Owen returns to D.C.

   CBP Commissioner Gil Kerlikowske on Dec. 16 announced that Todd Owen has been promoted to assistant commissioner of field operations. John Wagner, the acting assistant commissioner, was named the permanent deputy assistant commissioner.
   Owen, a rising star within the agency, currently is the director of field operations for the Los Angeles region, with oversight of local airports, Las Vegas International Airport, and the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. Before relocating from Washington to L.A. in 2011, Owen was the executive director of cargo and conveyance security within the Office of Field Operations.
   The Office of Field Operations is the largest component in CBP and is responsible for border security, enforcing trade laws, and enabling lawful trade and travel through ports of entry. OFO has a staff of more than 28,000 employees at 20 major field offices, 328 ports of entry and 70 locations in more than 40 countries.

This column was published in the February 2015 issue of American Shipper.