John Tien

John Kai Tien Jr. (born 1963) is an American government official and retired United States Army officer who has served as the United States deputy secretary of homeland security in the Biden-Harris administration since 2021.

John Tien
8th United States Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security
Assumed office
June 24, 2021
PresidentJoe Biden
SecretaryAlejandro Mayorkas
Preceded byDavid Pekoske (acting)
Personal details
Born
John Kai Tien Jr.[1][2]

1963 (age 59–60)
New Haven, Connecticut, U.S.
SpouseTracy L. Franklin
Children2
EducationUnited States Military Academy (BS)
The Queen's College, Oxford (MA)
AwardsRhodes Scholarship
White House Fellowship
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/service United States Army
Years of service1987–2011
Rank Colonel

Early life and education

Tien was born in New Haven, Connecticut, in 1963,[3][4] the son of John K. Tien Sr. and Deborah Theresa Wong.[5][6] He is a first generation Chinese-American.[7] He was raised near Detroit and Los Angeles, and attended Grosse Pointe South High School before graduating from Cerritos High School in 1981.[8][9][10][11]

Tien began attendance at the United States Military Academy in 1981, but left and enrolled at the University of California, Irvine.[8] He later transferred back to West Point, from which he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering in 1987.[8][12] In his senior year, Tien served as First Captain, the highest-ranked West Point cadet, the first Asian-American to hold the position.[12]

After graduating, Tien was granted leave to study at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom as a Rhodes Scholar, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree from The Queen's College.[12] Per Oxford custom, his degree was promoted to a Master of Arts by seniority, seven years after Tien's matriculation.

Career
Tien sworn in as the Deputy Secretary for the Department of Homeland Security in June 2021.

Tien graduated from West Point on May 27, 1987, and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the United States Army,[13] where he served for 24 years as an armor officer, retiring with the rank of colonel. During the Clinton administration, Tien worked as an aide in the Office of the United States Trade Representative as a White House Fellow.[14] During the Obama administration, Tien was the United States National Security Council senior director for Afghanistan and Pakistan from 2009 to 2011.[15] Since 2011, Tien has been a managing director of the Citigroup regional services division in Atlanta.[16]

On April 12, 2021, President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate Tien to be the United States deputy secretary of homeland security under Alejandro Mayorkas.[12] On April 22, 2021, his nomination was sent to the Senate.[17] On June 17, 2021, Tien was confirmed in a full Senate vote by 60–34.[18] He was sworn in as Deputy Secretary on June 24, 2021.[19][20]

Personal life

Prior to becoming DHS Deputy Secretary, Tien resided in Atlanta with his wife Tracy Tien and their two daughters.[12]

References
  1. "John Kai Tien Jr". West Point Association of Graduates. Retrieved April 11, 2022.
  2. Register of Graduates and Former Cadets, United States Military Academy. West Point, New York: Association of Graduates U.S.M.A. 1989. p. 951. Retrieved April 11, 2022.
  3. Child, Paul W. Jr., ed. (December 1986). "Bulletin Board: John Tien Is New Cadet First Captain". Assembly. West Point, NY: Association of Graduates, USMA. p. 54 – via Google Books.
  4. Tien, John; Desgrosseilliers, Todd; Armfield, Gwyn (April 7, 2008). "Winning the Long War: Applying the US Government's Smart Power in Current and Future Conflicts". Scribd.com. Cambridge, MA: John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. p. 4. Colonel John K. Tien was born in New Haven, Connecticut in 1963.
  5. "John Kai Tien, Metallurgist, 52". The New York Times. New York, NY. April 4, 1992. p. 31.
  6. Vadukul, Alex (January 28, 2021). "Debbie Hennessy, Cal State Official Dubbed 'the Duchess,' Dies at 80". The New York Times.
  7. "John Tien". New Politics.
  8. Shine, Neal (August 21, 1986). "A well-deserved salute to the unlikely soldier". Detroit Free Press. Detroit, MI. p. 16D – via Newspapers.com.
  9. Allred, Katie (July 9, 2016). "The Thayer Hotel at West Point Honors Citi Managing Director John Tien" (PDF). Citi Retail Services.com. West Point, NY: The Thayer Hotel. p. 1.
  10. O’Shaughnessy, Lynn (December 8, 1986). "2 Californians Named Rhodes Scholars". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, CA.
  11. "Air Force cadet from Vietnam a Rhodes scholar". San Luis Obispo County Telegram-Tribune. San Luis Obispo, CA. Associated Press. December 8, 1986. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. "President Biden Announces His Intent to Nominate Key Members for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security". The White House. April 12, 2021. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
  13. "Written Statement of John Tien, Nominee for Deputy Secretary U.S. Department of Homeland Security Before the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs" (PDF). United States Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. May 27, 2021. Retrieved June 23, 2021.
  14. "Biden Unveils Picks to Lead CBP and USCIS, Along with a No. 2 for DHS – Homeland Security Today". April 12, 2021. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
  15. "President Biden Nominates John ;Tien, Jen Easterly, Robert Silvers for DHS, CISA Roles". Executive Gov. April 13, 2021. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
  16. "The Warrior Alliance | Citigroup – John Tien – Managing Director, Citigroup/ TWA Board Member". Retrieved April 17, 2021.
  17. House, The White (April 22, 2021). "Nominations Sent to the Senate". The White House.
  18. "U.S. Senate: U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 117th Congress - 1st Session". www.senate.gov.
  19. "Here's a look at how area members of Congress voted". Port Clinton News Herald. June 22, 2021. Retrieved June 25, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  20. "John K. Tien". Department of Homeland Security. June 24, 2021. Retrieved June 26, 2021.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.