Justin Oberman ’96 Eyes House Seat

Justin Oberman ’96 is planning a run for the House seat that soon will be vacated by Rahm Emanuel in the Illinois 5th district. The date for the election will not be set until Emanuel officially resigns to become President-elect Barack Obama’s chief of staff.

Oberman is an authority on transportation and homeland security, having served as a founding member and senior executive of the Transportation Security Administration. From 2003 through 2005, he was TSA’s assistant administrator for Transportation Threat Assessment and Credentialing. He was responsible for the agency’s programs that identify known or potential terrorists threats to the nation’s transportation system. His office oversaw the still-ongoing implementation of a new passenger pre-screening system for domestic aviation, the Registered Traveler program to expedite passenger screening, the development of a biometric smart card for more than one million workers at seaports, and a program to conduct background checks for all TSA employees and contractors.

He subsequently co-founded NEXA Capital Partners, a specialty financial advisory firm. In 2007, he joined President-elect Obama’s advisory committee on homeland security.

On his campaign website, www.obermanforcongress.com, Oberman points out that his experience in aviation and transportation, combined with his financial expertise, are relevant to key issues in Chicago. Like Obama, he plans to make use of the Internet and social networking to promote his candidacy.

He resides in Lincoln Park, a neighborhood on the north side of Chicago.