On March 10, 2005, Michael P. Jackson was confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve as Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). In this role, Mr. Jackson served as DHS’ chief operating officer, with responsibility for managing day-to-day operations.

Previously, Mr. Jackson served as Senior Vice President of AECOM Technology Corporation, where he was responsible for AECOM government relations globally and served as Chief Operating Officer of AECOM’s Government Services Group.

Mr. Jackson served as Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) from May 2001 to August 2003. As Deputy Secretary, Mr. Jackson was the Department’s chief operating officer, with responsibility for day-to-day operations of an organization that, following the terrorist attacks of 9/11/01, grew to a $68 billion annual budget supporting over 179,000 employees.

His tenure was particularly focused on DOT’s response to the terrorist attacks, including standing up the new Transportation Security Administration and management of recovery efforts for the nation’s aviation industry. At DOT, Mr. Jackson’s external duties included substantial policy coordination within the Administration, frequent Congressional consultation and testimony, and work with foreign governments, transportation businesses, interest groups and the media. He served as a member of the Board of Directors of Amtrak and was chairman of its Audit Committee.

In 2004, Mr. Jackson was appointed to serve on the President's Commission on Implementation of United States Space Exploration Policy, which provided management recommendations to the President on NASA and its future mission management.

Mr. Jackson also held positions working for two earlier Presidents. In the Administration of President George H. W. Bush, he served at the White House as Special Assistant to the President for Cabinet Liaison and later as Chief of Staff to the Secretary of Transportation. He held several positions reporting to the Secretary of Education in the Administration of President Reagan.

Before returning to DOT in 2001, Mr. Jackson worked in the private sector as Chief Operating Officer at Lockheed Martin IMS’s Transportation Systems and Services. IMS’s transportation group provided high technology services to toll authorities, freight companies and 35 state governments. From 1993 until 1997, Mr. Jackson was Senior Vice President at the American Trucking Associations, where he managed intermodal, international and technology policy matters.

He has been a researcher at the American Enterprise Institute and taught political science at the University of Georgia and at Georgetown University. Mr. Jackson graduated from the University of Houston with a B.A. and received a Ph.D. with distinction from the Government Department at Georgetown University in 1985.