Meet Our Blog Team

Bloggers/Moderators

Blogger Bob Burns -Yes, my real name is Bob. I am a real person and not a pseudonym as some think. My middle name is Robert and I've gone by Bob my entire life.

I started with the TSA in September 2002. I worked at the Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) for 5 years and am currently residing at TSA headquarters. I started as a Transportation Security Officer (TSO), and have since been promoted to a Social Media Analyst with the Office of Strategic Communications and Public Affairs to manage and write for the Blog.

In my nearly 10 years with TSA, I've also worked as an Operations Watch Officer, Instructor, Training Coordinator, Behavior Detection Officer, and I served as the Vice Chairman on TSA's first National Advisory Council - a group representing TSA's frontline workforce in discussions with TSA leadership on security and workplace issues.

I grew up and spent most of my life in Hamilton, Ohio, but I currently live in Northern Virginia with my wife, two daughters, and a 100 pound German shepherd named Clarence.

I joined the United States Army right out of high school and was trained to be a Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Decontamination Specialist. After training in Alabama, I was assigned to the 3rd Armored Division and later served with them in Operations Desert Shield & Storm.


Prior to the TSA I was a singer songwriter and traveled the world with my band. Songwriting is now one of my hobbies along with record collecting, ugly ties and photography. My favorite type of music is Garage Rock from the 1960s.

Jonella – Hi there, I’m Jonella, and I work in TSA’s Office of Public Affairs.  I joined TSA after graduating from college here in Virginia. After being here a few years and writing for almost every medium, I have come to the blog!

At TSA, I have a variety of responsibilities in the Office of Public Affairs including media relations, managing our checkpoint signage and lame-joke-telling, but the majority of my day is dedicated to communicating the evolution of risk-based security.

I have lived about half my life as a military brat bouncing between continents and the other half here in Virginia. I was in the 10^th grade on September 11^th and I remember, being one of four students, walking in the hallway to my second period class and noticing my peers’ eyes glued to billowing smoke on TV. Less than 10 minutes later my mother came to school to pick me up, which was a blessing. Not because she was there when she wasn’t supposed to be, but because she was supposed to be 50 miles away at the Pentagon.

Now long after high school, I live in Northern Virginia with my puppy, Lola, who can’t seem to grasp the command “stay,” and that she should “stay” even after I’ve turned my back! Nice to meet you Blogosphere.

Lynn - I’m Lynn, and I joined TSA on September 11, 2006. It’s somewhat coincidental because on September 11, 2001, I was nine months pregnant, headed to work in DC and heard about the first plane hitting the WTC as I was driving past the Pentagon. By the time I got to my office, the Pentagon had been hit. The image of dazed people crossing the highway and the smoke pouring out of the Pentagon as I drove home is still fresh in my mind. After my son was born, I spent the next five years as a full-time mom and got hooked on blogging. I also honed my skills in traveling with small children.

At TSA, I manage information sharing efforts, work on Web 2.0 initiatives, collect data and stats, and provide incident management support. I’m an information junkie, participate regularly on various message boards and travel sites, and I’m a huge fan of the Darwin Awards and the DC City Paper’s News of the Weird, which makes me want to post regularly on the wacky things we see at TSA on a regular basis.

Commenter

West - Hi, my name is West, and I started with TSA in February of 2005. I work at GSO (Piedmont Triad International Airport in Greensboro, NC) and truly enjoy working at my airport. I was hired on as a Transportation Security Officer (TSO) and have since been promoted to Lead Transportation Security Officer (LTSO). I have worked as an On the Job Training (OJT) Monitor, and have been training new TSO’s since my first year with TSA.

I live in Greensboro, NC with my significantly better half Charlene, Jacob and Esau (the two cats that actually own the house), and Montana and Darwin (the dogs that are a pair of walking comedy reels).

Prior to working with the TSA, I put in 8 years with the US Army as a Military Police Officer. I also put in 8 years as a Silversmith Apprentice and am now a Journeyman Silversmith. My hobbies include sitting on a pier/boat with a fishing pole and being able to fix broken metal things.

Behind the Scenes

Editing: Sterling & Martha
IT & Web: Martin, Jen & Neil
Moderation: Jon, West, Bob, Lynn