Derek MacInnis graduated from the University of Maine and was commissioned into the Navy as an intelligence officer in 1992. He served in various assignments around the world for 29 years and lived overseas for 13 years. An intelligence generalist, he has experience in diplomatic assignments, intelligence collections management, foreign disclosure policy, counterterrorism analysis, intelligence planning, budget formulation, senior executive support, and joint and operational planning. He received his master's degree from the Naval War College in 2006 and grew up in Massachusetts.