GardaWorld Federal Services has appointed Derek Wood, a leader with over 21 years of experience in program and operations management, as its new vice president for WPS and LGS Iraq. Wood confirmed his new executive role in a LinkedIn post Sunday.
Who is Derek Wood?
Wood previously served as senior director and program manager for the security firm. In the role, he oversaw the implementation of GardaWorld’s Worldwide Protective Services, or WPS, III task order, awarded by the Department of State, in Baghdad, Iraq.
He joined GardaWorld in 2022 as a program manager in charge of mobilizing the company’s WPS III task order in Kyiv, Ukraine.
Before GardaWorld, he served as president of Woodcrest Care for over two years and held leadership roles at Janus Global Operations. His resume also includes roles at JSI Store Fixtures, United Technologies, Twin Rivers Paper Company and Blackwater USA.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in business management and accounting from the University of Maine at Fort Kent and a master’s degree in management and operations from Florida Institute of Technology.
Military Service
Earlier in his career, Wood served as a sergeant within the U.S. Marine Corps for over five years. Throughout his time in the military, he was a member of the Marine Security Guard Battalion and was deployed to support the American Embassy in Sweden, Algeria and Peru.