Avril Danica Haines (born August 29, 1969) is an American lawyer and former government official who served as the White House Deputy National Security Advisor, serving in Barack Obama's administration.
She previously served as Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, the first woman to hold this position.
Prior to her appointment to the CIA, she served as Deputy Counsel to the President for National Security Affairs in the Office of White House Counsel.
Her term as CIA Deputy Director coincided with the global surveillance disclosures, the CIA hacking into the computers of U.S.
Senate employees, and the release of the U.S.
Senate Intelligence Committee report on CIA torture.
On December 18, 2014, President Obama announced that he would appoint Haines to replace Tony Blinken as White House Deputy National Security Advisor.