Ms. Durst provides leadership and direction across the broad spectrum of capabilities that support CBP operations and enable mission execution across seven subcomponents: CBP Watch; Office of Laboratories and Scientific Services; Law Enforcement Safety and Compliance Directorate; Office of International Affairs; Planning, Analysis, and Requirements Evaluation Directorate; Office of the Chief Medical Officer; and the Mission Support Division.
Prior to her new role, Ms. Durst served as the Executive Director, Operations for U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP), Office of Field Operations in Washington, D.C. In this position, she oversaw operations nationwide in 20 field offices and 328 ports of entry and 33,000 employees. She also oversaw international operations in 16 Preclearance stations located in Canada, Ireland, the Middle East, and the Caribbean.
Ms. Durst previously served as the Area Port Director of St. Albans, Vermont with command of 18 Ports and Stations in Vermont and New Hampshire, as well as the CBP Trusted Traveler Vetting Center. Ms. Durst served as the Director, Field Programs where she oversaw the establishment of the Chaplain and Peer Support programs and was the principal representative for implementing the Enhanced Retirement for CBP Officers as well as accompanying policy changes such as Pre-employment Fitness Tests, Fitness Graduation Standards, redesigned Field Operations Academy curriculum and the first CBP officer job task analysis.
Ms. Durst also served in numerous temporary assignments including Acting Assistant Director, Trade Operations in El Paso, Texas, as well as the Port Director, John F. Kennedy International Airport, and participated in joint-duty assignments in the Offices of the Commissioner, Human Resources Management and Professional Responsibility and developed strategies to address frontline hiring issues Agency-wide.
In 1997, Ms. Durst began her career with the U.S. Customs Service as an Inspector at Washington-Dulles International Airport and worked across the operational spectrum in trade, passenger operations, international mail processing, and Fines, Penalties and Forfeitures.
A native Virginian and a graduate of Bishop Denis J. O’Connell High School in Arlington; Ms. Durst graduated cum laude from St. Andrews University and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree. She also was awarded a certificate of completion for the Senior Managers Program, John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, Executive Education. Additionally, she is a graduate of the Federal Executive Institute’s Leadership for a Democratic Society, the Senior Leader Program at George Washington University’s Center for Excellence in Public Leadership, and the CBP Leadership Institute at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business.
Ms. Durst is the recipient of the Commissioner’s Ambassador Award and the Commissioner’s Customer Service and Professionalism Award. She also was awarded for her support for the Forward Deployed Operation Command Center during Hurricane Katrina.