A 12-year veteran of the U.S. Border Patrol has been promoted to the position of patrol agent in charge of the Blythe Border Patrol Station.

Gregory Bovino, who assumed command of the station earlier this year, comes to the Yuma sector from the Office of Border Patrol Headquarters where he served since 2004 as an assistant chief.

"We definitely made a good gain getting him," said agent Michael Bernacke, a spokesman for the Yuma sector. "He has a large amount of experience under his belt. The programs he managed in D.C. had a national impact on the Border Patrol."

Bovino began his career in the Border Patrol in the El Centro sector in 1996. During his career, Bovino has served as a supervisory border patrol agent in the El Centro sector and as an acting field operations supervisor at the Border Patrol Tactical Unit (BORTAC) Headquarters in El Paso, Texas.

In these capacities, he was a co-founder of the El Centro Sector Special Response Team (SRT) and maintained oversight of the El Centro sector Mountain Disrupt Unit.

In El Paso, Bovino oversaw counter bandit operations, crewman control; site surveys/risk assessments, Arizona Border Control Initiative (ABCI), and Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP).

In 2004, Bovino was promoted to the Office of Border Patrol Headquarters (HQOBP) in Washington, D.C., as an assistant chief.

During his tenure at HQOBP, Bovino managed BORTAC, SRT, BORSTAR, the COOP, Operation Stonegarden, and assisted in coordinating the Border Patrol’s response to Hurricane Katrina.

Prior to his promotion to the Blythe Station, Bovino assumed the temporary position of associate chief over the agency's Special Operations Division.

Among his accomplishments, Bovino holds two master’s degrees from Appalachian State University and the National War College. He completed the BORTAC Basic Selection Course in 2000.