In its first confirmation of the Biden presidency, the Senate voted Wednesday to confirm Avril Haines as Director of National Intelligence.
The vote was 84-10, making Haines the first woman to serve as DNI.
During the Obama administration, Haines served as Assistant to the President and Principal Deputy National Security Advisor from 2015-2017, during which time she led the National Security Council’s (NSC) Deputies Committee. From 2013-2015, Haines was the Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency; she was the first woman to hold both of these positions.
Haines began her service in the Obama administration in 2010 as the NSC Legal Advisor. From 2007-2008, Haines served as Deputy Chief Counsel to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee while President Biden served as chairman. Haines led the Biden transition’s National Security and Foreign Policy Team.
She has also served in various roles including Senior Research Scholar at Columbia University; a Senior Fellow at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory; and a member of the National Commission on Military, National, and Public Service.
At her confirmation hearing Tuesday, Haines was introduced by former Trump administration DNI Dan Coats, who lauded her as “a remarkable individual” and “someone that has all the capabilities, qualities, experience and leadership to be the next director of National Intelligence.”
