Jon Mellis
McLean,Virginia
Summary
Dynamic General Counsel with [Number] years of experience providing professional legal advising on benefit plans and executive compensation. Expert in counseling business leaders managing benefits and compensation programs by applying deep knowledge of laws and regulations.
Overview
30
30
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
General Counsel & Secretary, Government Services (SOC LLC || Mason & Hanger)
Day & Zimmermann, Inc.
04.2022 - Current
- Manage legal affairs of the global security, critical infrastructure, maintenance and operations (M&O), cyber security, cleared staffing, and architecture and engineering (A/E) business.
- Strategically guide and counsel executive leadership on all legal matters, including corporate governance, transactional matters, government and international contracting, joint venture (JV) operating agreements, formation of domestic and foreign LLCs, intellectual and real property, internal investigations, employment, collective bargaining agreements with protective guard service labor unions, litigation, mergers and acquisitions, export control, and data privacy.
- Lead multi-disciplinary team of attorneys, compliance managers. contracts managers and corporate Facility Security Officers responsible for all matters related to transactions with the U.S. Government.
- Oversee all legal and regulatory matters impacting Department of State Worldwide Protective Services contracts at overseas U.S. embassies, and Department of Energy Force Protective Services contracts at Nevada National Security Site, Strategic Petroleum Reserve, Sandia National Laboratories, and Pantex/Y-12 National Security Complex.
- Oversee all legal matters impacting the company’s Architectural & Engineering (A/E) business, including design-build contracts, with the Department of Defense, Department of State, Army Corps of Engineers, Department of Homeland Security, Intelligence Community, and other Federal agencies.
- Developed compliance and training programs related to government policies and regulations, anti-bribery and corruption due diligence, organizational conflicts of interest, and export controls.
- Provide subject-matter expertise regarding the FAR, DFARS and other government procurement regulations, as well as bid protests, claims, contract disputes, REAs, False Claims Act, and the FCPA.
- Corporate Secretary managing all foreign and domestic business and security licenses for 50+ entities; established new foreign entities in Italy, Kosovo, Libya, Poland, Romania, Ukraine, Qatar and Yemen.
- Serve as company Insider Threat Program Senior Official (ITPSO) overseeing enterprise-wide personnel clearance and industrial security compliance.
Director and Assistant General Counsel
VMware, Inc.
04.2017 - 04.2022
- Lead counsel for ~ $1B U.S. Federal business (Defense, Intelligence, National Security, Civilian) advising senior leadership on strategy for company’s cloud, cybersecurity and technology portfolio.
- Manage Public Sector team of attorneys, contracts managers and corporate Facility Security Officer responsible for all Federal, State, Local, Education, Healthcare and Professional Services transactions.
- Provide expertise on government procurement policies and regulations, to include bid protests, commercial item contracting, conflicts of interest, cybersecurity, data privacy, export controls, False Claims Act, Procurement Integrity Act, FAR / DFARS compliance, and GSA Schedule contracting.
- Primary counsel to Information Security organization for Federal compliance matters, to include DFARS cybersecurity requirements, CMMC implementation, FedRAMP, FISMA, DoD IL 5 and IL 6 certifications, NIST SP 800-171 and SOC 1/2/3 reporting.
- Negotiated Cooperative Research and Development Agreements and Other Transactional Agreements with DoD, DOE and Intelligence Community agencies for new technology and prototype projects.
- Led team responsible for post-merger integration of Carbon Black and Pivotal Software (Tanzu) into VMware’s Federal business segment.
- Project Manager overseeing company’s successful completion and implementation of the DoD-mandated DFARS cybersecurity compliance program.
Associate General Counsel, Rotary and Mission Systems
Lockheed Martin Corporation
08.2012 - 04.2017
- Primary legal counsel for the ~ $10B Antisubmarine Warfare & Integration, C4ISR, Mission & Unmanned Systems, Targets, Torpedoes & Sensors, and Undersea Systems market segments.
- Led negotiation and closure of complex government, commercial and Foreign Military Sales contracts and other contracting vehicles, including international consultant, distributor, joint venture, software license, manufacturing, NDAs and teaming agreements.
- Advised executive management on Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) matters and due diligence investigations for international contracts, joint ventures, and consultant agreements.
- Served as Corporate Secretary for Lockheed Martin wholly owned subsidiary business unit.
- Lead counsel for contract negotiations with foreign governments, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Greece, Iraq, Japan, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, U.A.E. and the United Kingdom.
- Provided legal guidance on antitrust, bid protests, contract claims, ethics matters, export control, False Claims Act, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, Procurement Integrity Act, confidentiality agreements, organizational conflicts of interest (OCI), and post-government employment restrictions.
- Managed FAR Mandatory Disclosure reporting to the DoD Office of Inspector General and provided legal support to internal investigations of compliance, ethics and security matters.
- Provided subject matter expertise on commercial contracting and government procurements, including FAR and DFARS compliance, export control compliance with EAR/ITAR and with TAA/MLAs.
- Led M&A due diligence activities relating to acquisition of Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation.
- Advised on the legal risk associated with major proposal reviews as volume lead for Black Hat, Gold Team and Red Team.
Assistant General Counsel, National Security Law- Classified Litigation
Federal Bureau of Investigation
01.2009 - 08.2012
- Acting Unit Chief responsible for managing eight attorneys and paralegal staff.
- Managed discovery process for classified litigation matters in counterterrorism, counterintelligence and internet targeting cases, including negotiating the use of sensitive national security information with federal prosecutors and the U.S. Intelligence Community.
- Notable cases as lead FBI classified litigation attorney include U.S. v. Hasan (Fort Hood shooting); U.S. v. Abdulmutallab (Christmas Day “Underwear Bomber”); U.S. v. Shahzad (attempted Times Square bombing); and U.S. v. Zazi (attempted New York Subway bombing).
- Prepared Classified Information Procedures Act (CIPA) National Security and State Secrets claim of privilege declarations on behalf of the Attorney General and the U.S. Government.
- Coordinated intelligence sharing for investigative purposes with the CIA, DHS, DNI, NSA, TSA and Terrorist Screening Center, ensuring compliance with the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and other federal statutes governing electronic surveillance.
- Counsel to the High Value Detainee Interrogation Group, providing legal advice for coordinated operations with DoD Joint Interagency Task Force and Special Operations Command.
- Provided guidance to the Department of Justice Office of Inspector General and Public Integrity Section for ongoing investigations related to unauthorized leaks of classified information.
- Liaison to the Senate Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs for investigative report "A Ticking Time Bomb:’ Counterterrorism Lessons from the U.S. Government’s failure to Prevent the Fort Hood Attack.
- Liaison to the Webster Commission resulting in the Final Report of the William H. Webster Commission on The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Counterterrorism Intelligence, and the Events at Fort Hood, Texas, on November 5, 2009.
- Representative to the President’s Special Task Force on Detention Policy (Investigations).
Assistant General Counsel, Litigation Branch- Employment Law
Federal Bureau of Investigation
01.2006 - 01.2009
- Lead counsel responsible for all phases of defense litigation, including discovery, motion practice, witness interviews and hearings in Title VII discrimination, ADA, ADEA, FMLA, Rehabilitation Act and Whistleblower Act claims in federal district court and before the EEOC.
- Advised executive management on federal employment statutes, personnel policies, Inspector General and Office of Professional Responsibility internal investigations and disciplinary matters.
- Successfully represented the FBI before the Department of Justice’s Access Review Committee during employee and contractor challenges to security clearance denials and revocations.
Senior Law Clerk, Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals
Judge Advocate General’s Corps, U.S. Navy
08.2003 - 12.2005
- Drafted court opinions for the Department of the Navy’s highest appellate court.
- Reviewed national security cases and all military convictions for factual and legal sufficiency.
- Action Officer for all matters involving the Department of Defense, Department of the Navy and Judge Advocate General’s Corps Inspector General and all inquiries from members of Congress.
Legal Advisor, U.S. Naval Academy
08.2000 - 08.2003
- Counseled Superintendent on ethics/standards of conduct, copyright/trademark, and fiscal law.
- Conducted sensitive investigations of senior officers, faculty and midshipmen for criminal misconduct, supervised fraud investigations and prepared responses to Congressional inquiries.
- Managed and performed legal review of the Naval Academy Honor Code system.
- Assistant Professor, Political Science Department, developed curriculum and taught an advanced “Criminal Law and Justice” course to midshipmen.
- Ethics Instructor; taught Character Development and Ethics Seminar to midshipmen and staff.
- Special Assistant U. S. Attorney: prosecuted offenses within Maryland federal court jurisdiction.
Staff Judge Advocate, Naval Support Activity
10.1998 - 08.2000
- Managed attorney and paralegal team, including two off-site foreign national employees.
- Successfully negotiated a new treaty and status of forces agreement with the Greek Government while assigned as permanent member of joint U. S. Department of Defense–Department of State delegation.
- Advised senior commanders on international law, government ethics, force protection, rules of engagement, procurement, national security matters, military justice and civilian personnel law.
- Provided legal support to Office of Defense Cooperation (U.S. Embassy, Greece) concerning foreign military sales, Defense Cooperation in Armaments and Security Assistance Agreements.
- Oversaw compliance with the Joint Ethics Regulations and annual Standards of Conduct training.
- Ranked 1 of 13 assigned officers and recommended for Early Promotion.
Trial Defense Counsel, Naval Legal Service Office
03.1996 - 10.1998
- Lead defense counsel in bench and jury trials for over 50 felony and misdemeanor criminal prosecutions involving multiple criminal and military offenses.
- Supervised trial team of four attorneys responsible for career mentoring and professional development.
- Represented military personnel in over 100 administrative disciplinary/employment hearings.
- Ranked 1 of 27 assigned counsel and recommended for Early Promotion.
Education
Master of Arts - Security Studies
Georgetown University, School of Foreign Service
Washington, D.C.08.2011
Juris Doctor - undefined
Vanderbilt University Law School
Nashville, TN05.1995
Bachelor of Arts - History
The Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD05.1992
Skills
- Broad-based compensation programs
- Compliance management
- Strategic thinking
- Corporate governance
- International law
- Regulatory affairs
- Employment law
- Mergers and acquisitions
Accomplishments
Security Clearances
Affiliations
MD Bar
VA Bar
Certification
cybersecurity
Timeline
General Counsel & Secretary, Government Services (SOC LLC || Mason & Hanger)
Day & Zimmermann, Inc.
04.2022 - Current
Director and Assistant General Counsel
VMware, Inc.
04.2017 - 04.2022
Associate General Counsel, Rotary and Mission Systems
Lockheed Martin Corporation
08.2012 - 04.2017
Assistant General Counsel, National Security Law- Classified Litigation
Federal Bureau of Investigation
01.2009 - 08.2012
Assistant General Counsel, Litigation Branch- Employment Law
Federal Bureau of Investigation
01.2006 - 01.2009
Senior Law Clerk, Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals
Judge Advocate General’s Corps, U.S. Navy
08.2003 - 12.2005
Legal Advisor, U.S. Naval Academy
08.2000 - 08.2003
Staff Judge Advocate, Naval Support Activity
10.1998 - 08.2000
Trial Defense Counsel, Naval Legal Service Office
03.1996 - 10.1998
Juris Doctor - undefined
Vanderbilt University Law School
Bachelor of Arts - History
The Johns Hopkins University
Master of Arts - Security Studies
Georgetown University, School of Foreign Service
Awards
intell
navy