Obama’s TSA chief hired by airport trade group

Peter Neffenger, who led the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) under the Obama administration, will soon be joining an airport trade group in Washington to serve as a senior adviser.

The American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE) announced Monday that it has tapped Neffenger to provide strategic advice and drive innovative solutions and technological advances in the airport industry — a major hire for the group. Neffenger will begin the new gig on Nov. 1.

{mosads}“Peter Neffenger is a thoughtful, highly effective leader who has successfully driven innovation and organizational transformation throughout his career. He is widely respected, and we are thrilled that he will help us move aviation forward at such a pivotal inflection point in our industry,” said AAAE President and CEO Todd Hauptli.

“Peter has a first-rate mind and throughout his career in government demonstrated a unique ability to get things done. It is going to be a lot of fun watching him apply those capabilities on behalf of AAAE and the airport community.”

Neffenger was Obama’s TSA administrator beginning in 2015, after the TSA came under fire following a shocking report that revealed most screeners were failing to detect fake bombs and weapons in security tests.

Although he had his own crises to deal with — including massive security lines that came to a head last year — Neffenger was generally liked in Washington and credited with making several key reforms.

A former Coast Guard admiral, Neffenger retrained employees, overhauled agency policies, boosted enrollment in TSA’s PreCheck program and ended a practice known as “managed inclusion” that randomly funneled passengers into expedited security lanes.

“While TSA Administrator, I greatly enjoyed working with the aviation community and appreciate the challenges of such a dynamic operating environment,” Neffenger said.

“I’m excited to work with AAAE and its members and partners throughout the industry to affect meaningful change and technological advancement.”