Janet Napolitano is the third secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, where she leads U.S. efforts to secure the country from threats ranging from terrorism to natural disasters.
Before becoming secretary, she was in her second term as Arizona governor and was a national leader on homeland security, border security and immigration. Secretary Napolitano was the first woman to chair the National Governors Association and was named one of the top five governors in the country by Time magazine. She was the first female attorney general of Arizona and served as U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona. Before entering public office, Napolitano clerked for Judge Mary M. Schroeder on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit and practiced law in Phoenix at Lewis and Roca.
Secretary Napolitano was born in New York City, and grew up in Pittsburgh, Pa., and Albuquerque, N.M. She graduated from Santa Clara University, where she won a Truman Scholarship and was the university’s first female valedictorian. She earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia School of Law.
