A graduate of Princeton University and the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia, Karen Hayes serves as Head of the Department of Homeland Security based out of Los Angeles. She eventually crosses paths with the Counter Terror Unit and its agents, including Jack Bauer and Bill Buchanan, with whom she becomes romantically linked. She rose through the ranks of the FBI based on her smarts and her skills to lead counterterrorism efforts. She is a source of trusted guidance by very powerful political figures.