Federal 100: John P. Wagner
Name: John P. Wagner
Title: Deputy Executive Assistant Commissioner, Office of Field Operations
Agency: Customs and Border Protection
Exit innovator. CBP was at a crossroads, facing the need for heightened security while the volume of international airline travelers left customs officers struggling to keep up. Wagner was instrumental in easing those bottlenecks in 2017, and his vision for the Biometric Exit program transformed the out-processing of foreign visitors. He worked with airlines, airport authorities and CBP IT leaders to develop a system for collecting biometric data while passengers are boarding a plane to depart the U.S. With no new personnel or physical infrastructure, CBP now has a solution that captures vital traveler data and requires just two seconds per passenger at the boarding gate.