For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
Contact: 202-282-8010
U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano sent the following message to department employees today:
Tomorrow we will say goodbye to Paul Schneider, who has served the department with great distinction as Deputy Secretary, and before that as Under Secretary for Management. Paul has been a dedicated public servant for more than forty years, and has come out of retirement more than once to continue to lend his expertise and leadership in securing our nation. I’m grateful for his long service and for his counsel to me through the transition, and I wish him well in retirement.
A couple of weeks ago, we announced that Jane Holl Lute would be nominated by President Obama to be our new Deputy Secretary. Jane’s background in the United States Army, as well as at the United Nations providing strategic direction to peacekeeping support operations – the second largest deployed military operation in the world – will bring a wealth of operational management experience to our department. She is an excellent and innovative leader, and I look forward to having her on board.
Beginning tomorrow, and continuing until Jane is confirmed, Rand Beers will serve as Acting Deputy Secretary. Rand has served in leadership capacities under four Presidents, including as White House/National Security Council Director for Counter-terrorism and Counter-narcotics; Director for Peacekeeping; Senior Director for Intelligence Programs; Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Combating Terrorism; and Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs. Most recently, he led President Obama’s DHS agency review team during the transition. I thank him for his continued leadership and support.
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