The Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration is responsible for a workforce of approximately 60,000 employees charged with protecting U.S. transportation system and the traveling public. The Administrator assesses intelligence and threats related to transportation security.

Peter Neffenger was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the Transportation Security Administration’s sixth administrator in June 2015. He leads a workforce of nearly 60,000 employees, security operations at approximately 440 airports throughout the United States, the Federal Air Marshal Service, and shared security for highways, railroads, ports, mass transit systems and pipelines.

Under his leadership, TSA will continue to evolve as a risk-based, intelligence-driven counterterrorism agency dedicated to protecting the U.S. transportation systems.

Before joining TSA, Neffenger served as the 29th Vice Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, a position he held since May 2014. Prior to this post, Neffenger served as the Coast Guard’s Deputy Commandant for Operations, where he directed strategy, policy, resources and doctrine for the employment of Coast Guard forces globally. He is a recognized expert in crisis management, port security and oversight of the commercial maritime industry. He most notably served as the Deputy National Incident Commander for the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the largest and most complex in U.S. history. Other flag officer assignments included Director of Coast Guard Strategic Management and Doctrine, and Commander of the Ninth Coast Guard District in charge of Coast Guard operations throughout the Great Lakes and Saint Lawrence Seaway region.

Neffenger also served as the Commander of the Coast Guard sector in Los Angeles and Long Beach, California.

He was commissioned in 1982 through the Coast Guard Officer Candidate School. He holds a Master of Public Administration from Harvard University, a Master of Arts in National Security and Strategic Studies from the U.S. Naval War College, and a Master of Arts in Business Management from Central Michigan University. He earned his Bachelor of Arts from Baldwin Wallace University. He is a member of the Pacific Council on International Policy and a former fellow on the Senate Appropriations Committee.