Dan brings more than 37 years of federal law enforcement experience, built from the ground up in DEA field offices and culminating in senior leadership positions that directly shaped our enforcement posture. A second-generation public servant, Dan’s legacy of service began as a Special Agent and progressed through assignments across the United States and South America, ultimately serving as Special Agent in Charge (SAC) of both the Dallas and Atlanta Field Divisions. His command experience across two of our largest divisions demonstrated not only his operational acumen, but his ability to lead during times of increasing drug threats and shifting criminal tactics.

As Principal Deputy Administrator, Dan serves as DEA’s second-in-command and oversees the agency’s most mission-critical components: the Forensic Sciences Division, Operations Division, Intelligence Division, Inspections Division, and Diversion Control Division. These portfolios touch every corner of DEA’s enforcement mission—driving global operations, delivering intelligence to the field, ensuring internal accountability, and overseeing efforts to prevent diversion and protect the pharmaceutical supply chain. The Deputy Administrator also serves as a key touchpoint for interagency coordination, representing DEA in high-level engagements with federal law enforcement, the Intelligence Community, state and local partners, and foreign counterparts working to dismantle transnational drug trafficking networks.

Following his retirement from DEA in 2018, Dan continued to serve the mission as Executive Director of the Atlanta-Carolinas High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (AC-HIDTA), a regional program under the Office of National Drug Control Policy. In that role, Dan led the coordination of more than 150 federal, state, local, and tribal partners, facilitating joint task force operations, information sharing, and strategic targeting. He chaired the AC-HIDTA Executive Board, working daily with sheriffs, police chiefs, and agency leaders to confront the fentanyl crisis and drive coordinated enforcement efforts against transnational criminal organizations.

Dan brings with him the coordination skills necessary to operate across multiple agencies and jurisdictions; a deep understanding of DEA’s culture and how to lead collaboratively within it; the international experience required to represent the United States abroad on global drug enforcement matters; and the discretion and judgment needed to handle the most sensitive issues facing the agency today. His career has been defined by a commitment to enforcement, partnership, and public trust.

A native of Texas, Dan has spent his life building relationships in the communities we serve. He understands the burden our mission places on the workforce and the urgency of our response to emerging threats. His lifelong commitment to DEA and to the broader law enforcement community makes him ideally suited to help guide the agency forward.