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Biography
Gary Renfrow is the Assistant Administrator for International Operations, a role he assumed in September 2020. In this capacity, he oversees a cadre of international Regional Directors, TSA Representatives, Regional Bureaus, Preclearance, Mitigation Operations, and a Front Office support staff in the United States and over 20 countries around the world. His primary oversight of the mission entails identifying, analyzing, and mitigating risks to international transportation security, particularly inbound aviation with a peak daily volume of 2,300 international inbound flights.
Prior to that, he served as Assistant Administrator for Domestic Aviation Operations. In this role, he was responsible for managing TSA's domestic airport security operations of over 45,000 employees and a $3.7B annual budget. His oversight responsibilities included airport checkpoint, baggage, and air cargo screening operations for approximately 440 federalized airports; regulatory compliance for transportation security; and advanced explosives detection capabilities through TSA's specialized behavior detection, canine, and explosives specialist teams.
Previously, Mr. Renfrow served as the Federal Security Director of Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) from January 2017 to May 2019, providing executive oversight for all screening, regulatory, law enforcement, and intelligence functions at PHL. He also served as Deputy Federal Security Director at PHL from 2014 to 2017, and JFK International Airport, New York, from 2011 to 2014.
Prior to joining the agency, Mr. Renfrow served 29 years with the U.S. Air Force as a Special Operations commander and pilot with over 5,000 flying hours, and two years after retirement from active duty as Speechwriter for the Secretary of the Air Force. He holds a Bachelor's Degree in Professional Aeronautics and a Master's Degree in Aviation Management Sciences from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, a Master's Degree in Military Operations from Air Command and Staff College, a Master's Degree in Airpower Sciences from School of Advanced Airpower Studies, and served as the National Security Fellow at University of Miami. He is married with four children.
