Janet Napolitano Quits Homeland Security

Janet Napolitano today announced that she will be resigning her Cabinet post with the Obama administration to become the president of the California state university system.

Napolitano’s nomination by a committee of UC regents came after a secretive process that insiders said focused on her early as a high-profile, although untraditional, candidate who has led large public agencies and shown a strong interest in improving education. UC officials believe that her Cabinet experiences –- which include helping to lead responses to hurricanes and tornadoes and overseeing some anti-terrorism measures -- will help UC administer its federal energy and nuclear weapons labs and aid its federally funded research in medicine and other areas.

Napolitano will become the first woman to head the University of California's ten-school system since its founding 145 years ago.