Michele Leonhart | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 10th Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration | |
| In office December 22, 2010 – May 14, 2015 Acting: November 10, 2007 – December 22, 2010 | |
| President | George W. Bush Barack Obama |
| Preceded by | Karen Tandy |
| Succeeded by | Anne Milgram (2021) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | February 27, 1956 |
| Alma mater | Bemidji State University (BCJ) |
Michele Marie Leonhart (born February 27, 1956) is an American career law enforcement officer who served as Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) from 2010 to 2015, as well as in an acting capacity from 2007 to 2010. After the resignation of Administrator Karen P. Tandy in the fall of 2007, Leonhart also served as Acting Administrator of the DEA. On February 2, 2010, President Barack Obama nominated Leonhart for the position of DEA Administrator.[1]
Leonhart's tenure as DEA Administrator was marked with controversy and scandals including a prostitution scandal; by the end of her service in April 2015, a bipartisan group of lawmakers declared that they had no confidence in her leadership. On April 21, she conveyed to Attorney General Eric Holder that she intended to resign the following month.[2]
- ^ "Presidential Nomination Sent to the Senate, 2/2/10". The White House, Office of the Press Secretary. February 2, 2010. Retrieved February 11, 2010.
- ^ Davis, Julie Hirschfeld (April 21, 2015). "Michele Leonhart, Head of D.E.A., to Retire Over Handling of Sex Scandal". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 11, 2016.