Sarah Saldaña has a long history of government service. From 2014 to 2017, Sarah served as the director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Sarah was the first Latina to lead ICE. In her time as director, ICE saw an 11% increase in global employee satisfaction.

Before working at ICE, Sarah served as a federal prosecutor. She served as an assistant U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas from 2004 to 2011, before being promoted to U.S. Attorney. She served as U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas from 2011 to 2014. In 2011, the Hispanic National Bar Association named her Latina Attorney of the Year.

Prior to her governmental service, Sarah was in private practice with Haynes and Boone, LLP and Baker Botts in Dallas. She earned her undergraduate degree, summa cum laude, from Texas A&I University, and her J.D. from Southern Methodist University. Before going to law school, Sarah worked for several federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Labor, Housing, and Urban Development, and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

Over the span of her career, Sarah has received numerous awards. Some of her more recent ones include being named SMU’s Distinguished Hispanic Alumna in 2015 and “Trailblazer of the Year” by the Hispanic Women’s Network of Texas in 2014.