John Magaw has been nominated by President Bush for Under Secretary of Transportation Security. Currently acting executive director of the Office of National Preparedness within the Federal Emergency Management Agency, he is a former director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) and the Secret Service.
Magaw was selected to head the ATF as the organization emerged from the crisis following the Waco, Texas, and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, bombing tragedies. As such, he directed a review and overhaul of the organization.
As director of the Secret Service, Magaw was responsible for ensuring the security of the president and other officials, as well as for enforcing laws regarding counterfeiting false identification, banking, and credit card and computer fraud.
A native of Columbus, Ohio, Magaw holds a bachelor of science degree in education from Otterbein College in Westerville, Ohio. He received the 1991 and 1999 Presidential Rank Meritorious Award and, in 1995, received the Presidential Rank Distinguished Award.