TSA Administrator to Retire from Public Service

MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — John Pistole, the longest-serving administrator for the Transportation Security Administration, announced on Thursday that he is retiring from public service at the end of the year.

Pistole spent 26 years at the FBI before working at the TSA for the last four and a half years. According to a TSA press release, Pistole is expected to be named to a position in the academic field early next year.

Pistole called it “an honor and a privilege to have served as TSA Administrator.” In a statement, he said, “No words can convey my deep gratitude for the hard work and dedication of the thousands of men and women committed to protecting the American public.”

Pistole, who joined the FBI in 1983, was nominated for the administrator position in 2010 and was unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson thanked Pistole for his service and highlighted his leadership in launching the TSA’s pre-check program that is now used by more than five million passengers each week at 120 U.S. airports.

“John Pistole has been integral in leading TSA’s transformation to a risk-based, intelligence-driven counterterrorism agency dedicated to protecting our transportation systems,” Johnson said. “Because of his efforts…our country’s transportation systems are more safe and secure.”

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