Tristan Leavitt is the general counsel of the U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board; in the absence of Senate-confirmed Board members, he has also led the agency since March 1, 2019 as its acting chief executive and administrative officer. Before that, he served for a year and a half at the Office of Special Counsel as the Principal Deputy Special Counsel, including time as Acting Special Counsel. Prior to serving in the executive branch, he worked for eight years on Capitol Hill conducting congressional investigations and handling various federal workforce policy issues. His time included service on the staff of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary for Ranking Member Chuck Grassley and the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform for Chairman Jason Chaffetz. An Idaho native, he received his B.A. from Brigham Young University and his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center. He and his wife Brittany, a native of West Virginia, are the proud parents of five children.