Statement by Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff on Senior Leadership Appointments

Release Date: April 4, 2007

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
Contact: 202-282-8010

I am pleased to announce the following appointments within the National Protection and Programs Directorate (NPPD) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

National Protection and Programs Directorate (NPPD)

Robert D. Jamison will serve as the Deputy Under Secretary for the National Protection and Programs Directorate. Robert will help lead our national efforts to protect our critical infrastructure and prevent attacks on it and improve the resiliency of essential cyber-security and communications capabilities.

Robert has served the department since 2005 as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). I have come to rely upon Robert’s sound counsel and expertise in his role as TSA’s chief operating officer. He is a proven leader and has my utmost respect for his tireless work and innovative management skills. As a member of the department’s leadership team, Robert has done outstanding work to strengthen TSA’s security capabilities.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will continue to benefit from Robert’s considerable management experience, which includes senior leadership positions at the U.S. Department of Transportation from 2001 to 2005 in the department’s railroad and transit administrations, 12 years with United Parcel Service, and as the Senior Operations Officer for the American Red Cross.

Robert A. Mocny will serve as the director of the United States Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology (US-VISIT) program. Robert has been the Deputy Director of US-VISIT, and has recently served as the program’s Acting Director. He will continue to oversee the important work of US-VISIT, balancing the security of our citizens and visitors through biometric authentication, while facilitating legitimate trade and travel.

Robert has an impressive background on immigration and naturalization, DHS systems integration issues and is a valuable member of the DHS team. He knows the program inside-and-out and has the vision and expertise to take US-VISIT to the next level.

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

Christopher T. Geldart will serve as the director of the Office of National Capitol Region Coordination (ONCRC) within FEMA where he will oversee and coordinate federal programs and domestic preparedness initiatives for state, local and regional authorities in the National Capital Region.

I welcome Chris to the DHS team and look forward to working with him in this vital position. Chris brings a wealth of knowledge on state homeland security issues and recently led Maryland’s Homeland Security Program Executive Office.

While serving within the Maryland Office of Homeland Security, Chris designed and led the efforts to improve the state’s all hazards prevention, protection, response, and recovery capabilities. His work in this arena, including an important role to protect Maryland’s critical infrastructure, will allow him to make an immediate impact at DHS and hit the ground running.

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This page was last modified on April 4, 2007