Updated: August 12, 2010

The third Secretary of Homeland Security is the former governor of Arizona who grew up in New York, Pennsylvania, and New Mexico. In high school, she was voted most likely to succeed.

An attorney, she represented Anita Hill during the controversial confirmation hearings for Clarence Thomas as a Supreme Court justice and she made her foray into politics soon after Bill Clinton appointed her United States Attorney in Arizona.

A breast cancer survivor, Napolitano spoke at the 2000 Democratic convention just days after surgery. Like many in the Obama administration, she is an avid basketball fan and regularly plays tennis and other sports.