Terry Gainer

Mr. Terrance W. Gainer began his law enforcement career as a police officer in the Chicago Police Department and rose through the ranks, spending many years as an experienced homicide detective. An accomplished attorney, Mr. Gainer served as Chief Legal Officer of that department before he entered the Illinois State Government as Deputy Inspector General and Deputy Director of the Illinois State Police. He served at the U.S. Department of Transportation as Special Assistant to the Secretary before being appointed Director of the Illinois State Police.

In 1998, Mr. Gainer moved to Washington, DC, where he first served as Executive Assistant Chief of Police for the Metropolitan Police Department and four years later was selected to be the Chief of the U.S. Capitol Police. He then entered the private sector as a chief executive officer responsible for a multimillion-dollar innovative law enforcement program supporting military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

From January 2007 to May 2014, Mr. Gainer served as the 38th United States Senate Sergeant at Arms. While serving as Sergeant at Arms, Mr. Gainer was appointed a commissioner on the Independent Commission on the Security Forces of Iraq, charged with conducting an independent assessment of the Iraqi Security Forces and reporting the findings to Congress. He also served with the Special Envoy for Middle East Regional Security, which was created to advance the resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian dispute by assisting in strengthening security institutions.

Mr. Gainer is a decorated veteran who served in Vietnam and retired as a captain in the United States Navy Reserve. He has a juris doctor and a master of science in management from DePaul University, as well as a bachelor of arts in sociology from Benedictine College.