I. Lanier Avant has more than eight years of public policy experience, with a focus in homeland security, agriculture and trade. Before his appointment as Staff Director of the Committee on Homeland Security by Chairman Bennie G. Thompson, Avant served as Deputy Staff Director for the Committee while continuing his role as Representative Thompson’s Chief of Staff. He has also served as Rep. Thompson’s Legislative Director and Communications Director. During his tenure at the Committee, Avant has worked to enhance the oversight activities of the Committee by focusing the Committee’s resources on each directorate and component office of the Department of Homeland Security. During the 110th Congress, he managed a robust agenda that included more than 130 congressional hearings that exposed important Departmental deficiencies. Avant has also worked to improve the legislative efficiency of the Committee by streamlining its priorities and reinforcing areas of critical need for its legislative operation. He has also strengthened the Committee’s relationships with the leadership of the House, the Department, private industry, the labor community, the academic community and a range of other advocacy groups.

As Chief of Staff to Rep. Thompson, Avant develops action plans to implement the Thompson’s legislative and political objectives. During Avant’s years of service to Rep. Thompson, he has provided the constituents of Mississippi’s Second Congressional District with a strong and active Washington, D.C. office upon which they have come to rely. Avant is a lifetime member of the Jackson State University National Alumni Association. He serves on the North Panola Community Resource Development Corporation’s Board of Directors and is a lifetime member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

Raised in Crenshaw, Mississippi, Avant received a Juris Doctorate degree from Howard University School of Law in 2007. His undergraduate degree in economics is from Jackson State University. Avant is married to Kandis Gibson Avant, and they reside in Alexandria, Virginia. He enjoys playing the bass guitar, alto saxophone and biking.