Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration

The administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration is the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration, a United States federal law enforcement agency under the United States Department of Justice, tasked with combating drug trafficking and distribution within the United States.

The administrator is appointed by the president of the United States and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. The administrator reports to the attorney general through the deputy attorney general. The administrator is assisted by a deputy administrator, the chief of operations, the chief inspector, and three assistant administrators (for the operations support, intelligence, and human resources divisions). Other senior staff include the chief financial officer and the chief counsel. The administrator and deputy administrator are the only presidentially appointed personnel in the DEA; all other DEA officials are career government employees.

List of administrators Unnumbered rows denote acting commissioners.

ImageName(birth–death)Term of officeAppointed by(term)Start of termEnd of term– John R. Bartels Jr.July 1, 1973October 4, 1973Richard Nixon1October 4, 1973May 30, 1975– Henry S. DoginMay 30 1975Jan 23, 1976Gerald Ford– Peter B. BensingerJan 23, 1976Feb 23, 1976Gerald Ford2Feb 23, 1976Jul 10, 1981– Francis M. Mullen, Jr.Jul 10, 1981Nov 10, 1983Ronald Reagan3Nov 10, 1983Mar 1, 1985– John C. LawnMar 1, 1985Jul 26, 1985Ronald Reagan4Jul, 1985Mar 23, 1990– Terrence M. BurkeMar 23, 1990Aug 13, 1990George H. W. Bush5Robert C. BonnerAug 13, 1990Oct 31, 1993George H. W. Bush– Stephen H. GreeneNov 1, 1993Apr 1994Bill Clinton6Thomas A. ConstantineApr 1994Jul 1, 1999Bill Clinton– Donnie R. MarshallJul 2, 1999Jun 19, 2000Bill Clinton7Jun 19, 2000Jun 20, 2001– William B. SimpkinsJul 3, 2001Aug 7, 2001George W. Bush8Asa HutchinsonAug 8, 2001Jan 23, 2003George W. Bush9Karen TandySep 17, 2003Nov 10, 2007George W. Bush– Michele LeonhartNov 10, 2007Dec 22, 2010George W. Bush10Dec 22, 2010May 14, 2015Barack Obama– Chuck RosenbergMay 18, 2015Oct 1, 2017Barack Obama– Robert W. PattersonOct 2, 2017Jul 2, 2018Donald Trump– Uttam DhillonJul 2, 2018May 18, 2020Donald Trump– Timothy SheaMay 19, 2020 Jan 20, 2021Donald Trump– D. Christopher EvansJan 20, 2021June 28, 2021Joe Biden11Anne MilgramJune 28, 2021January 20, 2025Joe Biden– Derek S. MaltzJanuary 20, 2025May 2, 2025Donald Trump–Robert MurphyMay 2, 2025July 24, 2025Donald Trump12Terry ColeJuly 24, 2025PresentDonald Trump

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