W. Ralph Basham was sworn in by President George W. Bush on June 6, 2006. Basham is a native of Owensboro, Kentucky. He received a Bachelor’s Degree from Southeastern University in Washington, D.C. Basham began serving as a special agent for the Secret Service in the Washington Field Office in 1970. He also served as a special agent in charge of the Cleveland Field Office and the Washington Field Office. He served as the deputy assistant director of the Office of Training and as assistant director of the Office of Administration. In 1998, Basham was appointed director of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC). The FLETC provides training for almost all the nation’s federal law enforcement officers. In 2002 Bashman was appointed chief of staff for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and oversaw the hiring of federal security directors for the nation’s 429 airports. From 2003 to 2006 Basham served as the director of the United States Secret Service prior to his attaining his position as commissioner of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

 

W. Ralph Basham Profile and Interviews (Business of Government)

New Border Chief: Walls Are Not the Answer (by Arthur H. Rotstein, Associated Press)