Leon Panetta

Leon Panetta
Official portrait, 2011
23rd United States Secretary of Defense
In office July 1, 2011 – February 26, 2013
President	Barack Obama
Deputy	William J. Lynn III Ash Carter
Preceded by	Robert Gates
Succeeded by	Chuck Hagel
3rd Director of the Central Intelligence Agency
In office February 13, 2009 – June 30, 2011
President	Barack Obama
Deputy	Stephen Kappes Michael Morell
Preceded by	Michael Hayden
Succeeded by	David Petraeus
18th White House Chief of Staff
In office July 17, 1994 – January 20, 1997
President	Bill Clinton
Preceded by	Mack McLarty
Succeeded by	Erskine Bowles
29th Director of the Office of Management and Budget
In office January 21, 1993 – July 17, 1994
President	Bill Clinton
Preceded by	Richard Darman
Succeeded by	Alice Rivlin
Chair of the House Budget Committee
In office January 3, 1989 – January 21, 1993
Preceded by	William H. Gray
Succeeded by	Martin Olav Sabo
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California
In office January 3, 1977 – January 21, 1993
Preceded by	Burt Talcott
Succeeded by	Sam Farr
Constituency	16th district (1977–1993) 17th district (1993)
Personal details
Born	Leon Edward Panetta (1938-06-28) June 28, 1938 (age 86) Monterey, California, U.S.
Political party	Democratic (1971–present)
Other political affiliations	Republican (before 1971)
Spouse	Sylvia Varni
Children	3, including Jimmy
Education	Santa Clara University (BA, JD)
Signature
Military service
Branch/service	United States Army
Years of service	1964–1966
Rank	First Lieutenant
Awards	Army Commendation Medal
Leon Panetta's voice Leon Panetta testifies on collaboration between the Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs Recorded July 25, 2012

Leon Edward Panetta (born June 28, 1938)^[1] is an American retired politician and government official who has served under several Democratic administrations as secretary of defense (2011–2013), director of the CIA (2009–2011), White House chief of staff (1994–1997), director of the Office of Management and Budget (1993–1994), as well as a U.S. representative from California (1977–1993).

Panetta was a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1977 to 1993. He served under President Bill Clinton as director of the Office of Management and Budget from 1993 to 1994 and as White House chief of staff from 1994 to 1997. He cofounded the Panetta Institute for Public Policy in 1997 and served as a distinguished scholar to chancellor Charles B. Reed of the California State University System and as a professor of public policy at Santa Clara University.

In January 2009, newly elected president Barack Obama nominated Panetta to be director of the Central Intelligence Agency.^[2][3] Panetta was confirmed by the Senate in February 2009. As director of the CIA, Panetta oversaw the operation that killed Osama bin Laden. On April 28, 2011, Obama announced the nomination of Panetta as defense secretary to replace the retiring Robert Gates. In June, the Senate confirmed Panetta unanimously and he assumed the office on July 1, 2011.^[4][5] David Petraeus became CIA director on September 6, 2011.^[6]

Since retiring as secretary of defense in 2013, Panetta has served as chairman of the Panetta Institute for Public Policy, located at California State University, Monterey Bay, a campus of the California State University that he helped establish during his tenure as congressman.^[7] The institute is dedicated to motivating and preparing people for lives of public service and helping them to become more knowledgeably engaged in the democratic process. He also serves on a number of boards and commissions and frequently writes and lectures on public-policy issues.

Secretary Panetta's son, Jimmy Panetta, has held the elder Panetta's former seat in the US House of Representatives since 2017.