November 23, 2020

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

LCWINS Applauds Announcement of Biden National Security Cabinet Nominees

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The Leadership Council for Women in National Security (LCWINS) applauds today’s announcement of six deeply experienced and proven national security leaders to serve in Cabinet positions in the Biden-Harris Administration.

In 2019, President-elect Biden and Vice-President-elect Harris signed the LCWINS pledge and publicly committed to seek gender parity in their senior national security appointments. The pledge encourages the President-elect to nominate women to senior positions in national security that have never been filled by women before, and to ensure that women of color are well represented in senior ranks. While there are many more appointments to be made before we can measure whether gender parity is achieved, we welcome the important progress today’s nominations represent. If confirmed, Avril Haines will serve as the first female Director of National Intelligence and Alejandro Mayorkas will be the first immigrant and Latino to serve as the Secretary of Homeland Security.

We are also proud that four of today’s six nominees have been partners in LCWINS’ mission. Jake Sullivan and Linda Thomas-Greenfield are members of our Steering Committee, while Tony Blinken and Avril Haines are on our Honorary Advisory Committee. We look forward to seeing them lead agencies where women have seats at the table, and diversity, equity, and inclusion are lived every day.

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The Leadership Council for Women in National Security improves national security by ensuring that women, in all their diversity, have equal space at the policy-making table. LCWINS is an organization of women and allies from across the political spectrum working to advance gender inclusion at the highest levels of the U.S. national security and foreign policy workforce.

‍For more information, contact: Press@lcwins.org | 703-795-1929