Brian L. Stafford was the 20th Director of the United States Secret Service

United States Secret Service

The United States Secret Service is a United States federal law enforcement agency that is part of the United States Department of Homeland Security. The sworn members are divided among the Special Agents and the Uniformed Division. Until March 1, 2003, the Service was part of the United States...

. Preceded by Lewis C. Merletti

Lewis C. Merletti

Lewis C. Merletti was the 19th Director of the United States Secret Service. He succeeded Eljay B. Bowron, and was sworn in on June 6, 1997, by the Secretary of the Treasury Robert Rubin...

, he was sworn in on March 4, 1999 by the then Secretary of the Treasury, Robert E. Rubin. He was succeeded by W. Ralph Basham

W. Ralph Basham

William Ralph Basham, Jr. is the former Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection. He had held the role until February 28, 2009. He previously served as the 21st director of the United States Secret Service on January 27, 2003...

.

Education

Stafford was born in Sharpsville, Pennsylvania

Sharpsville, Pennsylvania

Sharpsville is a borough in Mercer County, Pennsylvania, along the Shenango River. The population was 4,500 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Youngstown–Warren–Boardman, OH-PA Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...

 in 1948.
He attended Mount Union College

Mount Union College

The University of Mount Union is a 4-year private, coeducational, liberal arts college in Alliance, Ohio.Mount Union enrolls 2200 undergraduates. Approximately 50 percent are women and 50 percent are men, representing more than 22 states and 13 countries. Mount Union has an active alumni base of...

, in Alliance, Ohio

Alliance, Ohio

Alliance is a city in Stark and Mahoning counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. The population was 22,322 at the 2010 census. Alliance's nickname is "The Carnation City", and the city is home to the University of Mount Union....

, where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration, and an honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters. Prior to his induction into the Secret Service, Stafford served in the United States Army. He completed a one-year tour of duty in Vietnam

Vietnam

Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...

, where he earned the Bronze Star. He has been bestowed with numerous other awards including the Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm, Vietnam Campaign Medal

Vietnam Campaign Medal

The Vietnam Campaign Medal is a military recognition awarded by the Republic of Vietnam, , to any member of the United States, Australian, New Zealand and allied military forces serving six months or more in support of Republic of Vietnam military operations.Established in 1966, the decoration is...

, Vietnam Service Medal

Vietnam Service Medal

The Vietnam Service Medal is a military award which was created in 1965 by order of President Lyndon B. Johnson. The distinctive design was the creation of sculptor Thomas Hudson Jones, a former employee of the Army Institute of Heraldry. The medal is issued to recognize military service during...

, Army Commendation Medal, National Defense Service Medal

National Defense Service Medal

The National Defense Service Medal is a military service medal of the United States military originally commissioned by President Dwight D. Eisenhower...

, 1999 Presidential Rank Award, and the Adam Walsh Rainbow Award.

Career

Stafford joined the Secret Service in 1971. His first occupation in the Secret Service was a special agent assigned to the Cleveland Field Office. He was later employed in various other positions such as the Assistant Director of the Office of Protective Operations and the Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Office of Protective Operations. Stafford protected Presidents Richard Nixon

Richard Nixon

Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...

, Gerald Ford

Gerald Ford

Gerald Rudolph "Jerry" Ford, Jr. was the 38th President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977, and the 40th Vice President of the United States serving from 1973 to 1974...

, Jimmy Carter

Jimmy Carter

James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...

, Ronald Reagan

Ronald Reagan

Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....

, George H. W. Bush

George H. W. Bush

George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...

 and Bill Clinton

Bill Clinton

William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...

. He was also responsible for supervising several National Special Security Events including the 2002 Winter Olympics

2002 Winter Olympics

The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event that was celebrated in February 2002 in and around Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Approximately 2,400 athletes from 77 nations participated in 78 events in fifteen disciplines, held throughout...

 and the Super Bowl XXXVI

Super Bowl XXXVI

Super Bowl XXXVI was an American football game played on February 3, 2002 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana to decide the National Football League champion following the 2001 regular season. The American Football Conference champion New England Patriots won their first Super...

. He retired in January 2003, after serving more than 30 years for the Secret Service.

Stafford currently serves as a Director of McKinley Capital Management, and Vice Chairman of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children

National Center for Missing and Exploited Children

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children is a private, non-profit organization established in 1984 by the United States Congress.-Establishment and overview:...

.