USSS DIRECTOR
W. Ralph Basham
W. Ralph Basham was sworn in as the 21st Director of the United States Secret Service on
January 27, 2003. A 28-year veteran of the Secret Service, Basham has also served as Director
of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center and Chief of Staff of the Transportation Security Administration.
Mr. Basham's career with the Secret Service began in 1970 when he was appointed as a
Special Agent in the Washington Field Office. He rose rapidly to the managerial level while
serving in a variety of assignments reflecting the Service's diverse interests and
responsibilities. Consistent with the dual missions of the Secret Service, Mr. Basham has
served in supervisory positions in both protective and investigative assignments, serving as
Special Agent in Charge of the Cleveland Field Office, the Washington Field Office and the
Vice Presidential Protective Division. Basham also served as the Deputy Assistant
Director of the Office of Training and as Assistant Director of the Office of Administration,
where he was responsible for the management of the agency's administrative division, including
financial management, personnel, procurement and strategic planning.
In January 1998, Mr. Basham was appointed Director of the Federal Law Enforcement Training
Center (FLETC). The center, located in Glynco, Georgia and Artesia, New Mexico, provides
training for nearly all of the nation's federal law enforcement officers, including Secret
Service recruits. The FLETC also serves the state, local and federal law enforcement communities
with training programs tailored to their specific needs.
In January 2002, Mr. Basham was named Chief of Staff for the Transportation Security
Administration (TSA). Among his responsibilities at TSA, Mr. Basham oversaw the hiring of federal
security directors for the nation's 429 airports.
A native of Owensboro, Kentucky, Basham received a Bachelor's Degree from Southeastern
University in Washington, D.C. He is married to the former Judith O'Bryan and has three
children. Mr. Basham's numerous honors include the 1992 and 2000 Meritorious Presidential Rank Awards.
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