Alexandria Resident Named General Counsel Of The Young Marines

The members of the Board of Directors of the Young Marines, a national youth organization, announce a new General Counsel – Young Marines board member David S. Jonas, a Partner at FH+H law firm in Tysons, Virginia.

"The entire Board of Directors is very excited about appointing Dave Jonas as General Counsel of the Young Marines," said William Smith, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Young Marines. "He couldn’t be more qualified, and we couldn’t be more pleased. Dave not only brings tremendous legal expertise but also significant experience serving on nonprofit boards.”

Jonas has a proven record of both leadership and management having served in command assignments in a Regimental Headquarters Company, as a trial and appellate counsel, as General Counsel of two federal agencies, and in the private sector as corporate vice president at PenFed Credit Union.

“I am humbled to be named General Counsel to the Young Marines, an organization that does the crucial work of training our next generation of leaders by providing them with transferable skills,” Jonas said. “The skills and values that were embedded in me during my Marine Corps service have proved invaluable throughout my life. These valuable skills, education, and experiences, unlike material belongings, can never be taken from you.”

Jonas most recently served as Senior Advisor to U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry, after being nominated by the President to be the General Counsel of the Department of Energy. After being successfully voted out of Committee, Jonas withdrew his nomination to focus on his practice due to the lengthy wait for a full Senate vote.

Jonas’ major practice areas include employment law (proposed terminations, administrative leave, whistleblower, EEO issues, and security clearance matters), trial and appellate litigation, government contracts, providing general counsel services to business, international law, and Department of Energy matters.

He is also recognized as one of a handful of experts worldwide in nuclear nonproliferation law. He was a career member of the Senior Executive Service and served as general counsel of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) for nearly ten years. He also served as general counsel of the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board.

Jonas has negotiated numerous multilateral and bilateral international agreements including the U.S. – India Civil Nuclear Agreement, where he was a lead negotiator. He has extensive experience dealing with the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Prior to his civilian service, he was a career U.S. Marine Corps officer. He is one of the only judge advocates to have commanded two units, including Headquarters Company, 5th Marines.

His final military assignment was as nuclear nonproliferation planner for the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In addition, he was the first uniformed military lawyer in the history of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force to argue a case at the U.S. Supreme Court.

He received the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces Award for Excellence in Legal Writing in 1992 and was selected as the Outstanding Career Judge Advocate in the Marine Corps in 2000. He concluded his military service as a lieutenant colonel.

Jonas is currently an adjunct professor at Georgetown University Law Center and George Washington (GW) University Law School, where he was recognized as Distinguished Adjunct Professor of Law. He teaches nuclear nonproliferation law and policy and was a pioneer in developing the academic coursework in this discipline. He has also taught this course at the U.S. Naval War College, and he is also widely published and frequently speaks on this topic.

Beyond serving on the Board of Directors of the Young Marines, he is a board member of the Young Marines National Foundation, the Naval War College Foundation and the Marine Executive Association. He is also on the American Bar Association’s Rule of Law Initiative and the Advisory Committee of the University of Pennsylvania Law School’s Center for Ethics and the Rule of Law.

Jonas holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Denison University, a Juris Doctorate from Wake Forest University School of Law, a Master of Laws from the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s School and a Master of Laws from Georgetown University Law Center. In addition, he earned a Master of Arts degree from the U.S. Naval War College.

He resides in Alexandria, Virginia, with his wife, the Honorable Tina W. Jonas.

About the Young Marines

The Young Marines is a national non-profit 501c(3) youth education and service program for boys and girls, age eight through the completion of high school. The Young Marines promotes the mental, moral and physical development of its members. The program focuses on teaching the values of leadership, teamwork and self-discipline, so its members can live and promote a healthy, drug-free lifestyle.

Since the Young Marines' humble beginnings in 1959 with one unit and a handful of boys, the organization has grown to over 264 units with 8,500 youth and 2,500 adult volunteers in 40 states, the District of Columbia, Japan and affiliates in a host of other countries.

For more information, visit the official website at: https://www.YoungMarines.com.