Karen H. Gibson is the

Sergeant at Arms of the United States Senate The Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper of the United States Senate (originally known as the Doorkeeper of the Senate from April 7, 1789 – 1798) is the protocol officer, executive officer, and highest-ranking federal law enforcement officer of the ...

and a retired

military intelligence Military intelligence is a military discipline that uses information collection and analysis approaches to provide guidance and direction to assist commanders in their decisions. This aim is achieved by providing an assessment of data from a ...

officer.

Early life and education

Gibson was raised in

Bozeman, Montana Bozeman is a city and the county seat of Gallatin County, Montana, United States. Located in southwest Montana, the 2020 census put Bozeman's population at 53,293, making it the fourth-largest city in Montana. It is the principal city of th ...

, where she graduated from

Bozeman High School Bozeman High School (or BHS) is a public high school for grades 9 through 12 located in Bozeman, Montana. It is the second-oldest high school in the state of Montana.Burlingame, p. 321. In 2011, it had an enrollment of roughly 1,844 students, an ...

. Gibson earned a Bachelor of Science degree in industrial engineering from

Purdue University Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and money ...

, a Master of Science in national security strategy from the National War College, and a Master of Science in strategic intelligence from the

National Intelligence University The National Intelligence University (NIU), formerly known as the Defense Intelligence School, the Defense Intelligence College, the Joint Military Intelligence College, and the National Defense Intelligence College is a federally chartered resea ...

Career

Gibson served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

for 33 years, retiring with the rank of Lieutenant General. Prior to her appointment as sergeant at arms, Gibson served as the deputy Director of National Intelligence for national security partnerships, director of intelligence for

United States Central Command The United States Central Command (USCENTCOM or CENTCOM) is one of the eleven unified combatant commands of the U.S. Department of Defense. It was established in 1983, taking over the previous responsibilities of the Rapid Deployment Joint Ta ...

, director of intelligence for the

Combined Joint Task Force Combined may refer to: * Alpine combined (skiing), the combination of slalom and downhill skiing as a single event ** Super combined (skiing) * Nordic combined (skiing), the combination of cross country skiing and ski jumping as a single event * T ...

, and deputy commanding general for the

United States Army Cyber Command U.S. Army Cyber Command (ARCYBER) conducts information dominance and cyberspace operations as the Army service component command of United States Cyber Command.The official regulation, General Order (DA GO 2016-11) was signed by the Secretary of ...

. Senate Majority Leader

Chuck Schumer Charles Ellis Schumer ( ; born November 23, 1950) is an American politician serving as Senate Majority Leader since January 20, 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, Schumer is in his fourth Senate term, having held his seat since 1999, and ...

announced the appointment of Gibson as

sergeant at arms of the United States Senate The Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper of the United States Senate (originally known as the Doorkeeper of the Senate from April 7, 1789 – 1798) is the protocol officer, executive officer, and highest-ranking federal law enforcement officer of the ...

in March 2021. She had recently worked with

Russel L. Honoré Russel L. Honoré ( ; born September 15, 1947) is a retired lieutenant general who served as the 33rd commanding general of the U.S. First Army at Fort Gillem, Georgia. He is best known for serving as commander of Joint Task Force Katrina resp ...

to make recommendations for Congress in the wake of the 2021 storming of the United States Capitol. Gibson is the second woman to serve as the Senate Sergeant at Arms. Gibson, her deputy, Kelly Fado, and Chief of Staff, Jennifer Hemingway, are the first all-female team occupying the Senate's top three security posts.

References

External links

* Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Sergeants at Arms of the United States Senate Women in law enforcement Female generals of the United States Army People from Bozeman, Montana Purdue University alumni Military personnel from Montana 21st-century American women {{US-gov-bio-stub