Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs
As Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs, Daniel Watson oversees the Department of Homeland Security’s public outreach, including its media, digital, strategic and incident communications efforts, and serves as the principal advisor to Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on all external and internal communications.
Mr. Watson rejoined the Department in 2023, with more than 15 years of experience advising policymakers, corporate leaders and large organizations on a wide range of high-profile and complex issues. He served for five years in senior positions in the Obama-Biden Administration, including as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs at the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Prior to Treasury, Mr. Watson was the Associate Director of Public Affairs and Press Secretary at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), serving as the agency’s national spokesperson for more than 200 federally declared disasters, including the response to Hurricane Sandy in 2012.
Mr. Watson started his career at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and also worked on the 2008 Democratic National Convention, the 2008 Obama-Biden presidential campaign, and the office of former U.S. Senator Tom Udall. Most recently, he was a Partner at FGS Global, a public affairs consultancy. Originally from the United Kingdom, Mr. Watson grew up in Denver, Colorado and graduated from the University of Colorado, Boulder.