Nanette M. "Nan" DeRenzi is a former United States Navy officer. She served as the 42nd Judge Advocate General (JAG) of the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

. She assumed that position on July 20, 2012 and held it until her retirement on June 26, 2015. Prior to that, she served as

Deputy Judge Advocate General of the Navy The Deputy Judge Advocate General of the Navy (DJAG)
10 USC 5149 Office of the Judge Advocate General: Deputy Judge Ad ...

(DJAG) from August 2009 to July 2012.

Early life and education

DeRenzi was born in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

and raised in

Pennsauken, New Jersey Pennsauken Township is a township in Camden County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is a suburb of Philadelphia. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the township's population was 37,074, reflecting an increase of 1,189 (+3.3%) from the 35,885 count ...

. She attended Camden Catholic High School and graduated

magna cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some So ...

from

Villanova University Villanova University is a Private university, private Catholic church, Roman Catholic research university in Villanova, Pennsylvania. It was founded by the Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinians in 1842 and named after Thomas of Villanova, Sa ...

in 1983. She was commissioned through the JAG Corps Student Program and, in 1986, graduated from the

Temple University School of Law The Temple University James E. Beasley School of Law is the law school of Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1895 and enrolls about 530 students. Student body Admission for fall 2019 entering class was highly comp ...

. She later earned a

Master of Laws A Master of Laws (M.L. or LL.M.; Latin: ' or ') is an advanced postgraduate academic degree, pursued by those either holding an undergraduate academic law degree, a professional law degree, or an undergraduate degree in a related subject. In mos ...

degree (Environmental Law) from the

George Washington University School of Law The George Washington University Law School (GW Law) is the law school of George Washington University, in Washington, D.C. Established in 1865, GW Law is the oldest top law school in the national capital. GW Law offers the largest range of cour ...

Career

DeRenzi began her career as a litigator, first as a defense counsel and later as a trial counsel (prosecution) in

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is an American seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, ...

, followed by assignments in appellate defense and civil litigation in

Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan ...

. DeRenzi also served as the fleet judge advocate to commander, U.S. 7th and 3rd Fleets, as well as staff judge advocate to commander, Carrier Group 7. Before her appointment to flag rank, she served as the senior staff judge advocate for commander, U.S. Southern Command; special assistant for legal and legislative matters to the secretary of the Navy; legislative counsel for environmental programs in the Navy Office of Legislative Affairs; and executive assistant to the JAG. In command, she served as commanding officer, Naval Legal Service Office, North Central.

Awards and education

DeRenzi's personal decorations include the

Navy Distinguished Service Medal The Navy Distinguished Service Medal is a military decoration of the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps which was first created in 1919 and is presented to sailors and Marines to recognize distinguished and exceptionally meritoriou ...

, the

Defense Superior Service Medal The Defense Superior Service Medal (DSSM) is a military decoration of the United States Department of Defense, which is presented to United States Armed Forces service members who perform superior meritorious service in a position of significant ...

, the

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight ...

(four awards), the

Meritorious Service Medal A Meritorious Service Medal is an award presented to denote acts of meritorious service, and sometimes gallantry, that are worthy of recognition. Notable medals with similar names include: *Meritorious Civilian Service Award *Meritorious Service Med ...

(four awards) and the

Navy Achievement Medal The Achievement Medal is a military Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, decoration of the United States Armed Forces. The Achievement Medal was first proposed as a means to recognize outstanding achievement or meritorious se ...

(two awards).

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Derenzi, Nanette M. United States Navy vice admirals Recipients of the Legion of Merit Living people Temple University Beasley School of Law alumni Year of birth missing (living people) Recipients of the Defense Superior Service Medal People from Pennsauken Township, New Jersey Female admirals of the United States Navy Villanova University alumni George Washington University Law School alumni Recipients of the Meritorious Service Medal (United States)