President Trump nominated David P. Pekoske, the former vice commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, to be the next administrator of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
“David has extensive experience in strategy development, operational leadership, crisis management, risk assessment, financial management, and team building,” Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly said in statement announcing Pekoske’s nomination.
“Mr. Pekoske has extensive operational and command experience through a distinguished career with the U. S. Coast Guard, where he retired as the vice commandant,” according to the White House. “In this key leadership position within the Department of Homeland Security he was the Coast Guard’s second-in-command and chief operating officer.”
From 2008 to 2009, he was commander of the Coast Guard’s Pacific Area and Coast Guard Defense Forces West, where he was responsible for all Coast Guard operations in the Pacific, Arctic, and Antarctic Oceans, Kelly’s statement said. He also served as assistant commandant for operations at Coast Guard Headquarters and commander of the First Coast Guard District.
Pekoske graduated from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy with a Bachelor of Science degree in ocean engineering. He also holds a MBA from the Sloan School of Management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Master of Public Administration from the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University.