Rick Eaton was appointed the Director of Homeland Security for Nevada by Governor Jim Gibbons on August 6th, 2007.

Nevada’s Department of Homeland Security coordinates the activities of all state agencies in matters of homeland security. The department also coordinates the flow of intelligence information from the federal Department of Homeland Security and law enforcement agencies throughout Nevada.

Rick retired from his federal service as Assistant Special Agent in Charge for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) of the federal Department of Homeland Security to accept his appointment in Nevada. His last federal jurisdiction, based in Sacramento, included 50 counties in eastern California and northern Nevada.

In his more than 29 years of service in the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service and Immigration Customs Enforcement within the Department of Homeland Security, Rick managed an enforcement portfolio in both domestic and international Investigations targeting human trafficking, drug smuggling, money laundering, illegal commerce of unauthorized or counterfeit goods, detection of fraudulent documents, exploitation of foreign workers, detection of suspected terrorists and the removal of foreign-born criminal aliens from the United States.

Rick served as Special Agent in Charge of Investigations in Reno from 1994 until 2000. During this time, he and staff engaged in a number of community-based initiatives which led to the arrest of more than four-hundred dangerous criminal alien gang members and 40 of the most sought-after felons in northern Nevada. These initiatives, executed in partnership with local and state agencies, won Rick’s agents the U.S. Attorney General’s Just Works Award and a Presidential Hammer Award.

Rick enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps at age 17 and served as an S-2/Force Recon scout stateside as well as in Okinawa, Japan, and Viet Nam. He later served as an investigator in the Coast Guard Reserve. After duty as a state correctional officer and Police Officer in Honolulu, Rick joined the U.S. Border Patrol in 1978 and left Honolulu for Yuma, Arizona. Rick worked in most INS programs, including inspections, examinations and investigations. Of particular note, while the Agent In charge of Investigations in Southern Arizona (1988-1994), Rick managed an INS-led Organized Crime Drug Task Force (OCDETF) entitled Yellowbird. This four-year investigation resulted in the dismantling of an international narcotics trafficking group operating bi-costal within the U.S.

Professional recognition includes two United States Senate commendations (by Senators Reid and Bryan of Nevada) for outstanding leadership and contributions to the community. In addition, Rick became the first INS officer to receive a national award from the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives for outstanding accomplishments in criminal justice. Rick was also awarded the INS Commissioner’s Award for quality and productivity improvements.

Rick Eaton has a long standing record of community service, particularly in his volunteer work for the Boy Scouts of America. In Reno in 1994, he established the first Boy Scout troop ever chartered to the INS. He became the first Nevadan to win the Spirit of Scouting Award, and was later named one of the 60 Outstanding Scoutmasters in the United States. Rick previously served on Northern Nevada, and Bay Area Council Executive Boards.

Rick received his bachelor’s degree from Chaminade University of Honolulu, with a major in psychology and minors in both business and criminal justice in 1984. He is also a Senior Executive Fellow of Harvard University, Boston.