On Wednesday, January 21, 2009, Janet Napolitano was sworn in as the new Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. Napolitano was formerly the Governor of Arizona. Ms. Napolitano has an extensive background in political service and homeland security. Prior to her governorship, she had served as the Attorney General of Arizona and the U.S Attorney for the District of Arizona. Napolitano was one of the lead organizational heads of the investigation into the Oklahoma City domestic terrorism incident. In addition, as Governor of Arizona, she implemented one of the first State homeland security strategies in the U.S. and has made a number of legislative changes to issues related to immigration enforcement.

Napolitano received a J.D. in 1983 from the University of Virginia School of Law. After law school, she served as a law clerk for Mary M. Schroeder, the Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and as an associate at the law firm, Lewis and Roca. Napolitano was the first woman to chair the National Governors Association and has previously chaired the Western Governors Association.