Diane J. Sabatino is the Acting Executive Assistant Commissioner of the Office of Field Operations (OFO), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). As the senior official for OFO, Mrs. Sabatino leads more than 32,900 employees and oversees an annual operating budget of $7.5 billion. In a typical year, Mrs. Sabatino oversees the facilitation of legitimate travel for more than 410 million travelers in the air, land, and maritime environments. In the cargo environment, she oversees the review of more than 29 million cargo containers to identify high-risk shipments, including processing more than 5.2 million containers.
Mrs. Sabatino most recently served as the Deputy Executive Assistant Commissioner (DEAC) of OFO. Among her notable achievements as DEAC includes her role in leading CBP’s National Incident Command for Operation Allies Welcome (OAW), a historic success for CBP. As part of OAW, CBP, along with state, local, and Federal partner agencies, upheld the United States’ safety and security while providing humanitarian relief for more than 84,000 people fleeing Afghanistan. She has also led development of the OFO strategy, incorporating field priorities and realigning key OFO processes to meet Agency mission goals.
Mrs. Sabatino previously served as the Director, Field Operations (DFO) for the Miami and Tampa Field Office, one of CBP’s largest and most complex operations. As the DFO, she oversaw all inspectional operations throughout the State of Florida, encompassing 19 airports and 12 seaports, including the top 3 cruise ship ports in the world. She also served as the Lead Field Coordinator for Incident Response, charged with managing the response to multiple hurricanes for all CBP resources compromising FEMA Region IV.
From September 2011 to August 2015, Mrs. Sabatino served as the Port Director for the Port of Miami, managing complex operations for maritime cargo and the largest cruise passenger port in the country. Prior to her appointment as the Port Director, Mrs. Sabatino served as the Assistant Port Director, Passenger Operations, at Miami International Airport where she was responsible for the oversight of all international passenger inspections and enforcement activities.
A native of New Jersey, Mrs. Sabatino graduated from Fordham University, New York City with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology and a minor in Philosophy. Mrs. Sabatino is also a graduate of the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Senior Executives in National and International Security Program and the Department of Homeland Security, Partnership for Public Service Fellows Program. She began her Federal Law Enforcement career in 1998 as an Immigration Inspector at John F. Kennedy International Airport.