Karen H. Gibson is a retired military intelligence officer and former Sergeant at Arms of the United States Senate [1] [2] [3] [4]
Gibson was raised in Bozeman,Montana,where she graduated from Bozeman High School. [5] Gibson earned a Bachelor of Science degree in industrial engineering from Purdue University,a Master of Science in national security strategy from the National War College,and a Master of Science in strategic intelligence from the National Intelligence University. [6]
Gibson served in the United States Army for 33 years,retiring with the rank of Lieutenant General. Prior to her appointment as sergeant at arms,Gibson served as the deputy Director of National Intelligence for national security partnerships,director of intelligence for United States Central Command,director of intelligence for the Combined Joint Task Force,and deputy commanding general for the United States Army Cyber Command.
A seasoned combat veteran,Gibson led intelligence-operations fusion centers in Iraq,Afghanistan,Korea,East Africa,and in the United States. [7]
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced the appointment of Gibson as sergeant at arms of the United States Senate in March 2021. [8] She had recently worked with Russel L. Honoré to make recommendations for Congress in the wake of the 2021 storming of the United States Capitol. [4] Gibson is the second woman to serve as the Senate Sergeant at Arms. Gibson,her deputy,Kelly Fado,and Chief of Staff,Jennifer Hemingway,are the first all-female team occupying the Senate's top three security posts. [4]
The United States order of precedence is an advisory document maintained by the Ceremonials Division of the Office of the Chief of Protocol of the United States which lists the ceremonial order,or relative preeminence,for domestic and foreign government officials at diplomatic,ceremonial,and social events within the United States and abroad. The list is used to mitigate miscommunication and embarrassment in diplomacy,and offer a distinct and concrete spectrum of preeminence for ceremonies. Often the document is used to advise diplomatic and ceremonial event planners on seating charts and order of introduction. Former presidents,vice presidents,first ladies,second ladies,and secretaries of state and retired Supreme Court justices are also included in the list.
A serjeant-at-arms or sergeant-at-arms is an officer appointed by a deliberative body,usually a legislature,to keep order during its meetings. The word "serjeant" is derived from the Latin serviens,which means "servant". Historically,serjeants-at-arms were armed men retained by English lords and monarchs,and the ceremonial maces which they are associated with were originally a type of weapon.
The director of national intelligence (DNI) is a senior cabinet-level United States government official,required by the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 to serve as executive head of the United States Intelligence Community (IC) and to direct and oversee the National Intelligence Program (NIP). All 18 IC agencies,including the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA),the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) and the National Security Agency (NSA),report directly to the DNI.
The sergeant at arms and doorkeeper of the United States Senate is the protocol officer,executive officer,and highest-ranking federal law enforcement officer of the Senate of the United States. The office of the sergeant at arms of the Senate currently has just short of 1,000 full time staff.
The sergeant at arms of the United States House of Representatives is an officer of the House with law enforcement,protocol,and administrative responsibilities. The sergeant at arms is elected at the beginning of each Congress by the membership of the House.
Terrance William Gainer is a former law enforcement officer and was the 38th Sergeant at Arms of the United States Senate and served in that position from January 4,2007,to May 2,2014.
James Robert Clapper Jr. is a retired lieutenant general in the United States Air Force and former Director of National Intelligence. Clapper has held several key positions within the United States Intelligence Community. He served as director of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) from 1992 until 1995. He was the first director of defense intelligence within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and simultaneously the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence. He served as the director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) from September 2001 until June 2006.
Matthew Glen Olsen is an American attorney who has served as the Assistant Attorney General for the National Security Division since 2021. He is the former director of the National Counterterrorism Center.
Caryn Wagner was the Department of Homeland Security’s Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Intelligence and Analysis from February 11,2010,to December 21,2012. As such,she was DHS's Chief Intelligence Officer (CINT),in charge of the DHS Office of Intelligence and Analysis with responsibilities over the DHS component intelligence services. She was the first woman to serve in this position,after extensive experience in the U.S. Intelligence Community and on Capitol Hill.
Christopher Ashley Ford is an American lawyer and government official who served from January 2018 until January 2021 as Assistant Secretary of State for International Security and Non-Proliferation. He was nominated to that position by President Donald Trump,and confirmed unanimously by the U.S. Senate on December 21,2017. After October 21,2019,Ford also,by delegation from Secretary of State Michael Pompeo,performed the duties of the Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security until his resignation from the Department of State on January 8,2021.
Avril Danica Haines is an American lawyer currently serving as the director of national intelligence in the Biden administration. She is the first woman to serve in this role. Haines previously was Deputy National Security Advisor and deputy director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in the Obama administration. Prior to her appointment to the CIA,she was Deputy Counsel to the President for National Security Affairs in the Office of White House Counsel.
Paul Douglas Irving is an American former law enforcement officer who served as the Sergeant at Arms of the United States House of Representatives from January 17,2012,until January 7,2021,succeeding Wilson Livingood in that post. He resigned due to his inability to fulfill his duty during the 2021 United States Capitol attack.
William J. Walker is a retired United States Army major general and former Sergeant at Arms of the U.S. House of Representatives. He was the 38th House Sergeant at Arms and the first African-American to hold the office. He last served as the 23rd Commanding General of the District of Columbia National Guard. This responsibility includes command of the District of Columbia Army and Air National Guard units. Walker previously served in the Drug Enforcement Administration as a Special Agent and was promoted to the Senior Executive Service in January 2003,with his final assignment being Deputy Assistant Administrator in Charge of the Office of Strategic Warning Intelligence. Walker is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a National Academy of Public Administration Fellow.
Steven A. Sund is a retired American law enforcement official,author and public speaker who served as the tenth Chief of the United States Capitol Police from June 13,2019,to January 7,2021. He led the force during the January 6 Capitol attack,after which he faced widespread criticism for the perceived security failures of that day. However,a December 2024 interim report by the Subcommittee on Oversight of the 118th Congress concluded that Sund had “unfairly shouldered the bulk of the blame”and highlighted systemic failures across federal agencies. The report restored his reputation by exonerating him from sole responsibility for the security lapses.
Charles A. Flynn is a retired United States Army general who last served as the commanding general of United States Army Pacific from 2021 to 2024. He previously served as Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations,Plans and Training (G3/5/7) of the Army Staff from 2019 to 2021. He is the younger brother of Lieutenant General Michael T. Flynn,Donald Trump's first National Security Advisor.
Michael Conrad Stenger was an American law enforcement officer who served as the 41st Sergeant at Arms of the United States Senate from April 16,2018,to January 7,2021.
Jennifer A. Hemingway is an American federal law enforcement officer serving as the Sergeant at Arms of the United States Senate prior to her appointment at the 119th United States Congress she served as a political advisor and briefly served as the acting Sergeant at Arms of the United States Senate and acting chairwoman of the Capitol Police Board in 2021.
Timothy Paul Blodgett is an American law enforcement officer who served as the Sergeant at Arms of the United States House of Representatives from January to April 2021.
Eugene Goodman is an American United States Capitol Police officer who diverted invading rioters from the United States Senate chamber during the January 6 Capitol attack. Goodman is a U.S. Army veteran who served during the Iraq War. He served as the Acting Deputy Sergeant at Arms of the United States Senate from January 20,2021,to March 2,2021.