Ronald L. Rowe Jr.
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Ronald L. Rowe Jr. (born November 11, 1971) is an American
law enforcement officer A law enforcement officer (LEO), or police officer or peace officer in North American English, is a public-sector or private-sector employee whose duties primarily involve the enforcement of laws, protecting life & property, keeping the peace, ...
who served as deputy
director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...
of the
United States Secret Service The United States Secret Service (USSS or Secret Service) is a federal law enforcement agency under the Department of Homeland Security tasked with conducting criminal investigations and providing protection to American political leaders, thei ...
from 2023 to 2025 and as the agency's acting director from mid 2024 to early 2025. Rowe was appointed to the position after former Secret Service Director
Kimberly Cheatle Kimberly A. Cheatle (born ) is an American law enforcement officer who served as the 27th director of the United States Secret Service from 2022 until 2024. After serving in the Secret Service from 1995 to 2019, she worked as senior director of g ...
resigned in 2024, amidst intense criticism of the Secret Service following the
attempted assassination of Donald Trump in Pennsylvania On July 13, 2024, Donald Trump, then a former president of the United States and presumptive nominee of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party in the 2024 United States presidential election, 2024 presidential election, surv ...
.


Early life and education

Rowe graduated in 1994 with a
Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...
(BA) in
Criminology and Criminal Justice ''Criminology & Criminal Justice'' is a peer-reviewed academic journal covering the field of criminology. The journal's editors-in-chief are Michele Burman, Laura Piacentini and Sarah Armstrong. It was established in 2001 and is published by SAGE ...
from the
University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the Univ ...
in College Park. In 2007, he obtained a
Master of Science A Master of Science (; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree. In contrast to the Master of Arts degree, the Master of Science degree is typically granted for studies in sciences, engineering and medici ...
(MSc) in Administration from
Lynn University Lynn University is a private university in Boca Raton, Florida, United States. Founded in 1962, the university awards Associate degree, associate, Bachelor's degree, baccalaureate, Master's degree, master's, and Doctorate, doctoral Academic degr ...
in
Boca Raton, Florida Boca Raton ( ; ) is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The population was 97,422 in the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and it ranked as the 23rd-largest city in Florida in 2022. Many people with a Boca Raton Address, ...
. He completed the Executive Leaders Program in Homeland Defense and
Security Security is protection from, or resilience against, potential harm (or other unwanted coercion). Beneficiaries (technically referents) of security may be persons and social groups, objects and institutions, ecosystems, or any other entity or ...
in 2019, at the
Naval Postgraduate School Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) is a Naval command with a graduate university mission, operated by the United States Navy and located in Monterey, California. The NPS mission is to provide "defense-focused graduate education, including clas ...
in
Monterey, California Monterey ( ; ) is a city situated on the southern edge of Monterey Bay, on the Central Coast (California), Central Coast of California. Located in Monterey County, California, Monterey County, the city occupies a land area of and recorded a popu ...
.


Career

In 1995, Rowe joined the West Palm Beach Police Department and worked there as a patrol officer for four years, rising to the rank of
Sergeant Sergeant (Sgt) is a Military rank, rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and in other units that draw their heritage f ...
. In 1999, Rowe began working for the Secret Service. As a National Security and Law Enforcement Policy Advisor in 2011, he supported 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 ...
in formulating the
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...
's counterstrategies against state-sponsored
economic espionage Industrial espionage, also known as economic espionage, corporate spying, or corporate espionage, is a form of espionage conducted for commercial purposes instead of purely national security. While political espionage is conducted or orchestrate ...
and the theft of intellectual property, including
trade secret A trade secret is a form of intellectual property (IP) comprising confidential information that is not generally known or readily ascertainable, derives economic value from its secrecy, and is protected by reasonable efforts to maintain its conf ...
s, from the United States. In addition, he was honored for his appointment to the Presidential Protective Detail, which he served in from 2004 to 2008 while stationed in
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
as part of the Secret Service's
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 ...
response. He was later a staff member of the
United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary The United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary, informally known as the Senate Judiciary Committee, is a Standing committee (United States Congress), standing committee of 22 U.S. senators whose role is to oversee the United States Departm ...
from 2008 to 2011. In addition to coordinating significant security operations, Rowe has worked with numerous governmental and law enforcement organizations over his tenure with the U.S. Secret Service. Throughout federal, state, and local governments, he coordinated the activities of nearly 7,000 personnel during a National Special Security Event (NSSE) in 2016. Regarding
cybersecurity Computer security (also cybersecurity, digital security, or information technology (IT) security) is a subdiscipline within the field of information security. It consists of the protection of computer software, systems and networks from thr ...
, Rowe led the creation of several analytical products while serving as a joint duty assignment to the
National Intelligence Council The National Intelligence Council (NIC), established in 1979 and reporting to the Director of National Intelligence, bridges the United States Intelligence Community (IC) with policy makers in the United States. The NIC produces the "Global Trend ...
in 2013. Later, the U.S. Intelligence Community regarded their products as some of the most authoritative assessments of the difficulties and risks to national security that the country faced. Rowe held executive positions as the director's
chief of staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supportin ...
in 2021, the Office of Protective Operations' deputy assistant director from 2018 to 2021, and the Office of Intergovernmental and Legislative Affairs' deputy assistant director from 2017 to 2018. Subsequently, he worked for the agency as the Office of Intergovernmental and Legislative Affairs Assistant Director. He was in charge of overseeing the Secret Service's interactions with the
Homeland Security Department The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the U.S. United States federal executive departments, federal executive department responsible for public security, roughly comparable to the Interior minister, interior, Home Secretary ...
,
Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...
, and other governmental entities. In April 2023, he was appointed the Secret Service's Deputy Director. In this capacity, Rowe was in charge of directly supervising the agency's everyday protection and investigative activities. In addition to overseeing the agency's policy, he brought newer technologies to strengthen its defensive countermeasures. Secret Service Director
Kimberly Cheatle Kimberly A. Cheatle (born ) is an American law enforcement officer who served as the 27th director of the United States Secret Service from 2022 until 2024. After serving in the Secret Service from 1995 to 2019, she worked as senior director of g ...
, who was in
Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...
, on July 13, 2024, during the attempted assassination of Donald Trump in
Butler, Pennsylvania Butler is a city in Butler County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is north of Pittsburgh and part of the Greater Pittsburgh region. As of the 2020 census, the population was 13,502. Butler is named after Major General ...
, was criticized and deemed the agency's performance as "unacceptable," but she declined to step down. On July 17, Rowe gave a briefing to lawmakers regarding the progress of the investigation into the incident and the shortcomings of the Secret Service. In a
Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...
interview, he stood up for the director amid increasing calls for her dismissal, stating, "When you're in the midst of a crisis, it takes toughness. It takes intelligence. And it takes also a little bit of strategy." He went on to say: "And she is demonstrating all of those traits at this time." On July 23, 2024, Cheatle announced her resignation in the face of mounting criticism for security failings and calls for her resignation from
Republicans Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
as well as Democrats.


Acting director of the United States Secret Service

On July 23, 2024, Alejandro N. Mayorkas, the
Secretary of Homeland Security The United States secretary of homeland security is the head of the United States Department of Homeland Security, the federal department tasked with ensuring public safety in the United States. The secretary is a member of the Cabinet of the U ...
, who oversees the Secret Service, named Rowe as the agency's interim head. In a staff letter obtained by the
Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...
, Rowe stated, "At this moment in time, we must remain focused." "We will rebuild the American public's trust and confidence, as well as the trust placed in us to protect them," he continued. In testimony before the U.S. Congress in September 2024, Rowe described the attempted assassination of Trump in Pennsylvania as a "failure on multiple levels". After another suspected assassination attempt against Trump took place in Florida, Rowe praised a secret service agent for defending Trump, while acknowledging that the Secret Service failed to sweep the golf course where the attempt took place. Following the two assassination attempts against Trump, Rowe ordered a "
paradigm shift A paradigm shift is a fundamental change in the basic concepts and experimental practices of a scientific discipline. It is a concept in the philosophy of science that was introduced and brought into the common lexicon by the American physicist a ...
" for the Secret Service's protective duties, stating that the agency needed to move from a "reactive model" to a "readiness model." In December 2024, Rowe testified before Congress, taking responsibility for the agency’s failures and outlining corrective measures. He announced initiatives including enhanced technical assets, expanded staffing, improved retention efforts, and a new "chief wellness officer" to support
mental health Mental health is often mistakenly equated with the absence of mental illness. However, mental health refers to a person's overall emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It influences how individuals think, feel, and behave, and how t ...
. These reforms aimed to address gaps in intelligence, communication, and protective protocols. The hearing, driven by a bipartisan investigation, included tense exchanges. U.S. representative Pat Fallon criticized Rowe for not deploying additional protective units and for his absence from the rally site after the attack. Rowe refused to answer questions, emphasizing ongoing improvements and rejecting claims of politicizing his role. Rowe has prioritized preparing the Secret Service for future challenges, including the
2028 United States presidential election Presidential elections are scheduled to be held in the United States on November 7, 2028, to elect the president and vice president A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or busi ...
, with plans to hire nearly 1,000 new
special agents In the United States, a special agent is an official title used to refer to certain detective, investigators or detectives of federal, military, tribal, or state agencies who primarily serve in criminal investigation, criminal investigatory posi ...
by 2025. His leadership also focused on cultural reform,
leadership development Leadership development is the process which helps expand the capacity of individuals to perform in leadership roles within organizations. Leadership roles are those that facilitate execution of an organization's strategy through building alignmen ...
, and collaboration with partners like
DARPA The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is a research and development agency of the United States Department of Defense responsible for the development of emerging technologies for use by the military. Originally known as the Adva ...
to incorporate advanced technologies, such as autonomous security systems at high-profile sites.


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rowe, Ronald L. Jr. Living people United States Secret Service agents Directors of the United States Secret Service Biden administration personnel Year of birth uncertain Naval Postgraduate School alumni Lynn University alumni University of Maryland, College Park alumni People from West Palm Beach, Florida American police officers 21st-century American people Law enforcement officials from Florida