Thomas J. Barrett (born January 15, 1947) is a former

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and Admiralty law, law enforcement military branch, service branch of the armed forces of the United States. It is one of the country's eight Uniformed services ...

officer and former

Deputy Secretary of Transportation The deputy secretary of transportation advises and assists the United States Secretary of Transportation, secretary of transportation in the supervision and direction of the United States Department of Transportation, Department of Transportation ( ...

from 2007 until 2009.

Career

Barrett earned a B.S. in

Biology Biology is the scientific study of life and living organisms. It is a broad natural science that encompasses a wide range of fields and unifying principles that explain the structure, function, growth, History of life, origin, evolution, and ...

from

Le Moyne College Le Moyne College is a private Jesuit college mostly in DeWitt, New York. It was founded by the Society of Jesus in 1946, and named after Jesuit missionary Simon Le Moyne. Le Moyne was the first co-educational Jesuit college in the United Sta ...

Syracuse, New York Syracuse ( ) is a City (New York), city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States. With a population of 148,620 and a Syracuse metropolitan area, metropolitan area of 662,057, it is the fifth-most populated city and 13 ...

and a Juris Doctor with honors from the

George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally-chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Originally named Columbian College, it was chartered in 1821 by ...

. He graduated from Army War College and the

National Defense University National Defence (or Defense) University (or College) may refer to: :''Alphabetical by country'' University * Marshal Fahim National Defense University, Afghanistan * National Defense University (Azerbaijan) * People's Liberation Army National Defe ...

Capstone Course in National Security Strategy and Military Capabilities. He served 35 years in the U.S. Coast Guard and held the position of

Vice Commandant of the United States Coast Guard The vice commandant of the Coast Guard serves as the second-in-command of the United States Coast Guard, behind only the commandant of the Coast Guard. Since 1929, 31 officers have served as vice commandant, or, as the position was referred to b ...

from 2002 until 2004. In that capacity, he served as second in command, Agency Acquisition Executive, coordinated the Coast Guard Leadership Council, and co-chaired with the

Vice Chief of Naval Operations The vice chief of naval operations (VCNO) is the second highest-ranking commissioned United States Navy officer and functions as the principal deputy of the Chief of Naval Operations, chief of naval operations. By statute, the vice chief is appo ...

the Navy-Coast Guard Board, an inter-service policy coordination body. He was instrumental in improving maritime security post 9/11, expanding Coast Guard support to the

National Foreign Intelligence Community National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

, supporting

Operation Iraqi Freedom The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with the invasion by a United States-led coalition, which resulted in the overthrow of the Ba'athist governm ...

, and smoothly transitioning the Coast Guard into the new

Department of Homeland Security The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the U.S. federal executive department responsible for public security, roughly comparable to the interior, home, or public security ministries in other countries. Its missions invol ...

. Barrett was the Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies. On May 31, 2006 Barrett was sworn in by then Transportation Secretary

Norman Y. Mineta Norman Yoshio Mineta (, November 12, 1931 – May 3, 2022) was an American politician from California. A member of the Democratic Party, Mineta served in the cabinet of the United States for US Presidents Bill Clinton, a Democrat, and George W. ...

as the first permanent administrator of the

Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) is a United States Department of Transportation agency created in 2004, responsible for developing and enforcing regulations for the safe, reliable, and environmentally sound trans ...

(PHMSA). From 2007 to 2009 Barrett served as Deputy Secretary of the

U.S. Department of Transportation The United States Department of Transportation (USDOT or DOT) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government. It is headed by the secretary of transportation, who reports directly to the president of the United States a ...

, responsible for its day-to-day management, the $61.1 billion budget, 10 modal administrations, and approximately 60,000 employees while continuing his duties as PHMSA administrator. Barrett became the President of Alyeska Pipeline Service Company, which operates the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS), on January 1, 2011. He retired from the company in December 2019, when fellow former PHMSA-head

Brigham McCown Brigham A. McCown (born July 3, 1966, in Ironton, Ohio, Ironton, Ohio) is a Business Executive and former U.S. Government Senior Official. He is currently a Senior Fellow at Hudson Institute in Washington, DC and Clinical Professorat Miami Un ...

was announced as the new president.

Personal life

Barrett is married to the former Sheila Walker of Syracuse, New York. They are parents of four children, Tom, a Major in the United States Army and Iraq veteran, Matt, Rebecca and Paul, a Lance Corporal in the

United States Marine Corps Reserve The Marine Forces Reserve (MARFORRES or MFR), also known as the United States Marine Corps Reserve (USMCR) and the U.S. Marine Corps Forces Reserve, is the reserve force of the United States Marine Corps. The Marine Corps Reserve is an expedit ...

, also Iraq veteran.

References

Biography, from the U.S. Department of Transportation
, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Barrett, Thomas J. Living people United States Coast Guard admirals Le Moyne College alumni George Washington University Law School alumni George W. Bush administration personnel United States deputy secretaries of transportation Vice Commandants of the United States Coast Guard Washington (state) Republicans 1947 births