Nancy Erickson is the current Secretary of the United States Senate. She began her term as Secretary on January 4, 2007 in the 110th Congress. Erickson was appointed by Democratic and Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada. Prior to serving as Secretary of the Senate, Erickson served as the Democratic Representative to the Sergeant at Arms. She also served as the deputy chief of staff to former Senate majority leader Tom Daschle, (D) South Dakota. Erickson has a B.A. from Augustana College, and a M.A. from American University.
On January 6, 2009, Erickson rejected Roland Burris's request to be seated as the junior U.S. Senator from Illinois. She stated that his credentials were incomplete because they were not signed by the Illinois Secretary of State, Jesse White. White refused to sign because the appointment was made by Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, who has been charged in the Rod Blagojevich corruption scandal with seeking to personally gain from the appointment.[1]