APCO Welcomes Announcement of New FirstNet Board Members
Alexandria, VA – Today, Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker announced five new members of the FirstNet Board of Directors. Secretary Pritzker appointed Sheriff Richard Stanek of Hennepin County, Minnesota, Chief of Police Chris Burbank of Salt Lake City, Utah, former Vermont Governor James Douglas, Mayor Annise Parker of Houston, Texas, and technology executive Frank Plastina. Additionally, Secretary Pritzker reappointed Ed Reynolds, who is one of the board’s inaugural members.
APCO President John Wright congratulated Secretary Pritzker on the appointments. “I commend the Secretary on the selection of well-qualified professionals with diverse backgrounds. Each of these new members brings a high level of expertise that will be valuable to the deployment of the nationwide public safety broadband network.” President Wright also commended FirstNet’s outgoing members. “APCO appreciates the service of the departing board members who played a formative role in FirstNet’s development.”
“We look forward to working with the newly-constituted board, led by Chairwoman Swenson, as well as FirstNet’s dedicated staff to ensure the success of this critical endeavor for public safety communications,” Wright continued. “We especially welcome the opportunity to work with Sheriff Stanek and Chief Burbank, who join existing public safety board members, Jeff Johnson and Kevin McGinnis. Their accomplishments and considerable experience will ensure the public safety community continues to be well-represented on the board.”
APCO International (www.apcointl.org)
APCO International is the world’s oldest and largest organization of public safety communications professionals and supports the largest U.S. membership base of any public safety association. It serves the needs of public safety communications practitioners worldwide – and the welfare of the general public as a whole.