Elaine Duke facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Elaine Duke
7th United States Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security
In office April 10, 2017 – April 15, 2018
President	Donald Trump
Preceded by	Alejandro Mayorkas
Succeeded by	Claire Grady (acting)
Acting United States Secretary of Homeland Security
In office July 31, 2017 – December 6, 2017
President	Donald Trump
Preceded by	John F. Kelly
Succeeded by	Kirstjen Nielsen
United States Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Management
In office June 27, 2008 – April 2010
President	George W. Bush Barack Obama
Preceded by	Paul Schneider
Succeeded by	Rafael Borras
Chief Procurement Officer of the United States Department of Homeland Security
In office December 5, 2005 – October 28, 2007
President	George W. Bush
Preceded by	Gregory Rothwell
Succeeded by	Thomas W. Essig
Personal details
Born	Elaine Costanzo (1958-06-26) June 26, 1958 (age 66)
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Harold Hanson ​ (m. 2006)​
Children	2
Education	Southern New Hampshire University (BS) Chaminade University (MBA)

Elaine Costanzo Duke (born June 26, 1958) is an American government official. She served as the United States Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security from April 2017 to April 2018. During this time, she also became the acting United States Secretary of Homeland Security for a few months. This happened when the previous Secretary, John F. Kelly, took on a new role.

Early Life and Education

Elaine Duke was born in Ohio. Her family has roots in Italy. She went to college at New Hampshire College, which is now called Southern New Hampshire University. There, she earned a degree in business management. Later, she received her Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Chaminade University of Honolulu.

Public Service Career

Elaine Duke has worked for the United States government for over 30 years. She has held many important positions. Before joining the Department of Homeland Security, she also worked as a consultant.

Working at Homeland Security

The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is a government department. It works to protect the United States from threats. It handles things like border security, cybersecurity, and disaster response.

Under Secretary Role

From 2008 to 2010, Duke served as the Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Management. In this role, she helped manage how the department ran its daily operations. This included managing its budget and resources. She worked under both President George W. Bush and President Barack Obama.

Deputy Secretary Role

In 2017, President Donald Trump chose Elaine Duke to be the United States Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security. This is a very important job, as the Deputy Secretary helps the Secretary lead the entire department. The United States Senate approved her for this role in April 2017. She decided to retire from this position in April 2018.

Acting Secretary Role

In July 2017, the Secretary of Homeland Security, John F. Kelly, moved to a new job. Elaine Duke then became the acting Secretary of Homeland Security. She led the department during this time.

Helping Puerto Rico

In September 2017, Hurricane Maria caused a lot of damage in Puerto Rico. As acting Secretary, Duke made an important decision. She temporarily stopped the Jones Act for ten days. This law usually requires goods shipped between U.S. places to be on American-made ships. By waiving it, foreign ships could bring aid to Puerto Rico more easily.

At first, Duke said the government's response to the hurricane was "a good news story." However, the mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico, Carmen Yulín Cruz, disagreed. She said it was a "people are dying" story. Duke then visited Puerto Rico. She clarified her earlier remark, saying "there's much more work to do, and we will never be satisfied."

Personal Life

Elaine Duke is married to Harold Vincent Hanson. They got married in 2006. She also has two sons from a previous marriage. Duke is a member of the Republican Party.