Commissioner David V. Aguilar is the Founder of The DVA Group. Mr. Aguilar began his career with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), first serving as a Border Patrol agent and culminating with his appointment as CBP Deputy Commissioner on December 30, 2010 and finishing out his career as Acting Commissioner of CBP (2011-2013). As CBP Deputy and Commissioner, Mr. Aguilar led the United States government’s largest law enforcement organization with a workforce of 60,000, including 43,000 uniformed law enforcement officers. He strategically planned, formulated, and executed a yearly budget of nearly 12 billion dollars and was responsible for the management of the largest civilian Law Enforcement Air Force in the world. Prior to being named Acting Commissioner, Aguilar had served as CBP Deputy Commissioner since April 11, 2010. As Acting Commissioner and as Deputy Commissioner of the world’s only unified and integrated border management agency, Aguilar was responsible for securing the over 6,000 miles of land border between the ports of entry against the smuggling of illegal entrants into the United States, illicit goods, narcotics, and weapons for use against U.S. citizens.
Mr. Aguilar also served as National Chief of the U.S. Border Patrol (2004-2010). During that time, he oversaw the largest expansion of the Border Patrol in its 88-year history, doubling its size to over 21,000 Agents. Prior to his becoming National Chief of the Border Patrol, Mr. Aguilar was Chief Patrol Agent of the Tucson Sector, the largest and most active Border Patrol Sector in the nation. His leadership has earned him numerous awards, including the Presidential Rank Award in 2008, the President’s Meritorious Excellence Award in 2005, the Department of Homeland Security Distinguished Service Medal, the Washington Homeland Security Roundtable Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Institute for Defense and Government Advancement Lifetime Achievement Award. Mr. Aguilar retired from government service on March 31, 2013, marking the completion of a 35-year career with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
Following his government service, Mr. Aguilar served as Principal at GSIS where he advised clients on a broad range of national homeland and international security matters including border operations, security management, global trade and commerce, supply chain management and security, critical infrastructure protection, risk management, viability assessments and strategic planning and implementation.
Mr. Aguilar holds an associate degree in accounting from Laredo Community College and attended Laredo State University and the University of Texas at Arlington. He is a graduate of the Senior Executive Fellows program at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.
