While Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced in July that she will resign from her post at the end of this month, she gave her farewell speech at the National Press Club touting her successes and each event as a learning experience, the Associated Press reported.
Napolitano was at at the helm when an Al Qaeda operative attempted to blow up a commercial jetliner over Detroit on Christmas in 2009, as well as the terrorist attack at Fort Hood military base.
She has also initiated important changes to U.S. immigration policies. She oversaw the government's responses to natural disasters, including the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and Hurricane Sandy.
"Each of these challenges tested us in new ways," she said. "They presented new opportunities for us to learn, grow, and get better at what we do . as a department and a nation. And they allowed us to build on the knowledge gained from past events and refine our approach as the threats changed and our own understanding increased."
Napolitano told reporters that she remained disappointed that legislation involving immigration reform, including the DREAM Act, has not passed. The DREAM Act would provide a path toward legal status for many young immigrants living in the U.S. illegally.
Napolitano had also espoused the creation of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, halting deportations for many young immigrants.
Other setbacks have defined her tenure as Homeland Security Secretary, the first woman to serve in the position. She said the "system worked" after the near Christmas bombing.
In March 2009, Napolitano caused her critics great consternation when she told the German news site "Spiegel Online" she referred to the 'war on terror' rather "'man-caused' disasters. That is perhaps only a nuance, but it demonstrates that we want to move away from the politics of fear toward a policy of being prepared for all risks that can occur."
Forbes Magazine ranked her as the world's ninth most powerful woman in 2012.
When she leaves her post at the end of the month, she intends to assume the presidency of the University of California system.
