Since September 2010, Chani W. Wiggins has represented clients with interests in telecommunications, homeland security, energy and health policies. She currently serves as a strategic advisor for the Government & Technology Services Coalition (GTSC), an organization of small and mid-sized company CEOs, that develops and implements solutions for the federal homeland and national security sector.

Before her move to the private sector, Chani served as the former Assistant Secretary for Legislative Affairs at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.  She led the development and implementation of DHS’s legislative strategy with Congress on cybersecurity, aviation and border security, and disaster response and recovery.  Chani was also instrumental in coordinating crisis communications with Congress on the Christmas Day attempted airplane bombing in 2009 and the Gulf Oil Spill in 2010.

During her career on Capitol Hill, Chani served as Senator Claire McCaskill’s (D-MO) Legislative Director, former Senator Mark Dayton’s (D-MN) Deputy Chief of Staff, and former Congressman Bart Stupak’s (D-MI) Legislative and Communications Director.  She was also a senior aide to Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) on judiciary and workplace policies. Chani was also known for her work in building relationships on both sides of the political aisle, including her co-founding the Bipartisan Legislative Directors Group in 2007 to find common ground among the Senate’s 100 Legislative Directors.

Chani earned a B.S. in Journalism from the University of Florida and covered local government for newspapers in Georgia and Florida in her early career.