Kristen de Tineo
Kristen E. de Tineo was appointed the Deputy Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) in May 2026, where she serves as the agency’s second highest-ranking official.
Prior to her appointment, Ms. de Tineo served as the Assistant
Director, Office of Professional Responsibility and Security Operations (OPRSO) and Chief Security Officer for ATF. In this role, she oversaw nationwide complex internal affairs and use-of-force investigations and served as the liaison with senior officials from the Office of the Inspector General and the Government Accountability Office to ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations. As Chief Security Officer, she directed all agency security operations, including executive protection, counter-insider threat initiatives, and emergency management operations supporting more than 5,000 personnel across 25 field divisions, approximately 471 field and satellite offices, two laboratories, two research facilities, and six international offices.
Ms. de Tineo also served as the Assistant Director, Office of Field Operations, where she led ATF’s criminal enforcement and regulatory operations nationwide. She provided executive oversight of ATF’s 25 field divisions and more than 4,200 Special Agents, Industry Operations Investigators, and support personnel. In addition, she oversaw several ATF Headquarters programs including the Special Operations Division, the Firearms Operations Division and the National Center for Explosives Training and Research. Ms. de Tineo also administered the government’s Emergency Support Function-13 for Public Safety and Security in support of Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) response operations.
Previously, Ms. de Tineo served as the Special Agent in Charge of the Chicago Field Division, overseeing operations throughout the Eastern District of Wisconsin, the Northern and Central Districts of Illinois and the Northern District of Indiana. In 2022, she was appointed to the International Association of Chiefs of Police Firearms Committee.
Ms. de Tineo began her ATF career as a Special Agent in the Washington Field Division, and later served in the Los Angeles Field Division, where she concurrently served on the ATF Special Response Team as a Tactical Medic for 11 years. In 2013, she was promoted to Program Manager at ATF Headquarters and served in several other Headquarters assignments before returning to the field in 2015 as the Resident Agent in Charge of the Baltimore Field Division’s Hyattsville II Field Office. In 2018, she was promoted to the Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Field Division.
Prior to joining ATF, Ms. de Tineo served as a Nurse Corps Officer in the United States Navy. She earned a Master of Professional Studies in Homeland Security from George Washington University, a graduate certificate in Leadership and Management from the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School, and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Marquette University.
