Domestic Aviation Operations - Acting Assistant Administrator

Mike Turner

Mike Turner

Mike Turner was named Acting Assistant Administrator of TSA’s Domestic Aviation Operations (DAO) in January 2025. In May 2023, he was appointed as DAO’s Deputy Assistant Administrator (DAA), overseeing approximately 440 federalized airports, 74 field executives and over 50,000 Transportation Security Officers. He establishes strategic direction for aviation security operations and leads regulatory compliance to further enhance threat detection.

Turner previously served as TSA’s Executive Director of Vetting with oversight of more than 30 TSA credentialing and vetting programs. To safeguard travel and commerce against nefarious acts against the United States, these programs each day vet approximately 30 million people who have access to critical transportation systems.

Turner also served as the Director of the National Transportation Vetting Center and Deputy Director of Enrollment Services and Vetting programs.  

He began his TSA career in 2012 as the Requirements and Release Manager for the Secure Flight program, becoming Branch Manager for the Secure Flight Operations Center in 2014. The program is designed to ensure TSA properly identifies all known or suspected terrorists attempting to travel on commercial aircraft.

Under his leadership, Turner’s division earned the TSA Headquarters Office of the Year Award in 2019, and he individually received TSA’s Commitment to Leadership Award in 2018. Turner also earned the DHS Secretary’s Award as Manager of the Secure Flight Operations Center for his efforts with Ebola and protecting the Homeland from communicable diseases.

Turner served the U.S. Marine Corps for 10 years and attended a variety of instructional, professional and leadership schools throughout his Marine Corps career, which began as a midshipman at the Naval Academy. He achieved a Bachelor of Science in computer science from the Naval Academy and a master’s degree in computer information systems from Boston University.