Sitting on the opposite side of the presenter’s podium, Christine Griggs watched former TSA Deputy Administrator Patricia Cogswell provide the opening remarks at the agency’s annual Trailblazer and Rising Star Awards ceremony. Typically, Griggs welcomes the crowd, but this year she performed a different, more exclusive role.
Griggs was honored as the 2024 TSA Trailblazer, an award that visibly shocked the 22-year TSA employee, who expressed how “the nominee field was filled with phenomenal and well-deserving women.”
Her reaction highlights just one of the many reasons Griggs was chosen for the award.
A humble leader, she is quick to give credit to her Civil Rights & Liberties, Ombudsman and Traveler Engagement (CRL/OTE) team for their many accomplishments, describing her role much like a coach managing a sporting team packed with talent.
“When you first come into a new leadership position, you don’t need to take the stance that you know everything,” said Griggs. “Your role really is to get to know your people and make sure your people understand you are there to support them and you have their back.”
Griggs never envisioned herself as a leader despite her long professional history showing otherwise. Early in her career, a supervisor encouraged Griggs to apply for a TSA deputy federal security director position – a push that changed her life path.
“It was that first boss who said to me, ‘I think you can do more.’ I had so many wonderful leaders who guided me and helped mold me into the leader I am today,” said Griggs. “Kimberly Walton, Fred Lau, Kim Hutchison, Karen Shelton Waters and Latetia Henderson are some examples of those in my village, though there were many more. When I lacked confidence, they encouraged me. When I lacked experience, they gave me tougher assignments to take on, and when I lacked focus, they helped me walk a path that brought me so many wonderful memories.”
Although Griggs didn’t intentionally pursue leadership, it is a well-worn path for her family. Her grandmother was a community figurehead with a reputation for helping and leading while encouraging self-sufficiency.
“When I visited her, I remember people would come to the door and say, ‘I need $20. I can't afford to feed my kids,’” recalled Griggs. “My grandmother would give them the $20, but she would also say, ‘Here's what I need you to do for me. I need you to call this person at the township and ask them about their vacancies. Ask them about the resources they have available.’ She wasn't just handing out money but giving people information and resources. Witnessing this while I was young instilled in me the importance of taking care of people and giving back.”
Griggs’ family tree also includes her aunt, U.S. Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, an activist since the late 1960s. The two women’s career paths crossed during a 2018 House Homeland Security subcommittee hearing. By then, after 13 years in field leadership positions, Griggs had pivoted to a career at TSA headquarters as the deputy assistant administrator (DAA) of CRL/OTE.
Leaving the fast-paced world of field work gave Griggs the chance to put down roots after becoming a new mom. Although preceded by a well-respected reputation, imposter syndrome still took over before Griggs fully accepted the DAA position but not without support from her then-mentor.
“I'm not a CRL/OTE subject matter expert,” Griggs said. “I just remember her saying to me, ‘I don't need you to be a subject matter expert. I need you to lead people. I need you to lead the organization and make things go.’ And I thought, ‘That's me. I like to make things go.’ And I applied for the position. I was very reluctant, but I made the jump for that reason because she assured me.”
Today, Griggs is still leading CRL/OTE, now as the office’s assistant administrator, and trailblazing her own path through TSA’s history, advocating for diversity, inclusion, equity and accessibility initiatives at the forefront of the agency’s mission.
“I love the diverse nature of the work we do in CRL/OTE,” said Griggs. “Our office’s name is very long because of the variety of programs we have in our portfolio – it means there is never a dull moment, and no day is ever the same.”
With Griggs at the helm, CRL/OTE has steered TSA toward better screening policies and more inclusive practices for the workforce and public. Some of their most recognizable pursuits include the use of ‘X’ as a gender marker in passports and practices that led to updating the algorithms of advanced imaging technology at TSA checkpoints to decrease the false alarm rate by 50%.
By the end of my interview with her, Griggs had expertly maneuvered our conversation into asking about my personal career, schooling and hobbies. The switch up was a natural turn with Griggs’ genuine curiosity and interest in the lives of her colleagues and an intrinsic desire to lend her knowledge whenever the opportunity presents itself.
“Because so many have poured into me, I have made it a priority for myself to make sure I reach back and do the same for others,” said Griggs in her acceptance speech. “Encouraging those alongside me, in front of me and behind me. I strive every day to be an inclusive leader and to ensure that I have an impact on others in a way that makes them feel valued, capable and confident, as so many did for me. Empowering women is something I will always make a priority.”
By Kimberlyn Pepe, TSA Strategic Communications & Public Affairs