United States President Donald Trump has nominated Kirstjen Nielsen as the next Homeland Security Secretary after John Kelly left the department to become White House chief of staff in July.
At a formal White House event to announce the nomination, Trump said that Nielsen, through her wisdom and her leadership, has won the universal respect of his entire Cabinet and senior White House staff.
After Trump's remarks, Nielsen said that it is her privilege to work at the White House and, before that, to have served in this administration at the Department of Homeland Security.
Nielsen is currently the White House principal deputy chief of staff and has extensive professional experience in the areas of homeland security policy and strategy, cyber security, critical infrastructure and emergency management.
She is the first nominee for this position to have previously worked within the Department of Homeland Security, having served there in two administrations, first as senior legislative policy director for Transportation and Security Administration under President George W Bush and then as Department of Homeland Security Chief of Staff under President Trump.
Nielsen previously served as Special Assistant to the President and senior director for prevention, preparedness, and response on the White House Homeland Security Council under President George W. Bush, in addition to serving as a corporate attorney and as a congressional staff member.