Mr. Peter W. Hearding was appointed as the Deputy Assistant Administrator for Policy, International Affairs & Environment in February 2022. In this role, Pete leads the agency’s efforts to increase the safety and capacity of the global aerospace system and oversees the agency's domestic and global engagement efforts.

Pete previously served as the Executive Director for International Policy at the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). In that role, he provided leadership and strategic direction on national and international policy development and implementation. Pete led and oversaw TSA’s international air carrier security programs, international capacity development work, the National Cargo Screening Program, and TSA’s multilateral engagement. He represented TSA before foreign governments in bilateral and multilateral fora, including as the United States’ representative on the International Civil Aviation Organization’s Aviation Security Panel. He also served as the rapporteur of the Aviation Security Panel’s Working Group on Threat and Risk. Pete held other internationally-focused positions at TSA, including acting Regional Director for Asia Pacific and Director for Analysis and Risk Mitigation.

Pete was TSA’s Deputy Assistant Administrator for Legislative Affairs from September 2011 to October 2016, where he advanced TSA’s mission through collaboration with Congress. While in Legislative Affairs, he developed TSA’s legislative priorities and prepared agency officials for appearances before Congress. He also oversaw the passage of TSA’s first – and several subsequent – legislative proposals into law.

Before joining TSA, Pete worked on Capitol Hill where he served in a number of roles focusing on homeland security matters.

Mr. Hearding is a graduate of Syracuse University with a B.A. in Political Science.