Getting things done in the Interagency: doing what's best for America

Former Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security John Tien discusses how homeland and national security policy gets done and implemented based on his experience across four Administrations: Clinton, Bush, Obama, and Biden.

John Tien is a Senior Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. He
previously served from 2021 to 2023 as the Deputy Secretary of the United States Department of Homeland Security, the third largest U.S. Federal cabinet department consisting of over 260,000 people and operating on a $105 billion budget.

He previously served in the Clinton Administration in the Office of the United States Trade Representative and in the National Security Council in the Bush and Obama Administrations. Immediately prior to his time as the Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security and from 2011 to 2021, he held various senior leadership positions at Citigroup to include being the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) for Citi Global Consumer Operations and Technology and as Citi Retail Services; Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) for the Macys American Express and private label
credit cards.

Earlier in his career, he was a United States Army officer, retiring at the rank of Colonel. His Army career included commanding an 1,100-soldier task force in combat in Iraq, serving overseas for nearly a decade, and teaching political science at West Point. He is now serving on the board of Union Pacific (NYSE: UNP) and on several non-profit boards and advisory councils to include The Carter Center founded by President Jimmy Carter and First Lady Rosalynn Carter, The Mission Continues, and as a founding board member of the Avalon Action Alliance which is a non-profit organization focused on nationally scaling proven healthcare programs to help heal veterans and first responders who struggle with depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and/or traumatic brain injury (TBI). He is also an Executive Partner and Ambassador for Emory University Goizueta Business School’s Masters in Business for Veterans program.

He holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from West Point and an Oxford Master of Arts in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics from Oxford University where he was a Rhodes Scholar. He is a life member of the Council on Foreign
Relations. His wife, Tracy, and he live in Atlanta and volunteer with and support numerous local civic institutions to include The High Museum of Art.

• John Tien
• Department of Homeland Security
• national security
• International policy and diplomacy
• Security