Lisa E. Gordon-Hagerty is an American scientist and former government official who served as the

under secretary of energy for nuclear security The Under Secretary for Nuclear Security, in the United States Department of Energy, is the Administrator for the National Nuclear Security Administration. The National Nuclear Security Administration's responsibilities include designing, produci ...

and administrator of the

National Nuclear Security Administration The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) is a United States federal agency responsible for safeguarding national security through the military application of nuclear science. NNSA maintains and enhances the safety, security, and ef ...

. Earlier in her career, she had served in various other leadership positions in the

Department of Energy A ministry of energy or department of energy is a government department in some countries that typically oversees the production of fuel and electricity; in the United States, however, it manages nuclear weapons development and conducts energy-rela ...

and the

National Security Council A national security council (NSC) is usually an executive branch governmental body responsible for coordinating policy on national security issues and advising chief executives on matters related to national security. An NSC is often headed by a n ...

Education

Gordon-Hagerty graduated from the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

with a Bachelor of Science in 1983 and a Master of Public Health in

health physics Health physics, also referred to as the science of radiation protection, is the profession devoted to protecting people and their environment from potential radiation hazards, while making it possible to enjoy the beneficial uses of radiation. H ...

in 1986. During her graduate studies, she worked at the

Savannah River Site The Savannah River Site (SRS), formerly the Savannah River Plant, is a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) reservation in the United States, located in the state of South Carolina on land in Aiken, Allendale and Barnwell counties adjacent to the ...

Career

After graduation, she worked at

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) is a Federally funded research and development centers, federally funded research and development center in Livermore, California, United States. Originally established in 1952, the laboratory now i ...

. She then moved to

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, to join the staff of the

United States House Committee on Energy and Commerce The Committee on Energy and Commerce is one of the oldest standing committee (United States Congress), standing committees of the United States House of Representatives. Established in 1795, it has operated continuously—with various name chang ...

. She then spent six years in the Department of Energy as the director of the Office of Emergency Response and acting director of the Office of Weapons Surety. As director of the Office of Emergency Response, she had authority to activate the

Nuclear Emergency Search Team The Nuclear Emergency Support Team (NEST), formerly known as the Nuclear Emergency Search Team, is a team of scientists, technicians, and engineers operating under the United States Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration ...

, which led ''

The Washington Times ''The Washington Times'' is an American Conservatism, conservative daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It covers general interest topics with an emphasis on Politics of the United States, national politics. Its broadsheet daily edit ...

'' to compare her to a "female James Bond". In July 1998, she became director of the White House Office of Combating Terrorism under the

. She was appointed during the

Clinton administration Bill Clinton's tenure as the 42nd president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 1993, and ended on January 20, 2001. Clinton, a Democrat from Arkansas, took office following his victory over Republican in ...

and remained in the position into the Bush administration. She was closely involved in its response to the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...

, and was present in the White House compound during the attacks. She then served in several positions in the private sector. From 2003 to 2005, she was executive vice president and COO of

United States Enrichment Corporation Centrus Energy Corp. (formerly USEC Inc.) is an American company that supplies nuclear fuel for use in nuclear power plants and works to develop and deploy centrifuge technology to produce enriched uranium for commercial and government uses, incl ...

. She then was president of consulting firm Tier Tech International and president and CEO of consulting firm LEG. She was named to ''Fortune'' magazine's Most Powerful Women in 2004, 2005 and 2006. She also served on the board of experts for the

Federation of American Scientists The Federation of American Scientists (FAS) is an American nonprofit global policy think tank with the stated intent of using science and scientific analysis to attempt to make the world more secure. FAS was founded in 1945 by a group of scient ...

. Gordon-Hagerty was appointed by President

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

and administrator of the

, confirmed by the

U.S. Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...

on February 15, 2018 and was sworn in on February 22, 2018. In September 2019, she was named as one of five finalists for National security advisor after the resignation of

John Bolton John Robert Bolton (born November 20, 1948) is an American attorney, diplomat, Republican Party (United States), Republican consultant, and political commentator. He served as the 25th United States ambassador to the United Nations from 2005 to ...

, although the position ultimately went to

Robert C. O'Brien Robert Charles O'Brien Jr. (born June 18, 1966) is an American attorney who was the twenty-seventh United States national security advisor from 2019 to 2021. He was the fourth and final person to hold the position during the first presidency of ...

. On November 6, 2020, she resigned from her positions, reportedly due to longstanding tensions and disagreements with Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette. In December 2020, it was announced that Gordon-Hagerty would be appointed to the

Defense Policy Board Advisory Committee The Defense Policy Board Advisory Committee, also referred to as the Defense Policy Board (DPBAC or DPB), is a discretionary federal advisory committee to the United States Department of Defense. The objective of the DPB is to "provide independ ...

. Gordon-Hagerty has been appointed to the board of directors of Visible Assets as of March 2021.

Personal life

During a congressional committee hearing, Representative

Curt Weldon Wayne Curtis Weldon (born July 22, 1947) is an American educator and politician. He served as a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from 1987 to 2007, representing the 7th district of Pennsylvania. He was defeated in ...

compared Gordon-Hagerty to a character in the 1997 thriller ''

The Peacemaker Peacemaker or The Peacemaker may refer to: Individuals and groups * UN Peacemaker, a project of the UN to support international peacemakers and mediators * Peace makers, a list of contemporary individuals and organizations involved in peacemak ...

'', a counterterrorism director portrayed by

Nicole Kidman Nicole Mary Kidman (born 20 June 1967) is an Australian and American actress and producer. Known for Nicole Kidman on screen and stage, her work in film and television productions across many genres, she has consistently ranked among the world ...

. She was reportedly underwhelmed by this, quoted as jokingly saying "I have more important things to do than advise Nicole Kidman." In 2007, she married Walter Houston, the founder and CEO of Tier Tech International.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gordon-Hagerty, Lisa Health physicists Living people United States Department of Energy officials University of Michigan School of Public Health alumni 21st-century women physicists American women physicists 21st-century American physicists Year of birth missing (living people) Clinton administration personnel George W. Bush administration personnel First Trump administration personnel 21st-century American women civil servants