Mr. Kevin K. McAleenan served as the Acting Secretary of Homeland Security from April 8, 2019 to November 11, 2019. Before this appointment, he served as Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
From 2006 to 2008, McAleenan served as the Area Port Director of Los Angeles International Airport, directing CBP’s border security operations at the Los Angeles airport and 17 other airport facilities in one of CBP’s largest field commands. In December 2011, he was named acting Assistant Commissioner of CBP’s Office of Field Operations. In this position, McAleenan led agency operations to secure the U.S. border while expediting lawful trade and travel at 329 ports of entry in the United States and 70 international locations in more than 40 countries.
McAleenan received a 2015 Presidential Rank Award—the nation’s highest civil service award. In 2005, he received the Service to America Medal, Call to Service Award, for spearheading efforts to develop and implement a comprehensive antiterrorism strategy in the border security context after September 11, 2001.
Before his government service, he practiced law in California. He received his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Chicago Law School and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Amherst College.
Mr. McAleenan is an Operating Partner at AE Industrial and serves as the President of BigBear.ai, an AE Industrial portfolio company.
