As the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) inches closer toward its goal of a nationwide first responder network, the people advising the agency are continuing on. FirstNet announced Aug. 18 the reappointment of three board members to an additional three-year term.
Those board members are:
— Sue Swenson, FirstNet chairwoman and CEO of Novatel Wireless, who will continue as chairwoman for another two years;
— Jeff Johnson, FirstNet vice chair, former fire chief and CEO of the Western Fire Chiefs Association; and
— Teri Takai, senior adviser at the Center for Digital Government, and former CIO of Michigan, California and the Department of Defense.
Takai served as state CIO and secretary of the California Technology Agency from 2007 to 2010, and then moved on to become CIO of the U.S. Department of Defense. In April she was named senior adviser at the Center for Digital Government, a national research and advisory institute on IT policies and best practices in state and local government, operated by Techwire parent company e.Republic.
“We are fortunate to have the service of individuals who bring a unique set of skills to the Board as it guides FirstNet in its important work,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker. “Their experience is essential as FirstNet moves closer toward launching a nationwide broadband network that will provide first responders with the 21st-century tools they need to save lives.”
The board members’ new terms follow the expiration of the previous term, which ended Aug. 20, and also the recent appointment of former Seattle Chief Technology Officer Bill Schrier, who will help conceive and deliver innovative services on top of the network’s physical infrastructure.
FirstNet is expected to choose a vendor to build the network later this year.
The story was first published by Government Technology, with reporting from Techwire.
