Colonel (Retired) John K. Tien ’87 was sworn in as Deputy Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security by Secretary Mayorkas on June 24, 2021. Tien is the first Asian American to be confirmed as the Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security.
“I am deeply gratified to return to public service and honored to serve as Deputy Secretary for the Department of Homeland Security,” said Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security John Tien. “I look forward to the opportunity to serve our country again and working with Secretary Mayorkas to support our workforce and strengthen the Department.”
Prior to becoming the Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security, Tien spent ten years serving in senior executive roles in the critical infrastructure financial services sector as a managing director at Citigroup. As a chief operating officer, he provided customer service support to tens of millions of customers to include safeguarding their accounts against fraud, data breaches, and other cyber threats.
Tien previously served in the Obama Administration as the National Security Council Senior Director for Afghanistan and Pakistan from 2009-2011, the Bush Administration as the National Security Council Director for Iraq from 2008-2009, and the Clinton Administration as a White House Fellow in the Office of the United States Trade Representative from 1998-1999.