John S. Pistole recently retired from his decade-long role as president of Anderson University. Previously he served as Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and as Deputy Director of the FBI.
At TSA, he led a 60,000-person workforce at more than 450 federalized airports throughout the U.S. Under Pistole’s leadership and direction, TSA introduced the PreCheck program, now with over 20,000,000 people enrolled.
Pistole is a 26-year veteran of the FBI with extensive national security and counterterrorism experience. After the tragic events of September 11, 2001, he led the FBI’s greatly expanded counterterrorism program, eventually becoming the FBI’s Executive Assistant Director for Counterterrorism and Counterintelligence.
Pistole led or has been involved with high profile investigations including the attempted car bombing in Times Square in 2010; the December 2009 attempted airline bombing attack; the plot against New York City subways in 2009; and the 2006 UK liquid explosives plot.
He began his career as a Special Agent in 1983, before his promotion to Supervisor in the Organized Crime Section at FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C. In 1999, as Assistant Special Agent in Charge, Boston, Pistole helped lead investigation and recovery efforts for the Egypt Air Flight 990 crash off the coast of Rhode Island.
In 2007, he received the Edward H. Levy Award for Outstanding Professionalism and Exemplary Integrity. He is a recipient of the 2005 Presidential Rank Award for Distinguished Executive.
Pistole practiced law for two years prior to joining the FBI. He is a graduate of Anderson University (Indiana) and Indiana University School of Law – Indianapolis where he has spoken at Commencement and received honorary doctoral degrees from both institutions.