began her career as an intelligence officer before being selected for the Funded Legal Education Program to become a Judge Advocate General. She deployed in support of Operations Allied Force, Joint Forge/Joint Guardian, and Enduring Freedom. Ms. Maceda’s Air Force legal practice included criminal law, operational law, and aviation litigation. Her final active duty assignment was with the DoD OIG so her return to the DoD OIG was a natural fit.
Ms. Maceda received a Bachelor of Science in History from the United States Air Force Academy, a Master’s Degree in Strategic Intelligence from the National Intelligence University, and her Juris Doctor from the William and Mary School of Law. She is licensed to practice law in Virginia.