Leadership Luncheon: Holly Canaveri, Chief of Staff, TSA

Join Women in Homeland Security for a fascinating lunch with Holly Canevari from TSA.

Holly was named TSA Chief of Staff in March 2021. She provides strategic counsel on policy and planning matters as well as public and legislative affairs and serves as a liaison to the administration, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and other agencies.

Canevari has over two decades of policy, legislative, and managerial experience and a wealth of homeland security experience in the executive and legislative branches of the federal government and in the private sector.

Canevari first joined DHS in 2010 as a Senior Advisor to the Assistant Secretary for Policy, focusing on initiatives such as screening and resilience. From 2012 to 2017, she served as the Chief of Staff for the Office of Strategy, Policy, and Plans, which included work to implement a strategic realignment of activities and where she was charged with coordination and collaboration on complex policy issues across DHS and in the interagency.

Prior to her time at DHS Policy, Canevari was a senior professional staff member on the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security for Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-MS), where she was responsible for management and oversight issues. She also served as a senior staff member for Congresswoman Jane Harman (D-CA), where she focused on port security, information sharing, and aviation security. Early in her career, Canevari served as a government relations representative with then-United Technologies Corporation’s Washington, D.C., office, representing the company’s business interests to Capitol Hill and the executive branch. She began her career in and around government and in Washington, D.C., on the staff of Congressman John B. Larson (D-CT).

Just prior to joining TSA, Canevari served as Director of Consulting Services at CGI Federal, focusing on national security customers. In that role, she managed and responded to customer needs and challenges and was responsible for operations, management, and growth initiatives. Prior to her CGI Federal experience, Canevari was the Chief of Staff and Vice President of Strategy and Operations at BSA | The Software Alliance. At BSA, she was a key partner and representative for internal and external affairs of the company’s President and CEO and ensured alignment of BSA priorities and operations.

Canevari has a Bachelor of Arts from Boston College and a Master of Arts from Johns Hopkins University.