Leon Edward Panetta is an American retired politician and government official with a long career in public service. He represented California as a U.S. representative from 1977 to 1993, serving in Congress for sixteen years. Panetta held several significant positions in Democratic administrations. He served as director of the Office of Management and Budget from 1993 to 1994, followed by his role as White House Chief of Staff from 1994 to 1997. He later served as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency from 2009 to 2011, and as Secretary of Defense from 2011 to 2013.