Nielsen, Kirstjen (1972-…), served as United States secretary of homeland security in the Cabinet of President Donald J. Trump from 2017 to 2019. Nielsen had earlier served as chief of staff to the previous homeland security secretary, John F. Kelly . Prior to working in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security , Nielsen had led a national security consulting firm and held various positions related to national security in the administration of President George W. Bush .
Kirstjen Michele Nielsen was born on May 14, 1972, in Colorado Springs, Colorado. She grew up in Clearwater, Florida. Nielsen received a bachelor’s degree in foreign service from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., in 1994. She also studied at the Nanzan University Center for Japanese Studies in Nagoya, Japan. She earned a law degree from the University of Virginia in 1999.
In 2002, Nielsen joined the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), where she led its offices of legislative policy and government affairs. In 2004, President George W. Bush named Nielsen to serve on the White House Homeland Security Council.
Nielsen later became president and general counsel of the national security division of the Civitas Group consulting firm. From 2012 to 2016, she served as president of Sunesis Consulting, a firm specializing in homeland security and national security issues.
In January 2017, Kelly was confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve as homeland security secretary. Nielsen was his chief of staff. In July 2017, Trump named Kelly to replace Reince Priebus as White House chief of staff. Nielsen then became Kelly’s deputy chief of staff and a special assistant to the president. Trump nominated Nielsen to Kelly’s previous post, and in December, the U.S. Senate confirmed Nielsen as homeland security secretary.
During Nielsen’s tenure as secretary, one of the department’s primary challenges was to deal with a steady flow of Central American migrants to the nation’s southern border. Many of the migrants—families fleeing violence and poverty in their home countries—sought asylum in the United States. Other migrants crossed the border illegally. In April 2019, Nielsen resigned from her position as secretary.
