2017 Federal Identity Forum & Homeland Security

Kevin Kerns
Associate Director (Acting), Management Directorate, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
Department of Homeland Security


Kevin Kerns became the acting associate director of the Management Directorate on Jan. 20, 2017. He previously served as Management’s deputy associate director, a position he was appointed to in December 2014. In that role, he led offices and teams as they improved quality, timeliness and innovation to provide management support functions to USCIS customers. Before that appointment, Kerns was the director of DHS Immigration and Custom Enforcement’s Office of Budget and Program Performance, where he oversaw management of their $6 billion budget. In that role, he funded the surge of Homeland Security Investigations countermeasures, enforcement and removal operations for unaccompanied minors and families at the Southwest border. Kerns began working with USCIS in 2008 as the first chief of staff for the Atlanta District. He also served as the acting director of the Atlanta Field Office, as well as acting chief of staff for the Investor Program Office. Kerns is also a graduate of the DHS Senior Executive Service Candidate Development Program. He began his career in public service in the U.S. Army. He served 30 years as both an armor officer and a comptroller; working in Kentucky, Colorado, Germany, Canada, Washington, D.C., and Missouri. He finished his career with the Army in Georgia where he was the deputy chief financial officer of U.S. Army Forces Command, a $22 billion command responsible for funding conventional Army ground forces in the United States, Iraq and Afghanistan.

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