Deputy Under Secretary for Office of Strategy, Policy, and Plans
Kelli Ann Burriesci is the Deputy Under Secretary for Office of Strategy, Policy, and Plans. Serving in this capacity, she is responsible for the development, coordination, and implementation of DHS strategies and policies to advance the mission in the following areas: Counterterrorism, Threat Prevention and Law Enforcement; Cybersecurity, Infrastructure, Risk, and Resilience; International Affairs; Border and Immigration; and Trade and Economic Security. In 2021, Ms. Burriesci was awarded the Meritorious Presidential Rank Award.
Ms. Burriesci joined the Department of Homeland Security in 2007 and has been a member of the Senior Executive Service since 2012. She was selected in May 2019 to serve as the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) first Assistant Administrator for Enrollment Services and Vetting Programs. In that role, she led TSA’s enrollment, vetting, credentialing, and prescreening programs and services across aviation, air cargo, maritime, surface and other sectors, to include TSA’s Trusted Traveler and Registered Traveler programs. In 2020, Ms. Burriesci received the TSA Commitment to Leadership Award.
Prior to joining TSA, Ms. Burriesci served as the Department’s Senior Executive and Principal Deputy Director for the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Terrorist Screening Center, the U.S. Government’s multi-agency, counterterrorism watchlisting component.
Ms. Burriesci has previously served as the Department’s first career Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Office of Policy, the Acting Assistant Secretary for Threat Prevention and Security Policy, and the Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Screening Coordination Office. Serving more than 10 years in multiple leadership roles for the Department, Ms. Burriesci has led and developed security policies for both domestic and international initiatives related to immigration, border, transportation, document security, and access to critical infrastructure. She also led the international Visa Waiver Program and national REAL ID program offices.