Contributor:
Gary S. Becker
Gary S. Becker is the Chief Economist for Catalyst Partners, LLC. In this role, Becker offers economic analyses to clients on matters relating to homeland security, including the cost impact of proposed and final rulemakings. He offers advice on how to save money while achieving desired security benefits.
He holds more than 35 years of experience as an economist working in the private sector, as well as working (in chronological order) at: the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; Department of Labor; Department of Transportation; Office of Management and Budget; Department of Agriculture; and most recently, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
From 2004 through the end of 2014, Becker served as Senior Economist for the DHS Private Sector Office (PSO), Office of Policy. He took the lead role in formulating, analyzing and informing other senior staff on the economic impact of DHS policies, procedures, actions, and rulemakings on the private sector. While at DHS, he worked closely with a number of components including, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), and focused on performance measures and issues such as wait times and customer service. His analyses helped support CPS’s Global Entry and TSA’S Pre✓™ programs.
Before joining DHS, Becker served as a senior economist at a number of different federal agencies, writing and reviewing the economic analyses of hundreds of proposed and final rules. At the Federal Aviation Administration, he developed the economic analysis on the use of child safety seats that still continues to allow guardians the option to purchase an airplane seat for their infant if they choose. He also developed the economic analysis on aircraft ground deicing.
Becker has completed his Ph.D. coursework in Agricultural Economics from The Ohio State University. He holds a M.S. degree in Agricultural Economics from The Ohio State University and a B.S. degree in Natural Resources and Environmental Science from Purdue University. He was born in Washington, D.C and has two children. He currently resides with his wife, Ruth, in Bethesda, Maryland.
