Adams, Vera

Vera Adams has served nearly 30 years with the Federal government; 18 and a half with U.S. Customs and Customs and Border Protection, and 11 years with the Transportation Security Administration. She served as Executive Advisor, Office of the Administrator, and was selected as the Director, Aviation Division, Policy, Plans and Engagement, in April, 2016.

In July 2013, Ms. Adams was appointed the Deputy Director, Field Operations and Engagement, Office of Security Operations, TSA Headquarters. In this position, Vera managed a workforce of 50,000 frontline employees through 7 Regional Directors, stationed at nearly 450 airports, as well as two branches of HQ staff dedicated to emergency preparedness and field oversight activities. Ms. Adams also co-chaired the LAX Shooting After-Action Team, responsible for reviewing officer safety in light of the shooting death of a Transportation Security Officer and injury of two others. As part of this project, she directed many of the adopted officer safety improvement actions, and co-wrote the after-action report to Congress.

From January 2011 through July 2013, Ms. Adams served as the Federal Security Director for the State of Utah, where she directed over 600 security and regulatory staff responsible for the operations and oversight of 8 commercial and 48 general aviation airports. Previous to serving as the FSD Utah, she was the Deputy FSD, at Los Angeles International Airport, overseeing operations and leading a staff of 2,500.

Ms. Adams joined the TSA from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, where she served as Executive Director, Trade Enforcement and Facilitation at Customs Headquarters in Washington D.C. In this position, Ms. Adams led 5 divisions and 90 program officers responsible for a wide-range of policy programs relating to the arrival of international cargo via air, sea, rail, truck and express consignment modes, fines, penalties, and forfeitures, seized property, international trade agreements, and anti-smuggling strategies. Additionally, Vera Adams served as Port Director for the Los Angeles/Long Beach Seaport from 2000 to 2005.

She holds a bachelor's degree from Tulane University in New Orleans. She is also a graduate of the Customs Leadership Institute at Columbia University Executive School of Business Management in New York, and spent a year of study at the London School of Economics in London, England.