Kimberly Cheatle

Kimberly A. Cheatle
Born	1970s Hinsdale, Illinois, U.S.
Occupation	Law enforcement official
Years active	1995–2024
Known for	27th director of the United States Secret Service (2022–2024)

Kimberly A. Cheatle (born in the 1970s) is a former American law enforcement official who held the position of the 27th director of the United States Secret Service between 2022 and 2024. Beginning her career with the Secret Service in 1995, she climbed the organizational ladder until her departure in 2019 to assume the role of senior director of global security at PepsiCo, where she oversaw corporate security operations until 2022. Nominated by President Joe Biden, she took office as director on September 17, 2022, becoming the agency’s second female leader.

The attempted assassination of Donald Trump on July 13, 2024, triggered intense examination of the Secret Service’s protective measures. Cheatle appeared before the United States House Committee on Oversight and Accountability on July 22 amid bipartisan demands for her resignation. She resigned on July 23 and was replaced by acting director Ronald L. Rowe Jr.

Early life and education

Cheatle was born in Hinsdale, Illinois and grew up in Danville, Illinois. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology with a focus on criminal justice from Eastern Illinois University.

Career

In 1995, Cheatle began her tenure with the United States Secret Service. She played a role in evacuating Vice President Dick Cheney during the September 11 attacks and was assigned to Joe Biden’s protective detail within the Vice Presidential Protective Division during the Obama administration. Between 2017 and 2018, she served as deputy assistant director and subsequently as special agent in charge of the Grand Rapids, Michigan field office. She made history as the first woman appointed assistant director of Protective Operations, responsible for safeguarding the President and other dignitaries.

From 2019 to 2022, Cheatle held the position of senior director of global security at PepsiCo. In recognition of her outstanding service, President Biden honored her with a Presidential Rank Award in 2021. In August 2022, Biden selected her to lead the United States Secret Service; she officially assumed this role on September 17, becoming only the second woman to direct the agency. Her appointment followed scrutiny after events related to the January 6 Capitol attack.

In 2023, Cheatle highlighted the importance of recruiting a more diverse workforce and increasing female representation within the agency, setting a goal for women to account for thirty percent of new agents by 2030.

In April 2024, after an incident involving a female agent assigned to Vice President Kamala Harris's security detail, House Oversight Chairman James Comer requested a briefing from Cheatle regarding recruitment, training practices, and disciplinary protocols. The Secret Service downplayed allegations suggesting security weaknesses connected to these matters. After the attempted assassination of Donald Trump in Pennsylvania, Cheatle’s earlier comments on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) were met with criticism. The agency’s chief communications officer dismissed such critiques as misogynistic and reaffirmed that diversity initiatives are strengthening protective operations.

Attempted assassination of Donald Trump

On July 13, 2024, while the attempted assassination of Donald Trump occurred in Butler, Pennsylvania, Cheatle was present in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where the 2024 Republican National Convention was scheduled to commence in two days. In the aftermath of the shooting and amid criticism over her management, Cheatle described the Secret Service's security failure as "unacceptable" but declined to step down. She attributed the breach to shortcomings by local law enforcement responsible for the building from which the assailant fired.

One week later, Congressman Brendan Boyle (D-PA) became the first Democrat in Congress to publicly call for Cheatle’s resignation. Additionally, House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell demanded a change in leadership at the agency.

On July 22, Cheatle appeared before the United States House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, where she referred to the event as "the most significant operational failure at the Secret Service in decades." Bipartisan members of Congress criticized her testimony for being evasive and lacking substance, with some attendees responding with laughter. Despite mounting pressure, she refused to resign and declined to respond to inquiries about alleged denied requests for increased resources for Trump's protective detail—requests that agency representatives had previously stated were not rejected.

Cheatle stepped down as Secret Service director on July 23, 2024. Following the incident and ongoing threats against her, she was provided with a personal security detail.