Janet Napolitano, who had been a steady hand in the Obama administration for more than four years, announced Friday she was stepping down as head of the Department of Homeland Security to take a job as president of the University of California system.
“For more than four years I have had the privilege of serving President Obama and his Administration as the Secretary of Homeland Security,” she said in a statement.
“The opportunity to work with the dedicated men and women of the Department of Homeland Security, who serve on the frontlines of our nation’s efforts to protect our communities and families from harm, has been the highlight of my professional career.
“We have worked together to minimize threats of all kinds to the American public. The Department has improved the safety of travelers; implemented smart steps that make our immigration system more fair and focused while deploying record resources to protect our nation’s borders; worked with states to build resiliency and make our nation’s emergency and disaster response capabilities more robust; and partnered with the private sector to improve our cybersecurity.
“After four plus years of focusing on these challenges, I will be nominated as the next President of the University of California to play a role in educating our nation’s next generation of leaders.”
