DEPARTMENT - Key Persons

Brenda F. Abdelall

Job Titles:

Assistant Secretary of Partnership and Engagement
Assistant Secretary, Office of Partnership and Engagement View Original

Brenda F. Abdelall was appointed to serve as the Assistant Secretary of Partnership and Engagement at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on August 1, 2022. In this role, she serves as the Secretary's primary advisor on external engagements and the impact of the Department's policies, regulations, processes, and actions on state, local, tribal, territorial (SLTT) officials, non-governmental organizations, the private sector, and the academic community. She also serves as the Co-Chair for the Department's Council to Combat Gender-based Violence. She is a widely respected and recognized public policy expert, focusing on civil rights and national security. Ms. Abdelall joined DHS on January 21, 2021 in the DHS Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties as Chief of Staff before joining the Office of Partnership and Engagement in March 2022. Prior to her appointment, she served in many leadership positions, including on the Virginia Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights and on the advisory board for several organizations. She was director of a national nonprofit organization, Muslim Advocates, leading a portfolio representing over 1,500 charities nationwide on domestic policy, national security, and civil rights matters. Ms. Abdelall also taught at New York University - Abu Dhabi, the University of Michigan Law School, and the University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law. Her courses focused on civil rights, with a focus on the first amendment. While at New York University - Abu Dhabi, she also served as Deputy Chief Compliance Officer, leading the development of the first social responsibility program in the region focused on migrant labor rights. Recently, as the founder and president of Bridge Strategies, she sought innovative ways to bolster philanthropic giving to build capacity in community-based organizations, while also developing and advising on strategic plans. Ms. Abdelall started her career practicing law at Sidley LLP, where she was a member of the healthcare regulatory and public policy group. She graduated with both a BA and JD from the University of Michigan. She lives in Northern Virginia with her husband and twin sons.

Bryn McDonough

Job Titles:

Deputy Assistant Secretary

Charles D. "Chas" Cook

Mr. Cook joined the Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office (CWMD) in August 2019 on a Senior Executive Service (SES) detail to serve as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary. In August 2020, Mr. Cook was appointed to serve in this position permanently. He brings to this role significant operational, administrative, and leadership experience, helping CWMD manage change as DHS's newest Component. Prior to CWMD, Mr. Cook served in several leadership positions in the Federal Air Marshal Service (FAMS), which he joined in November 2001. Most recently, he was Deputy Assistant Director of Flight Operations providing oversight of several operational and administrative units. Mr. Cook has served at the Orlando and Dallas Field Offices, with both Field and Flight Operations Divisions, and on the Director's Staff at FAMS Headquarters in Reston, Virginia. Mr. Cook's SES detail assignments include service at DHS Operating and Headquarters Components. At Customs and Border Protection, Mr. Cook served as Director of the Office of Intelligence with oversight of all of CBP's intelligence enterprise. At the request of the DHS Under Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis, he served as Senior Advisor and DHS Counterterrorism Mission Manager, where he was responsible for leading I&A 's transformation to a Mission Center-construct fusing intelligence and operations on behalf of the broader DHS enterprise. He began his federal service in 1998 with the U.S. Border Patrol stationed in Laredo, Texas. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Park College (Missouri). He is a graduate of American University's Key Executive Leadership Program and a proud alumnus of the Office of Personnel Management's Federal Executive Institute and the DHS SES Candidate Development Program.

Daniel Watson

Job Titles:

Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs

As Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs, Daniel Watson oversees the Department of Homeland Security's public outreach, including its media, digital, strategic and incident communications efforts, and serves as the principal advisor to Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on all external and internal communications. Mr. Watson rejoined the Department in 2023, with more than 15 years of experience advising policymakers, corporate leaders and large organizations on a wide range of high-profile and complex issues. He served for five years in senior positions in the Obama-Biden Administration, including as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs at the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Prior to Treasury, Mr. Watson was the Associate Director of Public Affairs and Press Secretary at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), serving as the agency's national spokesperson for more than 200 federally declared disasters, including the response to Hurricane Sandy in 2012. Mr. Watson started his career at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and also worked on the 2008 Democratic National Convention, the 2008 Obama-Biden presidential campaign, and the office of former U.S. Senator Tom Udall. Most recently, he was a Partner at FGS Global, a public affairs consultancy. Originally from the United Kingdom, Mr. Watson grew up in Denver, Colorado and graduated from the University of Colorado, Boulder.

David Pekoske

Job Titles:

Administrator, Transportation Security Administration

Debra Cox

Job Titles:

Executive Director of the Department of Homeland Security ( DHS ) Office of Program Accountability
Executive Director of the Office of Program Accountability and Risk Management ( PARM ) . View Original
Executive Director, Office of Program Accountability and Risk Management
PARM As Deputy Director

Debra Cox, Executive Director of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Program Accountability and Risk Management (PARM), is a native of West Virginia. Ms. Cox is an engineer and analyst with more than 25 years of acquisition experience. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from the West Virginia Institute of Technology and a Master of Science degree in Operations Research from the George Washington University. Ms. Cox served as the senior technical advisor and coordinating reliability, availability, and maintainability engineer for U.S. Army Engineer School from July, 1984 to September, 1987. Ms. Cox went on to serve in the U.S. Army Operational Test and Evaluation Command for nine years. She then moved to the Coleman Research Corporation, where she supported multiple defense organizations. Ms. Cox returned to the Army Test and Evaluation Command in July, 2002, where she developed Army Test and Evaluation Command policy and advised the Army Test and Evaluation Command Commander and Technical Director. Ms. Cox then helped to stand up the Office of the Secretary of Defense's Test Resource Management Center, which oversees the Department of Defense test ranges. In 2007, Ms. Cox joined DHS, where she was instrumental in standing up the Department's Test and Evaluation Office. As the Deputy Director for Test and Evaluation Policy and Processes Management, Ms. Cox was responsible for developing and implementing Department-level test and evaluation policy. Ms. Cox joined PARM as Deputy Director in December 2013. In May, 2016, Ms. Cox began her current role as Executive Director of PARM. During her time at PARM, Ms. Cox has been instrumental in shaping acquisition policy and oversight across DHS.

Dr. Herbert Wolfe

Job Titles:

Deputy Chief
Medical Officer

Herbert Wolfe is the Department's Deputy Chief Medical Officer and the Deputy Director of the new Office of Health Security (OHS) overseeing medical, public health and workforce health and safety activities with responsibilities for CBRN health threats, border health security, food, agriculture and health resilience, total workforce protection, health informatics, regional medical operations and FSLTT health engagement. Prior to the establishment of OHS, Dr. Wolfe served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health Security in the Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office. Dr. Wolfe joined DHS in September 2019 following a distinguished career in government service. Highlights include serving as Director for Medical and Public Health Preparedness Policy at the White House National Security Council and Chief Audit Executive for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration, Before joining the VA, Dr. Wolfe was Senior Adviser to the Director at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Environmental Health and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, responsible for ensuring the department fulfilled its mission of using the best science in public health to prevent and mitigate harmful exposures and diseases related to toxic substances. In this role he was the senior CDC official deployed to Flint, Michigan, to lead the agency's response to the drinking water public health emergency. Prior to his tenure at Health and Human Services, Dr. Wolfe served as a Technical Intelligence Officer at the Central Intelligence Agency and as the Director for Combating WMD at the United States Navy Office of the Surgeon General. From 1998 to 2002, Dr. Wolfe was a physician assistant in the U.S. Public Health Service, completing his family medicine residency at the Claremore Indian Hospital in Claremore, Oklahoma. He holds a PhD in biodefense and is considered an expert on global health security, public health, incident management, and biodefense.

Dr. Kimberly O'Connor

Job Titles:

Executive Secretary
Executive Secretary / Executive Secretary for the Department of Homeland Security View Original

Dr. Kimberly O'Connor currently serves as the Executive Secretary for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). As the Executive Secretary, she oversees the management of written communication intended for, and originated by, the Secretary and Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security. Under her leadership, the Office of the Executive Secretary (ESEC) governs the Department-wide processes for responding to correspondence and preparing the Secretary's briefing book, congressional authorization reports, hearing testimony, and questions for the record (QFR) related to congressional authorizing committees. Dr. O'Connor previously served an eight-year appointment to DHS (2009-2017). She served in key leadership positions to include: the DHS Executive Secretary, Chief of Staff of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Senior Advisor to the Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and Chief of Staff of the Office of Counternarcotics Enforcement. In January 2017, Dr. O'Connor was awarded the DHS Distinguished Service Medal. Prior to her 2009 DHS appointment, Dr. O'Connor served as the Director for the Division for Substance Abuse Policy for the State of Arizona. She was responsible for statewide policy initiatives as well as grant administration surrounding substance use prevention, treatment, and enforcement efforts.

Eric Hysen - CIO

Job Titles:

Chief Information Officer

Erik Hooks

Job Titles:

Deputy Administrator

Deputy Administrator for Resilience (vacant), Victoria Salinas, Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Deputy Administrator for Resilience

Heather J. Fong

Job Titles:

Assistant Secretary for State and Local Law Enforcement

Ms. Heather Fong joined the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as the Secretary's Senior Counselor for law enforcement on March 1, 2021. Secretary Mayorkas appointed Ms. Fong as the Acting Assistant Secretary for the Office for State & Local Law Enforcement (OSLLE) on May 21, 2021. On July 31, 2023, the Secretary appointed her as the Assistant Secretary of OSLLE and she continues to serve in both roles. Ms. Fong previously served a 32-year career in the San Francisco Police Department. Sworn in as a police officer in 1977, she worked up through the ranks of inspector, sergeant, lieutenant, and captain. During her career, she was assigned to both foot and motor patrol, served as an Academy training officer and instructor, child abuse investigator, drug education instructor, grant writer, strategic planner, district station watch commander, and district station commander. In August 1998, she was promoted to commander and assigned to the Special Operations Division, with responsibility for the Traffic, Tactical, and MUNI Transit companies. In June 2000, upon promotion to deputy chief, she was assigned to the Field Operations Bureau, where she managed the uniform patrol force. In August 2002, then Deputy Chief Fong was assigned to the Administration Bureau to oversee the budget, planning, training, staff services, and support services divisions for the Department, and in May 2003, was appointed Assistant Chief of Police. Ms. Fong was appointed Acting Chief of Police on January 22, 2004 and then was the official Chief of Police from April 14, 2004 through August 8, 2009. From November 17, 2014 through January 20, 2017, Ms. Fong served as the Department of Homeland Security's Assistant Secretary for State and Local Law Enforcement. A/S Fong and her team were the primary liaisons for the DHS Secretary with state, local, campus, tribal, and territorial law enforcement agencies. Born and raised in San Francisco, California, Senior Counselor Fong holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of San Francisco, and a Master's degree in Social Work from San Francisco State University. Over the years, she has also volunteered her time for a number of non-profit organizations.

Holly Canevari

Job Titles:

Deputy Administrator, Transportation Security Administration

Jeff Solnet

Job Titles:

Deputy Assistant Secretary, Strategic Communications

Jonathan Davidson

Job Titles:

Chief of Staff

Jonathan Davidson is the Chief of Staff at the Department of Homeland Security, a position he has held since August 2023. In that role, he helps oversee the U.S. Government's third largest agency and works to advance the Department's mission and organizational priorities. Mr. Davidson provides counsel on all activities and matters involving homeland security initiatives, operations and programs. Mr. Davidson serves as the special advisor to the members of the Secretary's immediate staff, represents the Secretary and serves as liaison to other Cabinet level Departments. Prior to joining DHS, Mr. Davidson served in the Biden-Harris Administration as Counselor to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and as Treasury's Assistant Secretary for Congressional Affairs. Before that, Mr. Davidson worked on Capitol Hill for more than two decades. He served as Senator Michael Bennet's Chief of Staff from 2011 to 2020. Prior to that, he served as Chief of Staff to Senator Paul Sarbanes and Representative John Sarbanes, and Chief Counsel to Senator Mark Warner. He led the Biden-Harris Transition's Economic Nominations Confirmation team after the 2020 Presidential election. Mr. Davidson has also been an Adjunct Professor at American University's School of Public Policy, periodically teaching a class on Federal Policy and Political Processes. Early in his career, Mr. Davidson clerked for Judge William Sessions, Chief Judge of the Federal District Court of Vermont. He is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the Georgetown University Law Center. He and his wife Erin Sheehy have three children: Leo, Mia and Serena.

Jonathan E. Meyer - Chief Legal Officer

Job Titles:

General Counsel
General Counsel / General Counsel of the Department of Homeland Security View Original

Jonathan E. Meyer was confirmed by the Senate as the sixth General Counsel of the Department of Homeland Security on October 4, 2021. As General Counsel, Mr. Meyer is the chief legal officer of the Department, providing legal counsel to the Secretary and senior leaders while leading the approximately 3,500 attorneys who serve across the Department. He is also the Department's Regulatory Policy Officer, responsible for all regulatory and rulemaking activity. Mr. Meyer previously served at DHS as Senior Counselor and Deputy General Counsel from 2011 to 2016, leading important initiatives and overseeing a number of legal divisions and chief counsels' offices. Prior to his return to DHS, Mr. Meyer was a partner at a law firm in Washington, DC, where he counseled clients on their interactions with federal and state government, as well as cybersecurity, high tech, homeland security and congressional oversight, among other issues Previously, Mr. Meyer served as Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Office of Legal Policy at the U.S. Department of Justice, as Special Deputy General Counsel at Amtrak, and as Counsel to Senator Joseph R. Biden, Jr., on the Senate Judiciary Committee. Originally from Cincinnati, Mr. Meyer spent part of his childhood in Jerusalem, Israel and speaks fluent Hebrew and French. He holds a bachelor's degree from Harvard College, a JD from Columbia University School of Law, and an MPA from Princeton University. He lives in Chevy Chase, Maryland with his wife, Dr. Lauren Strauss. They have three children, Jordana, Ezra, and Naomi.

Joseph D. Wawro

Job Titles:

Executive Director
in 2019 As the Director

Joseph Wawro joined the Department of Homeland Security in 2019 as the Director of the Joint Requirements Council, Office of the Secretary. Joe is a native of Chicago, Illinois. He initially attended Wentworth Military Academy where he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Army in the branch of Armor. During his 30 year Army career, he served in Germany, Bosnia, and Korea. He has combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. Joe has held several command and staff positions. Joe's key leadership positions were Platoon Leader (Germany), Troop Commander (Germany and Bosnia), Squadron Commander (Korea), and Brigade Commander (Fort Riley, KS and Afghanistan). His key staff assignments include Battalion Operations Officer and Executive Officer (Fort Carson, CO), Regimental Executive Officer (Fort Polk, LA and Iraq), Division Operations Officer (Korea), Division (National Training Center, CA) and Corps Chief of Staff (Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA), Chief of the Initiatives Group for the Vice Chief of Staff of the Army (Pentagon), and Director for Defense, Policy, and Strategy (National Security Council, the White House). His academic education includes the following: Fellow for Chief of Staff of the Army at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, 2013 Senior Leader Seminar for GOs/SESs, 2013 M.A. National Security and Strategy, Naval War College, 2008 M.A. Business Administration, Embry-Riddle University, 1998 B.A. History, University of Illinois, 1988

Joseph V. Cuffari

Job Titles:

Inspector General

Joseph V. Cuffari was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the Department of Homeland Security Inspector General on July 25, 2019. Dr. Cuffari previously served as the policy advisor for Military and Veterans Affairs for Governor Doug Ducey of Arizona, and previously for Governor Jan Brewer. He served more than 40 years in the United States Air Force, on Active Duty, in the Reserves, and in the Arizona Air National Guard. He began his military service after graduating from high school and enlisting in the United States Air Force in 1977. He served in a variety of leadership positions with the Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI) as well as with the Department of Defense Office of the Inspector General (OIG). He was a Commander with the AFOSI at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida; England Air Force Base, Louisiana; and Naples, Italy, with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. In 1989, he received the AFOSI Outstanding Officer of the Year Award. He also served for more than 20 years in the Department of Justice (DOJ) in a multitude of roles dating back to 1993. In 2013, he retired from his position as Assistant Special Agent in Charge for the Office of the Inspector General in Tucson, Arizona. In other capacities, he has augmented the United States Senate and House Intelligence Committees and the DOJ Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development. Dr. Cuffari earned a Ph.D. in Management in 2002, an M.A in Management in 1995, and a B.S. in Business Administration and Management Information Systems in 1984.

Kelli Ann Burriesci

Job Titles:

Deputy under Secretary
Deputy under Secretary for Office of Strategy, Policy, and Plans View Original
Secretary for Office of Strategy

Kelli Ann Burriesci is the Deputy Under Secretary for Office of Strategy, Policy, and Plans. Serving in this capacity, she is responsible for the development, coordination, and implementation of DHS strategies and policies to advance the mission in the following areas: Counterterrorism, Threat Prevention and Law Enforcement; Cybersecurity, Infrastructure, Risk, and Resilience; International Affairs; Border and Immigration; and Trade and Economic Security. In 2021, Ms. Burriesci was awarded the Meritorious Presidential Rank Award. Ms. Burriesci joined the Department of Homeland Security in 2007 and has been a member of the Senior Executive Service since 2012. She was selected in May 2019 to serve as the Transportation Security Administration's (TSA) first Assistant Administrator for Enrollment Services and Vetting Programs. In that role, she led TSA's enrollment, vetting, credentialing, and prescreening programs and services across aviation, air cargo, maritime, surface and other sectors, to include TSA's Trusted Traveler and Registered Traveler programs. In 2020, Ms. Burriesci received the TSA Commitment to Leadership Award. Prior to joining TSA, Ms. Burriesci served as the Department's Senior Executive and Principal Deputy Director for the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Terrorist Screening Center, the U.S. Government's multi-agency, counterterrorism watchlisting component. Ms. Burriesci has previously served as the Department's first career Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Office of Policy, the Acting Assistant Secretary for Threat Prevention and Security Policy, and the Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Screening Coordination Office. Serving more than 10 years in multiple leadership roles for the Department, Ms. Burriesci has led and developed security policies for both domestic and international initiatives related to immigration, border, transportation, document security, and access to critical infrastructure. She also led the international Visa Waiver Program and national REAL ID program offices.

Kenneth L. Wainstein

Job Titles:

Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis
under Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis

Kenneth L. Wainstein was confirmed as the Under Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis at the Department of Homeland Security by the United States Senate on June 7, 2022. Wainstein is responsible for providing the Secretary, DHS senior leadership, DHS components, and state, local, tribal, territorial, and private sector partners with the homeland security intelligence and information needed to keep the country safe, secure, and resilient. The Office of Intelligence and Analysis (I&A) is a member of, and the Department's liaison to, the U.S. Intelligence Community. Wainstein serves as the Chief Intelligence Officer for DHS and reports directly to the DHS Secretary and Director of National Intelligence. Prior to his confirmation, Wainstein was a litigation partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Davis Polk & Wardwell. During his time in private practice, Wainstein also served as a law school adjunct professor teaching national security law for twelve years, as a commissioner on the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense, as a member of the Public Interest Declassification Board, and in a number of other national security organizations. Wainstein previously spent over 20 years in law enforcement and national security positions in the federal government. Between 1989 and 2001, Wainstein served as a federal prosecutor in both the Southern District of New York and the District of Columbia, where he handled criminal prosecutions ranging from public corruption to violent gang cases and held a variety of supervisory positions, including Acting United States Attorney. In 2001, he was appointed Director of the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys, where he provided oversight and support to the 94 U.S. Attorneys' Offices. Between 2002 and 2004, Wainstein served as General Counsel of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and then as Chief of Staff to Director Robert S. Mueller, III. Wainstein was then nominated and confirmed as United States Attorney for the District of Columbia, where he led the largest U.S. Attorney's Office in the country, and in 2006 he was again confirmed as the first Assistant Attorney General for National Security at the Department of Justice. In that position, Wainstein established and led the new National Security Division, which consolidated the Justice Department's law enforcement and intelligence operations on all national security matters. In 2008, Wainstein was named Homeland Security Advisor by President George W. Bush. In that capacity, he advised the President, convened and chaired meetings of the Cabinet Officers on the Homeland Security Council, and oversaw the inter-agency process coordinating the nation's counterterrorism, homeland security, infrastructure protection, and disaster response and recovery efforts. Wainstein graduated from the University of Virginia and received his law degree from the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law. He lives in Northern Virginia with his wife and their four daughters.

Kristie Canegallo

Job Titles:

Chief of Staff
Acting Deputy Secretary / Chief of Staff

Kristie Canegallo is the Chief of Staff at the Department of Homeland Security, a position she has held since January 2022. In that role, she helps oversee the U.S. Government's third largest agency and works to advance the Department's mission and organizational priorities. Prior to joining DHS, Canegallo was Google's Vice President of Trust & Safety from 2018-2021, where she led the global team that developed and enforced Google's product policies to keep people safe while using Google products. From 2005 through 2017, Canegallo served in a range of domestic policy, national security, and management roles in the Bush and Obama-Biden Administrations, concluding as Assistant to the President and Deputy Chief of Staff for Implementation from 2014-2017. As Deputy Chief of Staff, she directed the execution of some of the U.S. Governments most complex issues; her areas of focus included the Affordable Care Act and health care, immigration, and cybersecurity. From 2008-2012, Canegallo served on the National Security Council staff as Director for Defense Policy and later Senior Advisor to the Deputy National Security Advisor. Prior to that, she worked at the Department of Defense as a civilian, including in Iraq and Afghanistan. Canegallo holds a M.A. from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and a B.A. from Colgate University and was born in Springfield, MA.