Dean
Lefor

Deputy Assistant Inspector General for Management — NASA OIG
PhD Student, Public Administration — Virginia Tech
Board of Trustees — Fairfax County Public Library

Federal oversight professional, public administration researcher, and civic servant. Focused on government accountability, institutional budget dynamics, and public-sector AI governance.

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01

🛰

Federal
Oversight

NASA Office of Inspector General

As Deputy Assistant Inspector General for Management, I support leadership in overseeing the full range of management operations at NASA's OIG. I directly manage budget, procurement, policies, and day-to-day operations, with active interests in AI governance and organizational strategy for an independent oversight office.

02

📐

Doctoral
Study

Virginia Tech — PAPA Program

My dissertation research applies policy process theory to questions of federal oversight and public resource allocation. I use quantitative methods including panel econometrics and structural break analysis to study institutional budget dynamics over time.

03

📚

Civic
Service

Fairfax County Public Library

As a member of the Fairfax County Library Board of Trustees, I help steward one of the nation's premier public library systems. My work supports FCPL's mission to promote literacy, foster community, and ensure free and confidential access to information — guided by principles of excellent service, intellectual freedom, and responsible stewardship for all residents of Fairfax County.

Dissertation — In Progress

Applying policy process theory to understand how oversight budgets respond to shifts in political attention and institutional context

My research sits at the intersection of policy process theory and federal oversight. I am interested in how political attention forms, how institutions process and respond to it, and what that means for the resources available to independent oversight bodies. I draw on theoretical frameworks including Punctuated Equilibrium Theory and the Multiple Streams Framework, and apply quantitative methods to study budget dynamics across federal institutions over time.

Applied Research

Public Library Funding and Policy Attention: A PET Application

My interest in public libraries extends beyond governance into research. I am exploring how the same theoretical frameworks that explain federal budget dynamics apply to public library funding across the United States. Drawing on policy attention theory and the logic of punctuated change, this work examines whether library systems experience the long periods of incremental stability and sudden shifts that define punctuated equilibrium, and what political and institutional forces drive those outcomes.

Theoretical Interests

Punctuated Equilibrium Theory  ·  Policy Process Theory  ·  Bureaucratic Information Processing  ·  Congressional Oversight  ·  Federal Budget Dynamics  ·  Public Library Policy  ·  Information Access and Policy  ·  AI Governance in the Public Sector  ·  Inspector General Independence

Present

Deputy Assistant Inspector General for Management

NASA Office of Inspector General

Supports the Assistant Inspector General for Management in leading management operations across the Office of Inspector General. Provides direction and oversight for budget, procurement, policy, and administrative functions, with a focus on strengthening internal controls, improving organizational effectiveness, and aligning resources with mission priorities. Brings a strategic public management perspective to operational decision-making, with active interests in AI governance, organizational strategy, federal oversight institutions, and the responsible use of technology in government.

Present

Board of Trustees Member

Fairfax County Public Library

Appointed by district supervisor to the governing board of one of the largest public library systems in the United States. Supports FCPL's mission to promote literacy, foster community, and ensure free and confidential access to information through excellent service and responsible stewardship.

Present

PhD Student, Public Administration

Virginia Tech — PAPA Program

Doctoral study in the School of Public and International Affairs at Virginia Tech, with coursework in policy process theory, quantitative methods, public administration, and leadership. Research interests focus on federal oversight institutions, public budgeting, administrative accountability, and how political and institutional dynamics shape government management and oversight.

VT PAPA Program Tracker Tracker User Guide
Education

Academic Degrees

 

Master of Public Administration  ·  University of North Dakota
B.S., Business Administration (Finance)  ·  North Dakota State University
B.S., Psychology  ·  North Dakota State University

Prior

Earlier Federal Service

NASA OIG  ·  U.S. Department of Education

Over 18 years of federal service across two agencies, building expertise in management, oversight operations, and government administration.

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