People
People: TSA names Novak to top personnel post
February 20th, 2008
The Transportation Security Administration promoted Michael Novak, former chief of staff within the TSA’s Federal Air Marshal Service, to serve as assistant director of personnel within FAM. Novak will oversee the hiring, training and retention of that division’s professional employees. Prior to joining TSA in 2003, Novak held a series of managerial positions with the U.S. Secret Service, including a stint as deputy special agent in charge of the Presidential Protective Detail.
People: QinetiQ names Giambastiani to board, replacing George Tenet
February 11th, 2008
QinetiQ Group plc, the international defense and security technology company, named retired Admiral Edmund Giambastiani as a non-executive director. Giambastiani, who rose to be the nation’s second ranking military officer, is filling the seat formerly held by ex-CIA chief George Tenet. Tenet, meanwhile, will take up a position on the board of a key subsidiary, QinetiQ North America. Both appointments reflect the parent company’s aggressive move to capture North American security market share.
People: Chertoff taps agency veterans to fill two key DHS posts
February 4th, 2008
DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff announced the appointment of Scott Charbo as Deputy Under Secretary for the National Protection and Programs Directorate. Charbo’s former position, as Chief Information Officer for DHS, will be filled by his deputy, Charles Armstrong. Charbo played a key role in unifying IT within DHS, being the catalyst behind the consolidation of the agency’s seven wide-area networks into a single network called OneNet (whose completion is expected later this year). He also established the agency’s two enterprise-wide data centers and led the drive to establish a common e-mail environment. Armstrong previously served as CIO for DHS’s Border and Transportation Directorate and for U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
People: Mills named president of Northrop IT
January 28th, 2008
Northrop Grumman Corp.’s board of directors elected Linda Mills as corporate VP and president of its information technology division effective February 1. The division has sales of $4 billion annually, with over 18,000 employees worldwide. Mills joined Northrop Grumman following its TRW acquisition in 2002 and has been president of the company’s Civilian Agencies business group in the IT sector. She succeeds James O’Neill, who will retire May 1.
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People: Tom Ridge to advise TechRadium on homeland security markets
January 18th, 2008
Former DHS Secretary Tom Ridge has been retained as a senior advisor to TechRadium, Inc., a Texas-based security technology company whose patented alert and notification system (the Immediate Response Information System, known as IRIS) is used by public schools, universities and military programs. Ridge, who will remain CEO of his consulting firm, Ridge Global, LLP, is expected to advise TechRadium on expanding into new markets for IRIS.
People: Chertoff welcomes DHS chief procurement officer
January 11th, 2008
DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff announced the selection of Thomas Essig to serve as chief procurement officer for the department. In his welcoming remarks, Chertoff noted that Essig’s responsibilities will include management, administration and oversight of all the department’s acquisition, financial assistance, strategic sourcing and competitive sourcing programs, involving almost $12 billion in expenditures in FY 2008. Prior to holding office at DHS, Essig served in a variety of executive positions in the U.S. Navy, most recently as director of the Program Analysis and Business Transformation Division.
People: Chertoff lauds Senate confirmation of DHS leaders
January 7th, 2008
DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff thanked the Senate for its confirmation of four leaders of key agencies within the department, including:
Robert Jamison, as under secretary of the national protection & programs directorate, charged with strengthening cyber security and working with the private sector to harden critical infrastructure;
Julie Myers, assistant secretary heading up Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Chertoff cited her role in pushing for an activist approach, including a dramatic increase in worksite enforcement arrests as well as deportations;
Dr. Jeffrey Runge, now serving as chief medical officer and assistant secretary for the Office of Health Affairs, where he plays a key role in coordinating federal efforts in bio-defense and medical planning;
Ross Ashley, assistant administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, who will be relied on to help restore morale within the agency, while strengthening the agency’s ability to respond to emergencies and natural disasters.
Detroit grand jury indicts 11 for spamming with a botnet attack
January 4th, 2008
A federal grand jury in Detroit today unsealed a 41-count indictment against 11 people for allegedly running a large international spamming operation that relied, in part, on a botnet attack that took control of unsuspecting computers and drafted them into the illegal spamming effort.
