Peter Neffenger was a distinguished fellow with the Atlantic Council’s Adrienne Arsht Center for Resilience. He was appointed in 2015 by President Obama to head the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), a position he held until January 2017. Prior to this he enjoyed a distinguished and high profile career in the US Coast Guard, most recently serving as the twenty-ninth vice commandant, and as the deputy national incident commander during the 2010 Deepwater Horizon BP oil spill. When Peter accepted the President’s request to take the helm of the troubled and embattled TSA, the agency’s challenges were substantial and numerous. Peter’s subsequent ground-up transformation of the entire organization earned the TSA widespread recognition as the turnaround agency of the year.

He holds a master’s in public administration from Harvard University, an MA in national security and strategic studies from the United States Naval War College, an MA in business management from Central Michigan University, and a BA in English from Baldwin Wallace University, from where he recently received an honorary doctorate (Doctor of Public Service). Peter is also a two-time recipient of the Department of Homeland Security’s Distinguished Service Medal.