David Cummins Steps In as TSA Administrator

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has sworn in David Cummins as the eighth administrator of an agency stood up in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. He was confirmed to the role by the full U.S. Senate late last week as part of a package of 74 nominations, also including Thomas Chapman for another term at the NTSB. Approval was largely along party lines in a 51-47 vote.

Cummins steps into a role that had been filled on an acting basis since January 2025, when the previous administrator, David Pekoske, departed the agency. He brings more than two decades of government contracting experience to his new role. Most recently, Cummins was senior v-p of Serco’s Citizen Services group, where he managed the company’s work with federal, state, and local governments in the U.S. and Canada. He has also served as senior v-p for Conduent.

“Administrator Cummins brings valuable private-sector transportation experience and a practical understanding of how technology, policy, and operational realities must work together,” said NATA president and CEO Curt Castagna. 

Chapman, meanwhile, was confirmed to continue as an NTSB member through the end of 2028. A former minority counsel for the U.S. Senate aviation subcommittee who also held senior roles with US Airways, Southwest Airlines, and AOPA, Chapman was initially sworn in as an NTSB member on Jan. 6, 2020.