Paul K. Martin is an American lawyer and the

Inspector General An inspector general is an investigative official in a civil or military organization. The plural of the term is "inspectors general". Australia The Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security (Australia) (IGIS) is an independent statutory off ...

of the

U.S. Agency for International Development The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government that is primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance. With a budget of over $27 ...

, having been confirmed by the

U.S. Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

in December 2023. He previously served as

of the

National Aeronautics and Space Administration The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeeding th ...

from 2009 to 2024. He was confirmed U.S. Senate for that position on November 20, 2009. He was also appointed the Vice Chair of the

Pandemic Response Accountability Committee The Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC) is an independent oversight committee within the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency, created by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act of 2 ...

on April 1, 2020 by

Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency The Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE) addresses integrity, economy, and effectiveness issues that transcend individual Government agencies; and increase the professionalism and effectiveness of personnel by de ...

Chair

Michael E. Horowitz Michael Evan Horowitz (born September 19, 1962) is an American attorney and government official. He is the Inspector General of the United States Department of Justice. Early life and education Horowitz is the son of Anne J. and Fred Horowitz. ...

, per the provisions of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

Biography

Martin has a B.A. in Journalism from

Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvan ...

and a J.D. from the

Georgetown University Law Center The Georgetown University Law Center (Georgetown Law) is the law school of Georgetown University, a private research university in Washington, D.C. It was established in 1870 and is the largest law school in the United States by enrollment and ...

. He began his career as a reporter for

The Greenville News ''The Greenville News'' is a daily morning newspaper published in Greenville, South Carolina. After ''The State'' in Columbia and Charleston's ''The Post and Courier'', it is the third largest paper in South Carolina. History ''The Greenville N ...

, a newspaper in

Greenville, South Carolina Greenville (; locally ) is a city in and the seat of Greenville County, South Carolina, United States. With a population of 70,720 at the 2020 census, it is the sixth-largest city in the state. Greenville is located approximately halfway be ...

. He joined the

United States Sentencing Commission The United States Sentencing Commission is an Independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the Federal judiciary of the United States, judicial branch of the federal government of the United States, U.S. federal go ...

after its creation in 1985 and assisted in developing the first iteration of

Federal Sentencing Guidelines The United States Federal Sentencing Guidelines are rules published by the U.S. Sentencing Commission that set out a uniform policy for sentencing individuals and organizations convicted of felonies and serious (Class A) misdemeanors in the Unit ...

. Martin spent a total of 13 years at the Commission, including six years as Deputy Staff Director. From 1998 to 2001, Martin was the Special Counsel to the

Office of the Inspector General In the United States, Office of Inspector General (OIG) is a generic term for the oversight division of a federal or state agency aimed at preventing inefficient or unlawful operations within their parent agency. Such offices are attached to man ...

of the

U.S. Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the United States government tasked with the enforcement of federal law and administration of justice in the United State ...

, and then Counsel from 2001 to 2003. He then served as Deputy Inspector General at the Department of Justice, before being confirmed by the U.S. Senate to be the NASA Inspector General on November 20, 2009. Of the balance between auditing and working with NASA, Martin has stated, "It’s sort of like straddling a barbed-wire fence." As NASA IG, Martin has advocated for improved governance of

information technology Information technology (IT) is the use of computers to create, process, store, retrieve, and exchange all kinds of data . and information. IT forms part of information and communications technology (ICT). An information technology system (I ...

security standards at the agency.

References

American newspaper journalists Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications alumni Georgetown University Law Center alumni Living people NASA people People of the United States Agency for International Development United States Department of Justice lawyers United States Inspectors General by name United States Sentencing Commission people Year of birth missing (living people) {{Lawyer-stub