Lee R. Kair
Assistant Administrator for Security Operations
Lee Kair was named TSA's Assistant Administrator for Security Operations in October 2008. He is responsible for providing executive management of daily field operations for a workforce of approximately 48,000 employees at more than 450 airports nationwide. He is also responsible for regulatory compliance, budget and financial requirements, program planning, partnering with security operators in other transportation modes, and the development of strategic plans for the future operational role of TSA.
Prior to this position, Kair was the Federal Security Director in Orlando, Florida, the senior Department of Homeland Security official responsible for transportation security of aircraft, airports and other transportation facilities in the area.
Kair has held several other positions in TSA, including Executive Director of the Office of Intra-Agency Operations, which tackled strategic issues for TSA, including detection of improvised explosive devices (IEDs), redesigning the passenger screening process, partnerships with stakeholders in other modes of transportation, and increasing the retention, utilization and effectiveness of the TSA workforce.
Kair also served as the Assistant Administrator for Acquisition, where he managed the office responsible for centralized acquisition support to all of the nation's federalized airports and other modes of transportation.
Prior to joining TSA, Kair was the Director of Strategic Sourcing and Acquisition Systems in the Office of the Chief Procurement Officer at the Department of Homeland Security. There, he established the DHS Strategic Sourcing Program as part of the departmental stand up to develop corporate sourcing strategies for goods and services procured in multiple DHS organizations. Kair was also the champion for the acquisition-related IT systems supporting the Department's 700 acquisition professionals and the departmental sponsor for the Integrated Acquisition Environment E-Gov program.
Prior to joining the Department of Homeland Security, Kair held a variety of positions in multiple agencies including the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Air Force, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics (Defense Procurement and Acquisition Policy) staff. He has been a warranted contracting officer responsible for acquisition in the installation, major weapon systems, research and development, and contingency environments. He has also managed several Department of Defense service-wide and government-wide e-business systems.
Kair received a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from Florida State University and a Master of Science in government contract management from the Air Force Institute of Technology.
