NASA OIG Senior Official

Robert Steinau serves as the Senior Official Performing the Duties of Inspector General for the NASA Office of Inspector General (OIG). In this role, he leads a nationwide organization of auditors, investigators, analysts, attorneys, and professional staff dedicated to promoting economy, efficiency, effectiveness, and integrity across NASA’s missions and programs.

Steinau has more than 26 years of federal law enforcement, oversight, and leadership experience. He has led complex criminal, civil, and administrative investigations involving fraud, cybercrime, procurement fraud, grant and research fraud, public corruption, and other misconduct affecting federal programs. Since joining NASA OIG in 2009, he has held a series of leadership positions with expanding scope and impact, spanning investigative operations, cybersecurity, information technology, and organizational management.

Prior to assuming his current position as the NASA OIG Senior Official, Steinau was the Special Agent in Charge of the Cyber Crimes Division. He also served as the Assistant Inspector General for Investigations, where he directed investigative operations and oversaw criminal, civil, and administrative investigative programs across all NASA centers. Under his leadership, the organization created and institutionalized an advanced data analytics program, investigative support initiatives, and cyber investigative capabilities that enhanced investigative effectiveness and contributed to significant recoveries through criminal convictions and civil settlements. He also served concurrently as Acting Assistant Inspector General for Management, overseeing the organization’s information technology, budget, procurement, human resources, and administrative functions.

Before joining NASA OIG, Steinau served as a Special Agent with the Department of Energy OIG, as well as a Special Agent with the U.S. Secret Service. During his Secret Service career, he conducted financial crime investigations and served in the Vice-Presidential Protective Division, providing protection for the Vice President of the United States and other senior government officials.

In addition to his current duties at NASA OIG, Steinau also serves as Chair of the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE) Technology Committee and is a member of the CIGIE Executive Council. In these roles, he works with Inspectors General and senior oversight officials across the federal government to advance cybersecurity, data analytics, artificial intelligence, and other emerging technologies that strengthen oversight and accountability across government programs and operations.

Steinau served in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve and holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from the University of Cincinnati.