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FirstNet Reappoints Three Board Members

The First Responder Network Authority announced the reappointment of three board members to an additional three-year term.

As the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) inches closer toward its goal of a nationwide first responder network, the people who advise the agency become more important than ever. And on Aug. 18, FirstNet announced 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;
  • Jeff Johnson, FirstNet vice chair, former fire chief and CEO of the Western Fire Chiefs Association; and
  • Teri Takai, senior advisor at the Center for Digital Government, and former CIO of Michigan, California and the Department of Defense.
It was also announced that Swenson will continue as chairwoman for another two years.

“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.

Colin wrote for Government Technology and Emergency Management from 2010 through most of 2016.