Thad Bingel

For the past decade, Mr. Thad Bingel has served in positions of responsibility in both the Executive Branch and Congress. During this period Mr. Bingel has developed key relationships with high level officials, attained an intimate understanding of the political process in Washington, DC, and amassed a wealth of knowledge, both administrative and operational, in the field of border protection and homeland security. From May, 2005 until March, 2009, Mr. Bingel served as a senior leader in US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the component of the Department of Homeland Security responsible for securing the nation’s borders. During his tenure this unified border agency grew to more than 50,000 employees and annual budgets of $11 billion. At CBP, Mr. Bingel attained the position of Chief of Staff for the Commissioner of Customs and Border Protection in the fall of 2007 and served through the transition period into the Obama Administration. In this capacity, Mr. Bingel was the second ranking political appointee at the agency and served as part of the executive leadership team and as principal advisor to Commissioner Ralph W. Basham assisting in the day to day operations and management of the agency as well as overseeing the agency's interactions with the White House, Department of Homeland Security headquarters, Congress, state and local governments and the press. Before serving as Chief of Staff, Mr. Bingel served as Assistant Commissioner for the Office of Congressional Affairs where he managed all of CBP’s day to day relations with the United States Senate and House of Representatives at a time of unprecedented congressional interest in border security and immigration. Prior to his appointment to US Customs and Border Protection, Mr. Bingel served as Majority Counsel for the full House Judiciary Committee during the 108th and 109th Congresses. His duties included preparing for Full Committee hearings and managing a broad spectrum of legislation from subcommittee through passage into law. Before joining the House Judiciary Committee, Mr. Bingel served in the 107th Congress as counsel and policy analyst for then Majority Leader Dick Armey (R-TX), where he was responsible for technology, telecomm, energy, environment, resources, and other issues for the House Majority Leader's office, including providing assistance to the special legislative committee headed by the Majority Leader which created the Department of Homeland Security. Previously, Mr. Bingel served as Legislative Director and Legislative Assistant to two Members of Congress. Mr. Bingel received his law degree from Georgetown University and his bachelor’s degree from the College of the Holy Cross.