APCO International Awards Leaders in Public Safety Policy
Last night the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International honored the recipients of its prestigious Public Safety Leadership in Policy Awards during APCO’s Annual Public Safety Communications Leadership Dinner in Washington, DC.
Before an audience of representatives from the public safety community, government agencies, and other industry stakeholders, APCO presented awards to the following outstanding advocates for public safety communications:
Leadership in Advocacy Award
Bill Schrier
Senior Policy Advisor
Office of the Chief Information Officer
Washington State
In addition to his position with the state of Washington, Bill Schrier chairs the Washington State Interoperability Executive Committee (SIEC), serves as Washington State’s Single Point of Contact (SPOC) for FirstNet, and chairs APCO’s Broadband Committee. He also writes a blog on information technology and government that frequently addresses important public safety issues, and is widely recognized as a thought leader in applying new technologies and thinking to public safety purposes.
Leadership in Regulatory Service Award
David Goldman
Chief Counsel for Communications and Technology, Minority Staff
Energy and Commerce Committee
U.S. House of Representatives
Before joining the Energy and Commerce Committee, Mr. Goldman served as the Senior Legal Advisor for FCC Commissioner Rosenworcel and as a legal advisor to former FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski where he specialized in public safety and wireless issues. Mr. Goldman also was previously detailed as a Communications Counsel for the United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. In all of these high-profile roles, Mr. Goldman has been a strong proponent of effective measures to improve public safety communications.
Leadership in Legislative Service Award
The Honorable John Shimkus
U.S. Representative
Congressman Shimkus was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1996 and currently represents the 15th District of Illinois. As a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, he has spearheaded legislative initiatives such as designating 9-1-1 as the universal emergency number in the United States, expanding federal grants for equipment used to locate wireless 9-1-1 callers, and facilitating the advancement of Next Generation 9-1-1. Congressman Shimkus is also a co-chair and co-founder of the Congressional NextGen 9-1-1 Caucus, a joint initiative formed in 2003 to elevate the visibility of E9-1-1 at the federal level.
Leadership in Advancing Communications Policy Award
Susan Swenson
Chairwoman, First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet)
Sue Swenson was an inaugural member of the FirstNet board and was appointed to serve as the second chair of the FirstNet board in May 2014. During her tenure as chairwoman, FirstNet has made significant progress toward establishing a nationwide public safety broadband network. FirstNet grew a team of talented and committed professionals with a startup-like culture, conducted outreach with stakeholders across the country, and issued two Public Notices seeking comment on proposed legal interpretations and a Request for Information for comprehensive network solutions designed to guide its Request for Proposals.
“Last night we honored a deserving group of individuals for their dedication to the advancement of public safety communications,” said APCO President John Wright. “We are thankful for their service and look forward to their future contributions as we work together to improve public safety communications throughout the United States.”
For information about the Awards Dinner, visit leadersdinner.apcointl.org. A portion of the proceeds from this event goes to the Public Safety Foundation of America, which provides support to agencies and individuals in the public safety community.
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.