Janet Napolitano

Janet Ann Napolitano is an American lawyer and public servant who served as the United States Secretary of Homeland Security from 2009 to 2013 under President Barack Obama. Prior to her federal appointment, she held a series of state‑level positions in Arizona, including attorney general, governor, and U.S. attorney for the District of Arizona. After leaving cabinet service, Napolitano continued her public career as president of the University of California system and later joined the faculty at the Goldman School of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley.

Early life and career

Janet Ann Napolitano was born on November 29, 1957, in New York City. Her father, Leonard Michael Napolitano, served as dean of the University of New Mexico School of Medicine, while her mother, Jane Marie (née Winer), had German and Austrian ancestry; Napolitano’s paternal lineage included Italian heritage through her grandfather, Filippo Napolitano. Raised primarily in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, she also spent formative years in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where she graduated from Sandia High School in 1975.

Napolitano pursued higher education at Santa Clara University, earning a Bachelor of Science summa cum laude with a major in political science in 1979. She was the university’s first female valedictorian and received recognition as a Truman Scholar; her academic achievements also earned her membership in Phi Beta Kappa. In 1983 she completed a Juris Doctor at the University of Virginia School of Law, after which she served as a law clerk for Judge Mary M. Schroeder on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Following her clerkship, Napolitano joined Lewis and Roca LLP in Phoenix, Arizona. She became a partner at the firm in 1989. In addition to her legal practice, she worked as an analyst for the United States Senate Committee on the Budget and spent a term studying abroad at the London School of Economics through Santa Clara’s exchange program.

In 1991, while still a partner at Lewis and Roca, Napolitano served as an attorney for Anita Hill during the high‑profile testimony in which Hill alleged sexual harassment by then‑Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas. Her legal work continued to intersect with public policy and national issues until her appointment as United States Attorney for the District of Arizona in 1993.

As U.S. attorney, Napolitano was involved in investigations related to the Oklahoma City bombing, including the case against Michael Fortier of Kingman, Arizona. She held that office until 1997, after which she ran successfully for Arizona’s attorney general in 1998. In that role she emphasized consumer protection and broader law‑enforcement initiatives; she also represented Arizona before the United States Supreme Court in the death‑penalty case Ring v. Arizona.

Napolitano entered statewide elective office as governor of Arizona in 2002, becoming the state’s third female governor and the first Democrat to be elected since 1987. Her tenure was marked by a focus on education reform, fiscal prudence—evidenced by the expansion of the rainy‑day fund—and support for tourism and economic development projects such as the bid to host Super Bowl XLII in Glendale.

During her time as governor she also served as chairwoman of the National Governors Association during the 2006–2007 cycle. She was recognized nationally, appearing on lists of influential women by Forbes in 2012 and 2013, and was named by The New York Times in 2008 as one of the women most likely to become the first female president of the United States.

Cabinet tenure

Napolitano’s federal appointment came with her nomination to serve as the twentieth Secretary of Homeland Security. She assumed office on January 20, 2009, and served through December 2013. The Senate confirmed her appointment; she was the only individual in that period to hold the position during President Obama’s first term.

During her tenure, Napolitano oversaw the Department of Homeland Security’s broad mandate, which includes counter‑terrorism, border protection, immigration enforcement, cybersecurity, and disaster response. She worked within a complex federal structure, coordinating with other agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the Transportation Security Administration.

Napolitano was known for her emphasis on interagency collaboration and for promoting data‑driven approaches to homeland security challenges. Her leadership period coincided with significant events that required rapid response and coordination across federal, state, and local levels, including natural disasters and evolving threats to national safety.

After completing her term as secretary, Napolitano returned to the private sector and academia, eventually becoming president of the University of California system in 2013. She served in that capacity until 2020 before joining the faculty at UC Berkeley’s Goldman School of Public Policy in 2015.

Legacy

Napolitano’s career reflects a trajectory from legal practice to state leadership and federal service, culminating in significant influence on national security policy. Her tenure as Secretary of Homeland Security is noted for its focus on interagency cooperation and data‑centric decision making within the department’s expansive responsibilities.

Beyond her cabinet role, Napolitano has been recognized by several professional and scholarly organizations. She was elected to the American Philosophical Society in 2018, a society that honors distinguished scholars and public servants. Her contributions to public policy have also earned her positions on advisory boards, including a bipartisan board for States United Democracy Center.

In addition to her governmental service, Napolitano has impacted higher education through her leadership of the University of California system, where she oversaw significant expansions in research, infrastructure, and student services. Her academic involvement continued with faculty appointments at UC Berkeley’s Goldman School of Public Policy, where she engages in teaching and policy analysis.

Napolitano’s legacy is characterized by a sustained commitment to public service across multiple levels of government, a focus on collaborative problem‑solving, and an ongoing influence on both national security strategy and higher education administration. Her career serves as a model for the integration of legal expertise, executive leadership, and academic scholarship in addressing complex policy challenges.