Kimberly Cheatle is an American security official who has served as director of the United States Secret Service since September 2022. She previously held multiple roles in the

United States Secret Service The United States Secret Service (USSS or Secret Service) is a federal law enforcement agency under the Department of Homeland Security charged with conducting criminal investigations and protecting U.S. political leaders, their families, and ...

over 25 years.

Education

Cheatle earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology from

Eastern Illinois University Eastern Illinois University is a public university in Charleston, Illinois. Established in 1895 as the Eastern Illinois State Normal School, a teacher's college offering a two-year degree, Eastern Illinois University gradually expanded into a co ...

in 1992.

Career

Cheatle joined the

in 1995. In 2017 and 2018, she served as deputy assistant director. She also served as special-agent-in-charge in the

Grand Rapids, Michigan Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the List of municipalities in Mi ...

, office. She became the first woman to serve as assistant director of Protective Operations, a department tasked with protection of the president and dignitaries, and managed a budget of over $133.5 million. During her tenure, Cheatle was assigned to the Vice Presidential Protective Division during the

Obama administration Barack Obama's tenure as the 44th president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 2009, and ended on January 20, 2017. A Democrat from Illinois, Obama took office following a decisive victory over Republican ...

. From 2019 to 2022, Cheatle served as senior director of global security at

PepsiCo PepsiCo, Inc. is an American multinational food, snack, and beverage corporation headquartered in Harrison, New York, in the hamlet of Purchase. PepsiCo's business encompasses all aspects of the food and beverage market. It oversees the manuf ...

, where she was responsible for directing and implementing security protocols for the company's facilities in North America. Her role involves developing risk management assessment and risk mitigation. In 2021, President Joe Biden awarded Cheatle a Presidential Rank Award for exceptional performance. In August 2022, President Biden announced the appointment of Cheatle to be director of the

, and she assumed office on September 17, 2022. Cheatle took over the Secret Service following "a turbulent couple months in which the agency best known for protecting presidents has faced controversies related to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol."The Wall Street Journal, "Secret Service Veteran Kimberly Cheatle Named as New Director," By Alexa Corse August 24, 202

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cheatle, Kimberly Living people Eastern Illinois University alumni United States Secret Service agents Year of birth missing (living people) Directors of the United States Secret Service