Steven J. Lepper became AMBA’s President and Chief Executive Officer in 2015 after serving for one year as the Acting Director and Deputy Director of the American Bar Association’s Rule of Law Initiative and for thirty-five years as an Air Force judge advocate culminating in his service as Deputy Judge Advocate General of the Air Force. A retired Air Force major general, Steve has spent most of his career as a legal advisor and counselor to senior U.S. government and military leaders and serving in leadership roles himself.
As AMBA’s CEO, Steve is responsible for the day-to-day management of AMBA, an organization founded in 1959 to partner with the Department of Defense for the benefit of military members and their dependents. AMBA’s membership includes large and small national and state-chartered banks, most operating on military installations and all insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC).
Steve is a distinguished graduate of the United States Air Force Academy, where he received a Bachelor of Science Degree in mathematics and operations research. He also holds a Master of Public Administration degree from Golden Gate University, a Juris Doctor degree from Duke University, and a Master of Laws (International and Comparative Law) degree from Georgetown University. He is a distinguished graduate of the National War College, National Defense University, where he received a Master of National Security Strategy degree.
Steve is an active member of the North Carolina Bar and is admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court, the North Carolina Supreme Court, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces. His military awards and decorations include two Air Force Distinguished Service Medals, the Defense Superior Service Medal, and three Legions of Merit.
Steve also serves as a director or trustee of the Armed Forces Financial Network, Arnold Air Society/Silver Wings, American College of National Security Leaders, US Space Force Historical Foundation, Airlift/Tanker Association, and The Air Force Judge Advocate General’s School Foundation. He and his wife, Kathy, have two daughters and five grandchildren. They live in Merritt Island, Florida.
