Ha Nguyen McNeill has been appointed as the Acting Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), announced in a post on Linkedin today.
McNeill brings a wealth of experience to the role, having been appointed as TSA’s Deputy Administrator in April 2025.Her career is distinguished by a track record of driving strategic change and innovation in both the public and private sectors. Previously, she served as TSA’s Chief of Staff, where she advanced critical administration priorities and aligned TSA’s budget to focus on meaningful security outcomes. Her efforts were instrumental in securing public-private partnership authorities for TSA, enabling innovative, cost-effective, and secure approaches to managing increasing travel volumes.
Beyond her tenure at TSA, McNeill has held significant positions in the private sector, including roles at BigBear.ai and BSA | The Software Alliance, where she oversaw revenue-generating functions and managed global intellectual property enforcement and compliance programs. Her leadership contributed to revenue growth and the development of new AI capabilities for the aviation market.
McNeill’s extensive experience within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the National Security Council, and the Office of Management and Budget has equipped her with a comprehensive understanding of national aviation security portfolios and the development of unified U.S. government policies and initiatives.
She holds a Master’s in Public Policy with a concentration in International Security and Political Economy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and dual B.A.s in International Studies and Music from the University of California, Irvine.
