Expand and leverage the coverage and performance of your network with Airgain and FirstNet

Wednesday, November 3, 2021 10:00 PT/11:00 MT/12:00 CT/1:00 ET

Airgain is working closely with FirstNet, Built with AT&T to bring first responders a larger and more powerful broadband network, allowing you to put it where you need it most – every corner of your jurisdiction. Our panel of subject matter experts will discuss the merits of today’s cutting-edge High Power User Equipment (HPUE), available only to FirstNet MegaRange users. Hear first-hand about the AirgainConnect testing techniques used by Chief Harlin McEwen and Andy Seybold, as they share their groundbreaking results. Brian Goodyear, with Airgain, will also discuss what it all means for end users and why it should matter to you.

With FirstNet and AirgainConnect, you can maximize wireless connectivity and avoid outages during emergency response, in addition to realizing enhanced coverage, higher data speeds, and increased building penetration, all which improve critical communications and situational awareness.

Reserve your spot today! 

Moderator:

Martha Ellis

Presenters:

Andrew Seybold heads Andrew Seybold, Inc. a wireless consulting, education, and publishing company founded in 1991. Mr. Seybold publishes a weekly column known at The Public Safety Advocate which appears on the allthingsfirstnet.com web-site. Clients of the firm include both commercial and public safety entities around the world, and Mr. Seybold’s articles, commentary’s blog are widely read by both wireless sectors.

Mr. Seybold has served on the Motorola Research Visionary Board and IBM’s Mobile Computing Advisory Board, among others. Mr. Seybold is a Fellow in the Radio Club of America for his contributions to the wireless industry, recipient of the Radio Club of America Sarnoff Citation. He was recently honored with two awards from APCO, the Associated Public Safety Communications Officials organization: The President’s Award and a special recognition award. He also received the National Sheriffs’ Association (NSA) President’s Award for his contributions to Public Safety communications and has been recognized by the National Public Safety Telecommunications Council (NPTSC) for his contribution to Public Safety Broadband communications and the Public Safety Spectrum Trust (PSST).

Chief McEwen served for 13 years as the Chief of Police for the Cayuga Heights (NY) Police Department before moving on to serve as the Deputy Commissioner for the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services. He later returned to police work, serving as the Chief of Police for the City of Ithaca (NY) before taking the position of Deputy Assistant Director of the FBI. In addition, he served for more than 37 years as the Chairman of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Communications & Technology Committee. During that time he was the principal representative and spokesperson for the IACP on matters relating to communications and technology.

Brian Goodyear is Product Line Director at Airgain, Inc.

Sponsored by: 

Implementing National Public Safety Broadband Network

Thursday, 8 July 2021 8:00 a.m. EDT

The Public Safety Broadband Technology Association (PSBTA) invites you to an insider’s look at the critical steps leading to the implementation of FirstNet, the Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network, which serves the United States and its territories. Post 9/11, the lack of interoperability and reliable dedicated spectrum for public safety was recognized as a pressing deficiency in the public safety community. Under this common purpose, public safety leaders came together making groundbreaking strides in coalition building, policy and program development, legislative advocacy, and the ongoing innovation that resulted in FirstNet. Hear from the architects of FirstNet and learn firsthand what it took to successfully implement this one-of-a-kind nationwide network dedicated to public safety and the work they do every day!

Forum topics include:

• Rethinking Emergency Response Communications
• Developing Policy and Garnering Public Safety and Legislative Support
• Building and Deploying the FirstNet Authority
• The Role of the Private Partner
• A Q&A Roundtable with our Subject Matter Experts

Speakers:

Al H Gillespie – President, Public Safety Broadband Technology Association

Chief  Al H Gillespie served the fire service for almost 40 years including 15 years as the Fire Chief of three large city fire departments. He also served as the Interim Executive Chief of East County Fire and Rescue. Chief Gillespie served as the President of the International Association of Chiefs (IAFC) 2011-12 and, as all past IAFC Presidents, serves on the President’s Council. During his tenure as President he was instrumental in helping the fire service and all public safety, through Congress, acquire the D-Block bandwidth. Chief Gillespie serves as the Principal of Executive Fire Consultants working with a major multi-national communications company and on firefighter health and safety issues.

Al was a key participant with the Public Safety Alliance representing the fire service on a number of key issue in Washington D.C. during his term as President and Board Member of the International Association of Fire Chiefs.

Al has a bachelor’s degree in fire services administration from Eastern Oregon University and has a Fellowship for Harvard University. He is a Graduate of the National Fire Academy’s Executive Fire Officers Program and has been an instructor in the Program.

Richard A. Mirgon – Vice President, Treasurer, Public Safety Broadband Technology Association

Richard Mirgon, a founding member of the Public Safety Alliance, which was responsible for the reallocation for the “D block” broadband spectrum and the legislation that created FirstNet. Richard has over 30 years of public safety experience with the last 20 years in the public safety technology field. After retiring from government service in 2009 he has been providing consulting service to the private sector, state and local government. He is a Past President for the Association of Public Safety Officials International (APCO). He is currently the co-owner of Next Paradigm Consulting, LLC and Richard Mirgon Consulting LLC with his wife Shari.

Richard has participated in several national and statewide activities to include the FCC’s Intergovernmental Advisory Committee, SAFECOM Executive Committee, and the Commercial Mobile Alerting Services Committee. In December of 1999 he was appointed by Governor Guinn to the State Emergency Response Commission and served as Co-Chair from March 2001 until March of 2006. Additionally, he served as Co-Chair of the WMD/Homeland Security Steering Committee from 1999 thru the fall of 2003.

Richard holds a BA in Political Science and Public Administration.

Martha Ellis – Executive Director, Public Safety Broadband Technology Association

Division Chief Martha Ellis has been a public servant since 1993. She started her career as a hotshot firefighter/EMT with the National Forest Service then moved into her twenty-two year career as a structural firefighter with the Salt Lake City Fire Department. Her career experience includes operations, training, ARFF, and fire prevention, as well as serving as the Salt Lake City fire marshal for over five years. She concluded her exemplary career as the Division Chief over the Logistics, Emergency Management, and the Fire Intelligence Liaison programs for Salt Lake City.

As the five-time world champion and world record holder in the Firefighter Combat Challenge, Martha earned a national reputation as an advocate for firefighter health and fitness. Chief Ellis served as the fitness editor and monthly columnist for Fire Rescue Magazine for five years, and has presented on the topic of fitness, nutrition and the politics of fitness standards across the country. She has been dedicated to the health and wellbeing of all first responders for decades. She is a member of the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) and served on the IAFC Constitution, Bylaws and Resolutions committee for eight years, in addition to serving as the Chair of the Salt Lake Urban Area UASI Communications Subcommittee.

Chief Ellis has earned an Associate’s degree in Fire Science, a Masters in Homeland Security from the Naval Postgraduate School, a Masters in Legal Studies and the University of Utah Law School, a Graduate certificate in Conflict Resolution and Mediation and is a graduate of the Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Senior Executives in State and Local Government leadership program.

Chuck Dowd, Retired Assistant Police Chief Charles F. Dowd spent Chief Charles Dowd spent 35 years with the NYPD in a host of assignments including patrol, detectives, narcotics division, and communications. He was in charge of the the NYC 911 system and police radio communications for 12 years covering such events as September 11th, the northeast blackout, and hurricane Sandy. He was the NYPD’s lead on the development of the NYC 311 system and the effort to create FirstNet. He served on the FirstNet board of directors as an inaugural member.

Jeff Johnson, Retired Fire Chief and Past President of the International Association of Fire Chiefs

Chief Jeff Johnson has an extensive public safety background, with broad experience at the local, national and international level. Chief Johnson rose through the ranks to become the Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue Fire Chief for 15 years retiring in 2010 after a 32-year career. Chief Johnson has authored 2 books: Making the Pieces Fit – A book on merger and consolidation and Recruiting, Training and Maintaining Volunteer Firefighters, both with Jones and Bartlett publishing.

Chief Johnson served as the Vice Chairman of FirstNet who is deploying the world’s first nationwide wireless broadband network dedicated to public safety and national security users. Chief Johnson has served as President of the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), President of the Western and Oregon chiefs and is currently the CEO of the Western Fire Chiefs Association which serves fire chiefs in the 11 western states from Guam/Saipan to Utah. Chief Johnson also has an extensive private sector background serving as an advisor or board member to numerous technology companies. Chief Johnson is also the principal at Sisters Meat and Smokehouse which launched in August of 2016. Chief Johnson is a graduate of Concordia University and the National Fire Academy Executive Fire Officer program.

Chief Chris Moore (Ret)

Chief Chris Moore is a principal at Brooks Bawden Moore, LLC. He is a veteran law enforcement executive with over 34 years of public safety experience. His expertise spans many facets of public safety including field operations management, emergency communications/911 operations, internal affairs investigations, and media relations/crisis communications. Over the course of his public safety career, he has served as a police officer, firefighter, and Emergency Medical Technician (EMT). In 2013, after rising thorough every rank of the San Jose Police Department, Moore retired as Chief of Police of the 10th largest city in the United States (over 1,000,000 population). In 1999, Chief Moore was selected as a White House Fellow and served as Counsel to U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno. In 2004, he was honored as a Fulbright Fellow and studied police accountability/discipline at New Scotland Yard and the London School of Economics.

As a representative of the Major Cities Chiefs Association (MCCA), Chief Moore served as Chair of the Public Safety Alliance (PSA), a group of nine national public safety organizations, created to advocate for legislation to reallocate the 700 MHz D Block spectrum to public safety and for the creation of a nationwide public safety broadband network (NPSBN). This successful nationwide grass roots effort entailed significant consensus building and relationship management at all levels of government. He also served as the MCCA representative to the FBI CJIS Advisory Policy Board (APB) where he served as Chairman of the Information Sharing Subcommittee. Moore is a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) and the California Police Chiefs Association (CPCA).

Chief Moore received his undergraduate degree at the University of California, Berkeley, and a Master of Public Administration degree from San Jose State University. Moore also received an A.S. degree in Fire Science from Indian Valley College. Moore holds a Juris Doctor degree from Lincoln Law School of San Jose where he was voted by his fellow graduates as Outstanding Graduate. He is an active member of the State Bar of California. Chief Moore is a graduate of the FBI National Executive Institute at Quantico, Virginia. He is also a graduate of the California POST Law Enforcement Command College where he was honored by his peers to receive the Hank Koehn Award as the outstanding graduate and to serve as their graduation speaker. Moore is the recipient of numerous awards and citations for specific law enforcement casework including the SJPD Hazardous Duty Award for the confrontation and arrest of an armed homicide suspect at the scene of an active shooter event at a crowded bar.

Paramedic Service Chief Kevin McGinnis (Ret.)

Kevin McGinnis, MPS, Paramedic Service Chief (Ret.) has been an EMS system builder since 1974. He is the communications technology advisor for five national EMS associations, and program manager for public safety communications, rural EMS and community paramedicine for the National Association of State EMS Officials. He received undergraduate and graduate degrees from Brown University and Cornell University in health care delivery systems and hospital administration.

Kevin has been a paramedic, an paramedic service chief for volunteer, private, and hospital-based services, a hospital emergency department director, and Maine’s state EMS director. He is the past Chairman of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s SafeCom Program and continues to serve on its Executive Committee. Kevin is on the Governing Board of the National Public Safety Telecommunications Council and was bestowed its top honor, the Richard DeMello Award, in 2017. Kevin has been an energetic promoter of the nationwide public safety broadband network since 2006. In August, 2015, he was named by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce to a second three-year term on the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) Board of Directors. In 2018, Kevin received the Journal of EMS “Top Ten Innovator Award” for his FirstNet work. He was named by the Government Technology/Solutions for State and Local Government magazine as one of its 2013 “Top 25 Doers, Dreamers & Drivers in Public-Sector Innovation”’.

Sue Swenson, Former FirstNet Board Chairperson

Sue Swenson started her telecom career at Pacific Telesis in California. She spent several decades working in various leadership roles in both the wireline and wireless parts of the business. She subsequently spent the rest of her career in the wireless world running a joint venture for AirTouch and AT&T Wireless, joining Cricket Communications/Leap Wireless in its formative years and becoming T-Mobile’s first Chief Operating Officer. Before her retirement she ventured in to software and led Sage North America for Sage Group PLC. In 2012 she joined the inaugural board of The FirstNet Authority and was appointed Chair of the Board in 2014 and served in that capacity until August of 2018. She serves on the boards of Sonim Technologies, Harmonic Inc and Vislink Technologies.

Edward Parkinson, CEO, FirstNet Authority

Mr. Edward Parkinson is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the FirstNet Authority. He is responsible for overall management of all FirstNet Authority operations and the agency’s strategic direction, to include its unique public-private partnership to deploy and improve the Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network. He previously served as Acting CEO from October 2018 – May 2019.

Before joining the FirstNet Authority, Mr. Parkinson served for five years as a Professional Staff Member for the House Homeland Security Committee, then chaired by Rep. Peter T. King of New York. During this period, Mr. Parkinson’s primary responsibility was in the field of first responder telecommunications. He also worked on issues including national security, emergency preparedness, and cybersecurity. Previously Mr. Parkinson served as an associate at Kearsage Global Advisors, an advocacy firm, and a research analyst at McKenna, Long and Aldridge, an international law firm specializing in public policy. Mr. Parkinson holds degrees from Georgetown University (M.A), and WITS University, (B.A., Hons)

Jeff Bratcher, CTO, FirstNet Authority

Mr. Jeffrey Bratcher is the Chief Network and Technology Officer of the FirstNet Authority. Mr. Bratcher is a key leader involved with the shaping of the technology for the Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network (NPSBN). He led the formation of the FirstNet Authority technology teams as well as the state-of-the-art Innovation and Technology lab located at the FirstNet Authority office in Boulder, Colorado.

Building upon his success as the Chief Technology Officer, Mr. Bratcher was also appointed to lead the network team overseeing the implementation of the nationwide FirstNet broadband network built with AT&T. Mr. Bratcher began his federal service in 2003 with the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) Institute for Telecommunication Sciences (ITS) also located in Boulder, Colorado. Prior to joining federal service, he worked for ten years within the wireless private sector deploying several of the first digital cellular systems in U.S. and international markets. Mr. Bratcher received his BS in Electrical Engineering from Texas Tech University and his MS in Telecommunications from Southern Methodist University.

Jim Bugel, Vice President, FirstNet Program

Jim Bugel is Vice President, FirstNet Program for AT&T. Based in Washington, D.C., Mr. Bugel oversees AT&T’s strategy and policy for all state, local and federal public safety initiatives including FirstNet implementation and the FirstNet Response Operations Group. With over 25 years of experience in the wireless and wired telecommunications industry, Mr. Bugel has a significant background in public safety, national security, cybersecurity and emergency preparedness.

He joined AT&T from Cingular Wireless and has also held leadership roles at BellSouth and GTE. Mr. Bugel led AT&T’s efforts to reshape the public safety communications industry. He worked with Congress and the nation’s public safety leadership to help pass The Middle-Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 – the legislation that created the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet). FirstNet is an independent authority established to provide emergency responders with the first nationwide, high-speed, broadband network dedicated to public safety. Most recently, he led AT&T’s complex and successful bid to build the FirstNet network – a 25-year federal contract AT&T was honored to receive in March of 2017. In 2017, he played a pivotal role in convincing 50 states, five territories, and one district to “opt in” to FirstNet. Prior to his current role, Mr. Bugel was AT&T’s principal public safety and national security representative to the White House, Department of Defense, the Federal Communications Commission, the Department of Homeland Security/Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the FirstNet Program, Response Operations Group. In addition to his primary responsibilities at AT&T, Mr. Bugel served on the International Disaster Response Sub-Committee to the U.S. Department of State’s Advisory Committee on International Communications and Information Policy (ACICIP).

He also has been actively involved in the President’s National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee (NSTAC). Mr. Bugel served as Chair of the FCC’s Joint Advisory Committee on Communications Capabilities of Emergency, Medical and Public Health Care Facilities, a past co-chair of the NSTAC Emergency Communications and Interoperability Task Force, and is a former Vice Chair of Homeland Security’s Communications Sector Coordinating Council (CSCC). Mr. Bugel received his Bachelors in Business Science from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. He resides in McLean, VA.

The PSBTA presents:

FCC Commissioner Simington Talks Public Safety

Aired Monday, February 22, 2021 11:00 a.m. PST/12:00 p.m. MST/1:00 p.m. CST/2:00 p.m. EST

The PSBTA is proud to sponsor the PSSA’s Introductory Interview with recently appointed FCC Commissioner Nathan Simington. Commissioner Simington brings a great deal of experience to his new role, having worked in both the private and public sectors on broadband allocation, use, and access. He has agreed to talk to us regarding his vision and objectives within the FCC and his perspective on communications as related to public safety. Please join us for this exclusive interview with one of our nation’s newest leaders in communications.

Moderator

Division Chief Martha Ellis, Executive Director for the Public Safety Broadband Technology Association

Chief Ellis has twenty-three years’ experience as a wildland and structural firefighter. She served as the Salt Lake City Fire Marshal for over 5-years and concluded her career as the Division Chief over the Logistics, Emergency Management, and the Fire Intelligence Liaison programs. She holds an Associate’s degree in Fire Science, a Masters in Homeland Security from the Naval Postgraduate School, a Graduate certificate in Conflict Resolution and Mediation and a Masters in Legal Studies from the S.J. Quinney School of Law and the University of Utah.

Panel

FCC Commissioner Nathan Simington

Nathan Simington was nominated to serve as a Commissioner of the FCC by President Donald J. Trump. He was confirmed by the United States Senate in 2020.

Commissioner Simington brings both private and public-sector experience to the Commission. Previously, he served as Senior Advisor at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA.) In this role, he worked on many aspects of telecommunications policy, including spectrum allocation and planning, broadband access, and the US Government’s role in the Internet. Prior to joining the Commission, he was senior counsel to Brightstar Corp., an international mobile device services company. In this capacity, he led and negotiated telecommunications equipment and services transactions with leading providers in over twenty countries. Prior to joining Brightstar, he worked as an attorney in private practice.

Commissioner Simington is a graduate of the University of Michigan Law School. He also holds degrees from the University of Rochester and Lawrence University.
Commissioner Simington grew up in Saskatchewan, Canada. He became a United States citizen and now lives in McLean, Virginia with his wife and three children.

Sue Swenson, Chair (ret), FirstNet Authority Board

Sue Swenson started her telecom career at Pacific Telesis in California. She spent several decades working in various leadership roles in both the wireline and wireless parts of the business. She subsequently spent the rest of her career in the wireless world running a joint venture for AirTouch and AT&T Wireless, joining Cricket Communications/Leap Wireless in its formative years and becoming T-Mobile’s first Chief Operating Officer. Before her retirement she ventured in to software and led Sage North America for Sage Group PLC. In 2012 she joined the inaugural board of The FirstNet Authority and was appointed Chair of the Board in 2014 and served in that capacity until August of 2018. She serves on the boards of Sonim Technologies, Harmonic Inc and Vislink Technologies.

Chief Jeff Johnson (Ret)

Chief Jeff Johnson has an extensive public safety background, with broad experience at the local, national and international level. Chief Johnson rose through the ranks to become the Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue Fire Chief for 15 years retiring in 2010 after a 32-year career. Chief Johnson has authored 2 books: Making the Pieces Fit – A book on merger and consolidation and Recruiting, Training and Maintaining Volunteer Firefighters, both with Jones and Bartlett publishing. Chief Johnson served as the Vice Chairman of FirstNet who is deploying the world’s first nationwide wireless broadband network dedicated to public safety and national security users. Chief Johnson has served as President of the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), President of the Western and Oregon chiefs and is currently the CEO of the Western Fire Chiefs Association which serves fire chiefs in the 11 western states from Guam/Saipan to Utah. Chief Johnson also has an extensive private sector background serving as an advisor or board member to numerous technology companies. Chief Johnson is also the principal at Sisters Meat and Smokehouse which launched in August of 2016. Chief Johnson is a graduate of Concordia University and the National Fire Academy Executive Fire Officer program.

Chief Chris Moore (Ret)

Chief Chris Moore is a principal at Brooks Bawden Moore, LLC. He is a veteran law enforcement executive with over 34 years of public safety experience. His expertise spans many facets of public safety including field operations management, emergency communications/911 operations, internal affairs investigations, and media relations/crisis communications. Over the course of his public safety career, he has served as a police officer, firefighter, and Emergency Medical Technician (EMT).

In 2013, after rising thorough every rank of the San Jose Police Department, Moore retired as Chief of Police of the 10th largest city in the United States (over 1,000,000 population). In 1999, Chief Moore was selected as a White House Fellow and served as Counsel to U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno. In 2004, he was honored as a Fulbright Fellow and studied police accountability/discipline at New Scotland Yard and the London School of Economics.

As a representative of the Major Cities Chiefs Association (MCCA), Chief Moore served as Chair of the Public Safety Alliance (PSA), a group of nine national public safety organizations, created to advocate for legislation to reallocate the 700 MHz D Block spectrum to public safety and for the creation of a nationwide public safety broadband network (NPSBN). This successful nationwide grass roots effort entailed significant consensus building and relationship management at all levels of government. He also served as the MCCA representative to the FBI CJIS Advisory Policy Board (APB) where he served as Chairman of the Information Sharing Subcommittee. Moore is a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) and the California Police Chiefs Association (CPCA).

Chief Moore received his undergraduate degree at the University of California, Berkeley, and a Master of Public Administration degree from San Jose State University. Moore also received an A.S. degree in Fire Science from Indian Valley College.

Moore holds a Juris Doctor degree from Lincoln Law School of San Jose where he was voted by his fellow graduates as Outstanding Graduate. He is an active member of the State Bar of California.
Chief Moore is a graduate of the FBI National Executive Institute at Quantico, Virginia. He is also a graduate of the California POST Law Enforcement Command College where he was honored by his peers to receive the Hank Koehn Award as the outstanding graduate and to serve as their graduation speaker.
Moore is the recipient of numerous awards and citations for specific law enforcement casework including the SJPD Hazardous Duty Award for the confrontation and arrest of an armed homicide suspect at the scene of an active shooter event at a crowded bar.

The PSBTA presents:

PSSA Panel Discussion: 4.9 GHz Petitions

Aired on Thursday, January 21, 2021 9:00 a.m. PT/10:00 a.m. MT/11:00 a.m. CT/12:00 p.m. ET

Please join us for a compelling panel discussion on the recent spectrum preservation actions taken on behalf of all first responders. The Public Safety Spectrum Alliance (PSSA) is working to preserve limited broadband spectrum previously allocated to public safety. Standing in opposition to the recent FCC 6th Report and Order to allocate the 4.9 GHz Spectrum to the states, the PSSA has filed two concurrent petitions; one for a stay of further action and another, a Request for Reconsideration of the Report and Order. Our PSSA panel of public safety subject matter experts across all disciplines will take you through the process, why it matters to you, and how you can help support the effort to stand up for mission-critical broadband communications.

Moderator

Division Chief Martha Ellis, Executive Director for the Public Safety Broadband Technology Association

Chief Ellis has twenty-three years’ experience as a wildland and structural firefighter. She served as the Salt Lake City Fire Marshal for over 5-years and concluded her career as the Division Chief over the Logistics, Emergency Management, and the Fire Intelligence Liaison programs. She holds an Associate’s degree in Fire Science, a Masters in Homeland Security from the Naval Postgraduate School, a Graduate certificate in Conflict Resolution and Mediation and a Masters in Legal Studies from the S.J. Quinney School of Law and the University of Utah.

Speakers

Sue Swenson, Chair (ret), FirstNet Authority Board

Sue Swenson started her telecom career at Pacific Telesis in California. She spent several decades working in various leadership roles in both the wireline and wireless parts of the business. She subsequently spent the rest of her career in the wireless world running a joint venture for AirTouch and AT&T Wireless, joining Cricket Communications/Leap Wireless in its formative years and becoming T-Mobile’s first Chief Operating Officer. Before her retirement she ventured in to software and led Sage North America for Sage Group PLC. In 2012 she joined the inaugural board of The FirstNet Authority and was appointed Chair of the Board in 2014 and served in that capacity until August of 2018. She serves on the boards of Sonim Technologies, Harmonic Inc and Vislink Technologies.

Chief Jeff Johnson (Ret.)

Chief Jeff Johnson has an extensive public safety background, with broad experience at the local, national and international level. Chief Johnson rose through the ranks to become the Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue Fire Chief for 15 years retiring in 2010 after a 32-year career. Chief Johnson has authored 2 books: Making the Pieces Fit – A book on merger and consolidation and Recruiting, Training and Maintaining Volunteer Firefighters, both with Jones and Bartlett publishing.

Chief Johnson served as the Vice Chairman of FirstNet who is deploying the world’s first nationwide wireless broadband network dedicated to public safety and national security users. Chief Johnson has served as President of the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), President of the Western and Oregon chiefs and is currently the CEO of the Western Fire Chiefs Association which serves fire chiefs in the 11 western states from Guam/Saipan to Utah. Chief Johnson also has an extensive private sector background serving as an advisor or board member to numerous technology companies. Chief Johnson is also the principal at Sisters Meat and Smokehouse which launched in August of 2016. Chief Johnson is a graduate of Concordia University and the National Fire Academy Executive Fire Officer program.

Chief Chris Moore (Ret.)

Chief Chris Moore is a principal at Brooks Bawden Moore, LLC. He is a veteran law enforcement executive with over 34 years of public safety experience. His expertise spans many facets of public safety including field operations management, emergency communications/911 operations, internal affairs investigations, and media relations/crisis communications. Over the course of his public safety career, he has served as a police officer, firefighter, and Emergency Medical Technician (EMT).

In 2013, after rising thorough every rank of the San Jose Police Department, Moore retired as Chief of Police of the 10th largest city in the United States (over 1,000,000 population). In 1999, Chief Moore was selected as a White House Fellow and served as Counsel to U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno. In 2004, he was honored as a Fulbright Fellow and studied police accountability/discipline at New Scotland Yard and the London School of Economics.

As a representative of the Major Cities Chiefs Association (MCCA), Chief Moore served as Chair of the Public Safety Alliance (PSA), a group of nine national public safety organizations, created to advocate for legislation to reallocate the 700 MHz D Block spectrum to public safety and for the creation of a nationwide public safety broadband network (NPSBN). This successful nationwide grass roots effort entailed significant consensus building and relationship management at all levels of government. He also served as the MCCA representative to the FBI CJIS Advisory Policy Board (APB) where he served as Chairman of the Information Sharing Subcommittee. Moore is a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) and the California Police Chiefs Association (CPCA).

Chief Moore received his undergraduate degree at the University of California, Berkeley, and a Master of Public Administration degree from San Jose State University. Moore also received an A.S. degree in Fire Science from Indian Valley College.

Moore holds a Juris Doctor degree from Lincoln Law School of San Jose where he was voted by his fellow graduates as Outstanding Graduate. He is an active member of the State Bar of California.

Chief Moore is a graduate of the FBI National Executive Institute at Quantico, Virginia. He is also a graduate of the California POST Law Enforcement Command College where he was honored by his peers to receive the Hank Koehn Award as the outstanding graduate and to serve as their graduation speaker.

Moore is the recipient of numerous awards and citations for specific law enforcement casework including the SJPD Hazardous Duty Award for the confrontation and arrest of an armed homicide suspect at the scene of an active shooter event at a crowded bar.

Richard W. Stanek, Sheriff (Ret.)

Rich Stanek is co-founder and Principal Consultant with Public Safety Strategies Group, LLC., bringing his wealth of knowledge from 36 years of public safety experience to clients across the country, including organizational leadership, agency management, national law enforcement best practices, crime reduction strategies, public policy advocacy, corporate security, and expert testimony.

Rich served as the 27th Sheriff of Hennepin County, Minnesota for 12 years, with responsibility for the safety and security of 1.2 million residents. He managed over 1100 employees and volunteers, a budget of $125 million, and provided care and custody for inmates in the largest Jail and Sheriff’s Office in the Upper Midwest.

He is the author of numerous publications providing education for residents regarding emerging public safety and justice issues: Mental Illness among Jail inmates, Opioid Abuse and Addiction, the nexus between Mass Shootings and Mental Illness, the Collapse of the 35W Bridge, Intelligence-led Policing, and FirstNet, the dedicated National Public Safety Broadband Network for First Responders.

Rich served two terms on the Board of Directors for FirstNet: its mission is to develop, build and operate the Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network that equips first responders. FirstNet operates within the U.S. Department of Commerce with a nonpartisan Congressional authorization and $7 billion appropriation. Rich was first appointed in 2014 and in his second term, Rich served as FirstNet’s Chair of Outreach and Advocacy efforts nationwide.

Rich started his policing career in 1983, with the Cottage Grove Police Department and joined the Minneapolis Police Department in 1986; he rose through the ranks to Captain and led the Criminal Investigations Division (Homicide, Burglary, Robbery, Rape, Gangs & Narcotics). During those years, Rich developed strong relationships with residents, pastors, business owners, community groups and local elected leaders; they developed strategies to fight and lower violent crime in Minneapolis. They worked to elect Rich as Hennepin County Sheriff and he re-prioritized Agency personnel and resources for three proven crime fighting initiatives: a Violent Offender Task Force, Criminal Information Sharing & Analysis Unit (CISA) to serve the Sheriff’s Office and 36 local Police Departments in Hennepin County and 7 Counties regionally; and new Crime Lab technology (DNA testing, firearms testing, and Property Crime initiatives). As a result of his leadership, these efforts, and new partnerships, violent crime in Hennepin County dropped by 38% from 2006-2018.

Prior to serving as Sheriff, Rich was appointed by Governor Tim Pawlenty as the State’s Commissioner of Public Safety, and Director of Homeland Security, overseeing nine State Agencies with over 2200 employees; including the Minnesota State Patrol, Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, Emergency Management, Office of Justice Programs and State Fire Marshal.

Rich came to the forefront of State leadership when he was appointed Chairman of the State Peace Officer Standards & Training Board (POST) and then elected as a State Legislator; he served for 5 terms while also working as a Minneapolis Police Officer. He chaired the House of Representatives Public Safety Policy & Finance Committees and authored numerous key legislative initiatives, including Minnesota’s entry into the Nation’s Emergency Management Assistance Compact (“EMAC”), and post-9/11 information sharing and communications initiatives to better equip First Responders.

At both the state and national level, Rich has become well-known for his strong and visible advocacy for advancements in law enforcement public policy, technology, education, and best practices, through his elected and appointed leadership roles. As a result, Rich is a much sought-after media spokesperson, faculty presenter and keynote speaker.

During his service as Sheriff, Rich served as President of the Major County Sheriffs of America (MCSA), Vice President of the National Sheriffs Associations (NSA); and President of the Minnesota Sheriff’s Association (MSA). He served as a Law Enforcement Senior Advisor to the Director of National Intelligence (DNI), Secretary of Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); He is the Past President of the Leaders in National Counterterrorism (LinCT); and served on the Criminal Intelligence Coordinating Council (CICC) and FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF), where he held a top-secret national security clearance. Rich has testified numerous times before Congress regarding community policing strategies, 21st century Policing, countering violent extremism and community engagement.

Rich’s educational background includes an M.A. in Public Administration from Hamline University and a B.A. in Criminal Justice from the University of Minnesota. Additional professional training includes; the Southern Police Institute in Louisville, PERF’s Senior Management Institute for Police at Cambridge University, the U.S. Army War College in Pennsylvania, FBI National Executive Institute in Virginia and the Leaders in National Counterterrorism Training in Australia and the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs (JINSA) in Israel.

Rich lives in Maple Grove, Minnesota, and has been married to his wife, Sally for 36 years; they have 2 adult children and a dog named Teddy. Rich is an avid Northwoods outdoorsman; where he enjoys time at his northern Minnesota cabin; hunting, fishing, boating, hiking and snowmobiling.

Chief Charles Dowd (Ret.)

Charles F. Dowd spent 34 years as a member of the New York City Police Department. As an Assistant Chief he commanded the Office of Information Technology which included the NYPD’s Information Technology Group with 350 members and the Communications Division consisting of more than 1,500 members. He was responsible for the City’s 9-1-1 operation; the nation’s busiest receiving over 12 million calls per year and the N.Y.P.D. police radio operation dispatching 4.5 million radio runs annually. The N.Y.P.D. land mobile radio network has 300 sites, with over 6 voice frequencies, 1,200 receivers, 150 transmitters, and 40,000 radios. He was the police department’s lead representative on several major projects in the City of New Yok including a new digital recording system for 9-1-1. This system was used to run a successful pilot project for domestic violence cases to deliver 9-1-1 emergency calls electronically to prosecutors as evidence for initial court appearances. He was also the Department’s lead on NYC’s 3-1-1 citizen services initiative, and was instrumental in integrating the 3-1-1 system with the City’s 9-1-1 system. He was tasked with the responsibility of establishing the communications plan for public safety/interoperability for the 2003 Republican National Convention held in New York City. He was the NYPD’s lead on the initiative to merge police, fire, emergency medical communications, and 9-1-1 services into one consolidated Public Safety Answering Center, a 2 billion dollar project.

Paramedic Service Chief Kevin McGinnis (Ret.)

Kevin McGinnis, MPS, Paramedic Service Chief (Ret.) has been an EMS system builder since 1974. He is the communications technology advisor for five national EMS associations, and program manager for public safety communications, rural EMS and community paramedicine for the National Association of State EMS Officials.

He received undergraduate and graduate degrees from Brown University and Cornell University in health care delivery systems and hospital administration. Kevin has been a paramedic, an paramedic service chief for volunteer, private, and hospital-based services, a hospital emergency department director, and Maine’s state EMS director.

He is the past Chairman of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s SafeCom Program and continues to serve on its Executive Committee. Kevin is on the Governing Board of the National Public Safety Telecommunications Council and was bestowed its top honor, the Richard DeMello Award, in 2017. Kevin has been an energetic promoter of the nationwide public safety broadband network since 2006. In August, 2015, he was named by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce to a second three-year term on the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) Board of Directors. In 2018, Kevin received the Journal of EMS “Top Ten Innovator Award” for his FirstNet work. He was named by the Government Technology/Solutions for State and Local Government magazine as one of its 2013 “Top 25 Doers, Dreamers & Drivers in Public-Sector Innovation”’.

HOW TO SPONSOR WEBINARS

Public Safety Broadband Technology Association offers a wide range of Marketing and Sponsorship opportunities or companies offering public safety products and services supporting FirstNet. Learn more how you can become a Public Safety Broadband Technology Association Webinar sponsor.

CONTACT:

Martha Ellis – PSBTA Executive Director
(801) 599-3100
mellis@thePSBTA.org

Our Speakers Include:

Richard A. Mirgon – Vice President, Treasurer, Public Safety Broadband Technology Association

Richard Mirgon, a founding member of the Public Safety Alliance, which was responsible for the reallocation for the “D block” broadband spectrum and the legislation that created FirstNet. Richard has over 30 years of public safety experience with the last 20 years in the public safety technology field. After retiring from government service in 2009 he has been providing consulting service to the private sector, state and local government. He is a Past President for the Association of Public Safety Officials International (APCO). He is currently the co-owner of Next Paradigm Consulting, LLC and Richard Mirgon Consulting LLC with his wife Shari.

Richard has participated in several national and statewide activities to include the FCC’s Intergovernmental Advisory Committee, SAFECOM Executive Committee, and the Commercial Mobile Alerting Services Committee. In December of 1999 he was appointed by Governor Guinn to the State Emergency Response Commission and served as Co-Chair from March 2001 until March of 2006. Additionally, he served as Co-Chair of the WMD/Homeland Security Steering Committee from 1999 thru the fall of 2003.

Richard holds a BA in Political Science and Public Administration.

Karl W. Wilmes – Deputy Executive Director, Public Safety Broadband Technology Association

Karl W. Wilmes served as the Chief of Police for the City of Federal Heights, Colorado from January 2015 until his retirement in January 2018. During his career in law enforcement, while leading three agencies, he developed a culture of police and community involvement and organizational accountability.

Prior to his appointment as Chief of Police, at the City of Federal Heights, Karl served as the Homeland Security Director for Colorado (OPSFS) and Deputy Director for the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Serving as Deputy Director for the CBI, Karl was responsible to provide direction and management oversight for the CBI business units and all state criminal justice information systems.

Karl continues to remain active in law enforcement advising clients on public safety wireless communication, CJIS (data sharing), biometrics, strategic planning, investigations, and training. Professionally, Karl is a member of numerous organizations. He serves on the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) national CJIS committee. He remains an active member at IACP and is a member of the Police Executive Research Forum. During his career he participated on numerous national and statewide criminal justice boards. Locally, he is a past president of the Colorado Association of Chiefs of Police and currently a member.

Karl has a Master’s degree in Management and a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice. He is a graduate of the Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Senior Executives in State and Local Government leadership program, the 187th session of the FBI National Academy and Northwestern University’s School of Police Staff and Command.

Chuck Dowd, Retired Assistant Police Chief

Charles F. Dowd spent Chief Charles Dowd spent 35 years with the NYPD in a host of assignments including patrol, detectives, narcotics division, and communications. He was in charge of the the NYC 911 system and police radio communications for 12 years covering such events as September 11th, the northeast blackout, and hurricane Sandy. He was the NYPD’s lead on the development of the NYC 311 system and the effort to create FirstNet. He served on the FirstNet board of directors as an inaugural member.

Chief Chris Moore (Ret)

Chief Chris Moore is a principal at Brooks Bawden Moore, LLC. He is a veteran law enforcement executive with over 34 years of public safety experience. His expertise spans many facets of public safety including field operations management, emergency communications/911 operations, internal affairs investigations, and media relations/crisis communications.

Over the course of his public safety career, he has served as a police officer, firefighter, and Emergency Medical Technician (EMT). In 2013, after rising thorough every rank of the San Jose Police Department, Moore retired as Chief of Police of the 10th largest city in the United States (over 1,000,000 population). In 1999, Chief Moore was selected as a White House Fellow and served as Counsel to U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno. In 2004, he was honored as a Fulbright Fellow and studied police accountability/discipline at New Scotland Yard and the London School of Economics.

As a representative of the Major Cities Chiefs Association (MCCA), Chief Moore served as Chair of the Public Safety Alliance (PSA), a group of nine national public safety organizations, created to advocate for legislation to reallocate the 700 MHz D Block spectrum to public safety and for the creation of a nationwide public safety broadband network (NPSBN). This successful nationwide grass roots effort entailed significant consensus building and relationship management at all levels of government. He also served as the MCCA representative to the FBI CJIS Advisory Policy Board (APB) where he served as Chairman of the Information Sharing Subcommittee. Moore is a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) and the California Police Chiefs Association (CPCA). Chief Moore received his undergraduate degree at the University of California, Berkeley, and a Master of Public Administration degree from San Jose State University. Moore also received an A.S. degree in Fire Science from Indian Valley College. Moore holds a Juris Doctor degree from Lincoln Law School of San Jose where he was voted by his fellow graduates as Outstanding Graduate.

He is an active member of the State Bar of California. Chief Moore is a graduate of the FBI National Executive Institute at Quantico, Virginia. He is also a graduate of the California POST Law Enforcement Command College where he was honored by his peers to receive the Hank Koehn Award as the outstanding graduate and to serve as their graduation speaker. Moore is the recipient of numerous awards and citations for specific law enforcement casework including the SJPD Hazardous Duty Award for the confrontation and arrest of an armed homicide suspect at the scene of an active shooter event at a crowded bar.

Sue Swenson, Former FirstNet Board Chairperson

Sue Swenson started her telecom career at Pacific Telesis in California. She spent several decades working in various leadership roles in both the wireline and wireless parts of the business. She subsequently spent the rest of her career in the wireless world running a joint venture for AirTouch and AT&T Wireless, joining Cricket Communications/Leap Wireless in its formative years and becoming T-Mobile’s first Chief Operating Officer. Before her retirement she ventured in to software and led Sage North America for Sage Group PLC. In 2012 she joined the inaugural board of The FirstNet Authority and was appointed Chair of the Board in 2014 and served in that capacity until August of 2018. She serves on the boards of Sonim Technologies, Harmonic Inc and Vislink Technologies.

Jeff Bratcher, CTO, FirstNet Authority

Mr. Jeffrey Bratcher is the Chief Network and Technology Officer of the FirstNet Authority. Mr. Bratcher is a key leader involved with the shaping of the technology for the Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network (NPSBN). He led the formation of the FirstNet Authority technology teams as well as the state-of-the-art Innovation and Technology lab located at the FirstNet Authority office in Boulder, Colorado. Building upon his success as the Chief Technology Officer, Mr. Bratcher was also appointed to lead the network team overseeing the implementation of the nationwide FirstNet broadband network built with AT&T.

Mr. Bratcher began his federal service in 2003 with the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) Institute for Telecommunication Sciences (ITS) also located in Boulder, Colorado. Prior to joining federal service, he worked for ten years within the wireless private sector deploying several of the first digital cellular systems in U.S. and international markets. Mr. Bratcher received his BS in Electrical Engineering from Texas Tech University and his MS in Telecommunications from Southern Methodist University.

Kelley Adley, Director of Strategy and Policy, FirstNet Response Operations Group at AT&T

Within the AT&T FirstNet organization, Kelley Adley is responsible for building and maintaining key strategic public safety relationships for the AT&T FirstNet organization. He is also responsible for leading strategy/policy development and FirstNet innovation based on specific and evolving first responder needs. His special focus areas include law enforcement, intelligence, land mobile radio technologies, information sharing, and technology/application/communications innovation.

Fred Scalera, Director of Public Safety Strategy, FirstNet Response Operations Group at AT&T

Fred Scalera is a Director of Public Safety Strategy for the AT&T FirstNet Program. He is Responsible for facilitating collaborative innovation with FirstNet users, and for strategic alignment for Public Safety. Fred also serves as the Director of The Response Operations Group.

Fred Scalera has a long history of public safety service and innovation. Fred retired in 2008 as a Deputy Chief with the Nutley Fire Department in New Jersey. During his time with the Nutley Fire Department, Fred was assigned to the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office Arson Task Force. Fred was the first Fire Service Arson Investigator to attend a Police Academy. He served as an instructor at the Essex County Police Academy for over 25 years.

During Fred’s career with the Fire Service and Municipal Government he also became a Certified Fire Official. Other responsibilities included radio communications, the Township Information Technology Bureau and the Emergency Management Coordinator. Fred not only served his home Township of Nutley, but also within Essex County as a Deputy Sherriff, the Deputy Director of the County Office of Emergency Management and the Hazardous Material Coordinator.

Fred also served in the New Jersey State Legislature. He rose to be the Deputy Speaker of the New Jersey General Assembly and served Chairman of the Homeland Security Preparedness Committee. He was also served as the Bureau Chief of Interoperable Communications and was responsible for NJ as one of the FirstNet Early Builder projects.