Kirstjen Nielsen

Kirstjen Nielsen

Kirstjen Michele Nielsen was born on May 14, 1972, in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Nielsen served during the George W. Bush administration as special assistant to the president and as senior director for prevention, preparedness and response at the White House Homeland Security Council. After leaving the Bush administration in 2008, Nielsen became the founder and president of Sunesis Consulting. Nielsen was confirmed as secretary of homeland security on December 5, 2017.

About Kirstjen Nielsen in brief

Summary Kirstjen NielsenKirstjen Michele Nielsen was born on May 14, 1972, in Colorado Springs, Colorado. She is a former principal White House Deputy Chief of Staff to President Donald Trump and was chief of staff to John F. Kelly during his tenure as Secretary of Homeland Security. Nielsen was confirmed as secretary of homeland security on December 5, 2017. Following her appointment, Nielsen implemented the controversial Trump administration family separation policy. She resigned in April 2019. Nielsen served during the George W. Bush administration as special assistant to the president and as senior director for prevention, preparedness and response at the White House Homeland Security Council. She also set up, and led as assistant administrator, the Transportation Security Administration’s Office of Legislative Policy and Government Affairs. After leaving the Bush administration in 2008, Nielsen became the founder and president of Sunesis Consulting. In September 2013 the company won a federal contract, with an initial award of about USD 450,000, to provide policy and legislation, technical writing, and organizational development to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. On January 16, 2018, Nielsen testified before the United States Senate in favor of merit, rather than family, based immigration. She was criticized by Senator Cory Booker for not recalling or speaking out against Trump’s disparaging remarks which Booker characterized as bigoted. At a May 2018 congressional hearing, Nielsen said that she was unaware of the intelligence community conclusion that Russia tried to interfere in the 2016 presidential election to help candidate Trump get elected.

In July, Nielsen backtracked saying there were no signs that Russia was targeting the 2018 midterm elections in the same scale or scope as it did in 2016. On March 23,2018, it was reported that Nielsen agreed with the enactment of the Presidential Memorandum for the Secretary of Defense. Regarding Military Service by Transgender Individuals. Nielsen sat on the Federal Commission on School Safety from March to December 2018. She has a sister, Ashley, and a brother, Fletcher. Nielsen has a daughter, Ashley Nielsen, and an son, Fletcher Nielsen, who is of German descent. Nielsen is a graduate of the Georgetown School of Foreign Service, graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree. She then attended the University of Virginia School of Law, receiving her Juris Doctor in 1999. Nielsen also took Japanese studies at Nanzan University, in Nagoya, Japan. In early September 2017, just over a month after Kelly became White House chief of Staff on July 31, 2017, Nielsen moved to the White house, becoming the principal deputy Chief of staff under Kelly. On October 11,2017, President DonaldTrump nominated Nielsen to be the new United States secretary of Homeland security, replacing Acting Secretary Elaine Duke. On December 5,. 2017, the Senate confirmed her nomination, by a 62–37 vote. On September 6, 2017,. Nielsen was sworn in as secretary of homeland security and replaced Elaine Duke as acting Secretary of Homeland Security on November 11, 2013. Nielsen’s father is of Danish ancestry while her mother is ofGerman descent.