Mumbai-born US Citizen, Dr. Huban Gowadia has done Zoroastrians proud globally, as she assumes the crucial role of Head of Transportation Security Administration (TSA) in the USA. Huban is currently the Acting Administrator of TSA and assumes this role after her predecessor stepped down at the end of the Obama Presidency. As a proven counter-terrorism and security professional, she provides leadership, direction and guidance to further the Administrator’s goals for the agency and assists in determining TSA policies, objectives and priorities, in addition to overseeing its the day-to-day operations.

Prior to joining TSA, she served as Director of the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office at the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) where she led coordinated efforts to protect the US from nuclear attacks. Under her, DHS advanced its national nuclear forensics capabilities and coordinated government-wide efforts to enhance worldwide capabilities to detect, analyze and report on nuclear and other radioactive materials that are out of regulatory control.

Born in Mumbai in 1969, Dr. Gowadia holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Aerospace Engineering (1993) from the University of Alabama and a Doctorate of Philosophy in Mechanical Engineering from Pennsylvania State University (2000). She began her career with the Federal Aviation Administration in 2000, working on Aviation Security Technologies and Policy. After the 9/11 attacks in 2001, which impacted her hugely, she led TSA’s initiative to replace all walk-through metal detectors at airports with enhanced systems. “I would have to say the most impactful and shaping event of my life was Sept. 11. Right then and there, learning curves were steepened at an incredible pace. I realized the words of good mentors at the time, and teammates, because we had to do very difficult things in very short periods of time,” she quoted to ‘Crimson White’, the campus newspaper of Alabama University.
(Courtesy: parsikhabar.com)