United States Secretary of Transportation Norman Y Mineta has appointed retired Coast Guard Commandant James M Loy to the newly created post of deputy undersecretary for transportation security and chief operating officer of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
In his new position, Loy will report directly to Undersecretary for Transportation Security John Magaw, the head of the TSA. The secretary's announcement was included in remarks he gave at the change of command ceremony, when Loy was succeeded by Admiral Thomas Collins as Coast Guard commandant.
Loy, who has retired after 38 years of commissioned years in the Coast Guard, will take up his new duties after a brief vacation with his wife, Kay. A native of Altoona PA, Loy graduated from the US Coast Guard Academy in 1964 and holds master's degrees from Wesleyan University and the University of Rhode Island. He also attended the Industrial College of the Armed Forces and interned at the John F Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.