Assistant Federal Security Director, TSA Newark, N.J.
Marcy Donnelly serves as the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Assistant Federal Security Director at Newark Liberty International Airport, where she leads a frontline workforce of over 1,200 Transportation Security Screeners, Behavior Detection Officers and Screening Management Officials.
When Hurricane Sandy made landfall on October 29, 2012, the Northeast – including Newark airport – shut down. But Donnelly’s TSA team did not. Transportation officers, managers and supervisors volunteered to keep the checkpoint open throughout the storm so they could be ready to open the airport as soon as conditions allowed. Throughout the night, Donnelly remained in close contact with her team to ensure they were safe, and when the worst of the storm shook the foundation of Newark’s largest terminal, she worked with airport officials to usher her team to safety.
In the immediate aftermath of the storm, Donnelly led an effort to contact every member of her team, to ensure that they were able to travel to work and accommodate those who had suffered damage and loss. She did all of this while her own home was without power for nearly two weeks.
Under Donnelly’s leadership, Newark airport has implemented TSA risk-based security programs TSA Pre✓™ and Known Crewmember (KCM) with great success. Newark’s KCM portal is currently the highest performing single access portal in the United States. Additionally, over 500 prohibited items have been intercepted at checkpoints during Donnelly’s three year tenure.
TSA secures the nation’s airports and screens all commercial airline passengers and baggage. TSA uses a risk-based strategy and works closely with transportation, law enforcement and intelligence communities to set the standard for excellence in transportation security.