U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross appointed six leaders in public safety, technology and network financing to the board of the FirstNet First Responder Network Authority. The new members bring the FirstNet board to a full complement, with 12 non-permanent members selected by the Commerce Department and three permanent seats filled by the Attorney General, the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget.
The board oversees FirstNet to ensure that FirstNet and AT&T, develop, build, and operate a nationwide broadband network that will best equip first responders to save lives and protect U.S. communities. In September, Secretary Ross reappointed Edward Horowitz to the board and named him Board Chair.
Secretary Ross appointed five members to the FirstNet Board for three-year terms:
- Richard Carrizzo, Chief of the Southern Platte Fire Protection District, Kansas City, Missouri, who also serves as lead fire representative on the policy board that manages the region’s 911 system.
- Welton Chase, Jr. Brig. Gen. (ret.), U.S. Army, Army Information Technology (Signal), led the Army’s largest theater information technology organization supporting over 430,000 Army users across 81 data centers in 38 states.
- Brian Crawford, Chief Administrative Officer, City of Shreveport, Louisiana, responsible for the city’s fire, police and public works departments.
- Billy Hewes, Mayor, Gulfport, Mississippi, who’s played a key role in recovery operations from natural and man-made disasters.
- Paul R. Patrick, Division Director, Family Health and Preparedness, Utah Department of Health, Salt Lake City, and past president of the National Association of State EMS Officials.
In addition, Secretary Ross reappointed one current board member to serve in a new three-year term:
- Neil Cox, CEO, Repio, Inc., Seal Beach, California, has chaired the FirstNet board’s Technology Committee.
November 6, 2018
