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BG Michael C. McDaniel, Assistant Adjutant General for Homeland Security, Michigan National Guard, was appointed as the Governor’s Homeland Security Advisor, in February 2003. In June 2006, the U.S. Senate confirmed BG McDaniel’s promotion to Brigadier General.
BG McDaniel serves as the liaison between the Governor’s Office and all Federal, State and local homeland security agencies and is responsible for developing statewide homeland security preparedness policy and for coordinating homeland security plans and training development. His duties include coordinating efforts to protect Michigan and its critical infrastructure from terrorist attacks, to ensure State agencies have interoperable IT and communications systems, and to prepare for, prevent, and mitigate the consequences of terrorist threats or attacks.
BG McDaniel serves as a member of the National Governors Association’s Homeland Security Advisors Council on its Executive Committee.
As Michigan’s Assistant Adjutant General for Homeland Security, BG McDaniel has command and control of the Homeland Security Directorate. He is directly responsible for over 700 full and part-time soldiers and volunteers – the “First Responders” for the Michigan National Guard.
In May 2006, BG McDaniel served as the Michigan Exercise Director for ARDENT SENTRY 2006 (AS06). This national-level homeland security exercise, the first since Hurricane Katrina, tested the response ability of Federal, State, and local agencies to Incidents of National Significance under the National Response Plan.
Previously, BG McDaniel was the Assistant Attorney General for Litigation, in the Michigan Department of Attorney General, Executive Division.
BG McDaniel has a Bachelor of Arts degree from St. Bonaventure University, a Juris Doctorate degree from Case Western Reserve University School of Law, a Master of Strategic Studies degree from the Army War College, and has a Master of Arts in Security Studies (Homeland Security) degree from the Naval Postgraduate School.
John Ball has been a Police Officer with the Indianapolis (IN) Police Department for sixteen years. He currently holds the appointed rank of Major and is assigned as commander of the Bureau of Strategic Planning and Emergency Preparedness. One function of the bureau is citywide coordination of special event planning, including planning for the involvement in large events such as the Indianapolis 500 and professional sporting events. The bureau is also responsible for planning on matters related to domestic preparedness, including policy development, grant coordination, and regional coordination. Ball also has managerial responsibilities for Planning and Research, Crime Analysis, I.T., and officers assigned to the Indiana State Fusion Center. Ball serves on the Indianapolis/Marion County Technology Board.
Ball earned a Bachelor's degree in Political Science and Sociology from Butler University in 1988 and a Master's degree in Public Affairs from Indiana University. Ball is also a graduate of the 212th session of the FBI National Academy.
Mr. Battese is the Director of the Department of Public Safety for the Miami Nation and has been since 2001. The Miami Nation is located in Ottawa County, Oklahoma, with headquarters in Miami, Oklahoma. The Department of Public Safety addresses both law enforcement and the Nation's homeland security concerns.
Mr. Battese also administrates the Nation's road program. He was appointed to the Oklahoma Department of Transportation's Tribal Advisory Board by Governor Brad Henry and serves as Vice-Chairman. Mr. Battese serves on the Miami Nation's governing body in the 2nd Councilman position.
Mr. Battese established the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation's Tribal Police Department departmental Policy & Procedures, standard operational policies, hiring standards, and equipment, vehicles, communications and facilities policies. Mr. Battese served the Potawatomi Nation, located in Mayetta, Kansas, for five years as Chief of Police. Mr. Battese worked with the Kansas Legislation to obtain statutory state law enforcement status for Tribal Police. In 2003, Senate Bill 9 was enacted and gave law enforcement status to tribal police officers.
Mr. Battese held Special Agent positions with the Santa Fe Railway Police Department for 18 years. During Desert Storm, Mr. Battese was regularly assigned to the protection of military equipment shipments. Mr. Battese has extensive knowledge and experience in railroad operations.
Mr. Battese held Deputy Sheriff and Under-Sheriff Positions with the Jackson County Kansas Sheriff Department. Mr. Battese also worked with the Federal Bureau of Investigation in clerical position in the Kansas City, Mo. field office. Mr. Battese served in US Air Force as an aircraft mechanic and attended college in Kansas City, Missouri.
Chief Bradley has been serving in Indian Country Law Enforcement for over 26 years now with a majority of his career spent working for the Navajo Department of Law Enforcement. He began his career in 1981 working his way up in the ranks to being the Acting Chief of Police for the Navajo Nation Police Department until December 2002. He has been actively involved in Public Safety in Indian country teaching Prevention Programs to community and youth groups, Basic and Advance Police Programs for the Navajo Police Academy and other Arizona Academies, and is a Board Member for the National Indian Youth Police Academy.
His current position as the Chief of Police for the Hualapai Police Department has allowed him to continue on in promoting Professional Law Enforcement Services in Indian Country with the emphasis on Public Safety for the Indian Communities of his jurisdiction.
In March of 2007, John Buturla was appointed as the Chief of Police for Stratford, Connecticut.
John Buturla began his professional career in 1979 as a Police Officer in the town of Trumbull, Connecticut. He joined the Connecticut State Police in November of 1982.
He rose through the ranks to Major and served in numerous assignments, including Commanding Officer of Major Crime, Professional Standards, Labor Relations and patrol troops. He was also the Chief of Staff for the State Police and counter-terrorism liaison with the FBI.
In October of 2001, Buturla was appointed as the Deputy Director of Homeland Security for the State of Connecticut. Buturla was appointed as the Director of Homeland Security in February 2004. He served in this position until January of 2005, when he was appointed as the Director of Scientific Services for the Department of Public Safety.
Buturla retired from the State of Connecticut in March of 2005 to accept an appointment as the Chief Administrative Officer for the City of New Haven, Ct. Buturla also served as the Director of Emergency Management and chaired the Urban Area Security Initiative Working Group.
Buturla has a B.S. Degree in Criminal Justice from Sacred Heart University. In 1982 Sacred Heart University recognized him as "The Most Promising Criminal Justice Scholar." He received a M.S. Degree in Forensic Science from the University of New Haven in 1988, where he received a Graduate Fellowship for Academic Excellence. On December 17, 1999 Buturla graduated from the FBI National Academy Program at Quantico, Virginia. He is also an Adjunct Professor for the Graduate Program in National Security at the University of New Haven. He has published material relating to Homeland Security and Law Enforcement.
Major Dailey is a 26-year veteran of the KCPD and has held assignments in each bureau in the department. He is currently the Commander of the Homeland Security/Professional Standards Division and the Co-Chair for the KC Terrorism Early Warning Group. He is also the Critical Incident Commander for the Kansas City Chiefs Football Club and is a Resident Security Agent for Major League Baseball in Kansas City, Mo.
He has held several assignments in the Tactical Response Units; has worked numerous critical incidents including the Hyatt Regency skywalk collapse, the 727 air crash near KCI, the Chemtrec explosion and was the Incident Commander for the F4 level tornado which affected Kansas City Mo. He has taught Critical Incident Management for KCPD and outside agencies.
He served as the site security commander for the AT&T Global Olympic Village during the 1996 Summer Olympics and was part of the response to the bombing at the Olympic Centennial Park. He was the Deputy Detail Leader for Executive Protection for the Salt Lake Organizing Committee during the 2002 Winter Olympics.
He serves as the chairperson for the KCPD Counter Terrorism Patrol Strategy Committee, and is on the Regional Homeland Security Coordinating Committee, (Co-Chairs the 1st Responder sub-committee), Local Emergency Planning Committee, Kansas City Missouri Emergency Management Committee and the Port Security Management Board. He is an adjunct faculty member of Webster University, teaching a graduate course in Emergency Planning, and of the Naval Postgraduate School as co-instructor of the Foundations of Homeland Defense and Security at Mo. State University.
Major Dailey holds a B.S. Education, Social Studies from Central Missouri State University, a Masters of Public Administration from Park University, and a Masters of Securities Studies, Homeland Security and Defense from the Naval Postgraduate School.
Justin DeMello has over 30 years of public safety and emergency management experience. Since April 2006, Mr. DeMello has served as the Director of Denver's Office of Emergency Management. He oversees all aspects of emergency response and recovery operations, planning, logistics, training, exercises, and community outreach. In addition, Mr. DeMello serves as the Chair for the Department of Homeland Security's Urban Area Security Initiative in Denver.
Mr. DeMello served as a Federal Coordinating Officer for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) from 2003 to 2006. He also served as FEMA's Deputy Director of Long Term Recovery for Florida. In spring 2006, Mr. DeMello was deployed to Louisiana, assisting the recovery efforts for the New Orleans area.
Mr. DeMello was also the Exercise and Training Officer for the City and County of Denver from 2002 to 2003 where he developed emergency management training courses for local officials, agencies and organizations, including the design and delivery of table-top, functional and full-scale exercises. In addition, he facilitated discussions with local communities to expand citizen preparedness.
He has extensive first responder experience, having worked for the Los Angeles County Fire Department from 1976 to 2001. Starting as a wild land air attack firefighter, Mr. DeMello also held the positions of Firefighter, Paramedic, Engineer and Captain. Mr. DeMello was assigned to the large scale events affecting the Los Angeles area, including many large scale wild land fires, winter floods, two major earthquakes, airliner tragedies and the Los Angeles riots. Mr. DeMello expanded his experience by taking on assignments such as a Wild land Crew Supervisor, Public Information Officer, and lead at Los Angeles County's Command and Control Facility.
He is currently a board member of the Mile High Regional Trauma Advisory Council.
Jeffrey Friedland has been the Director of Emergency Management/Homeland Security for St. Clair County since 1988. He has been involved in the field of emergency services his entire career and has the opportunity to serve as president of two statewide organizations, the Michigan Emergency Management Association and the Michigan State Fireman’s Association.
Mr. Friedland has received two degrees; an Associate’s in law enforcement and Bachelor’s in business, and is recognized as a Professional Emergency Manager by the State of Michigan. He is currently enrolled in the Master’s Degree Program through the Center for Homeland Defense and Security at the Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California.
Jeff was appointed to the Michigan Public Safety Communications System Advisory Board by Governor Granholm in 2005. He served as the Chairman of the Tactical Interoperability Planning Committee which was charged with developing the State plan.
During his journey as the Director for St. Clair County, his accomplishments include planning, preparing and coordinating numerous International exercises, the formation of a county-wide response team, creation of planning districts, and the implementation of GIS into the planning and response process among other things. He has been responsible in obtaining numerous public and private grants for various Homeland Security projects.
Prior to being sworn in as Lt. Governor, Patty Judge served two terms as Iowa Secretary of Agriculture. Elected in 1998 and re-elected in 2002, she was the first woman to serve in this position.
During her years in the office, Patty became a nationally known figure. She served as the Secretary of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture and she served on the United States Home Land Security's Agricultural Sector Government Coordinating Council. She was one of two Secretaries of Agriculture nationally to sit on this council.
In addition to her work with the Government Coordinating Council, in 2005, then Secretary Judge, spearheaded the creation of the Center for Agriculture Security. It was created to respond to emergencies and disasters that affected Iowa's agriculture sector. She also played an integral role in creating the Multi-state Partnership for Security in Agriculture.
Given her background in agriculture security, Governor Culver called on Lt. Governor Judge to serve as his Homeland Security Advisor. Since that time, Lt. Governor Judge has also been named to the State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial Government Coordinating Council on Homeland Security.
Prior to serving as Secretary of Agriculture, Lt. Governor Judge was elected to the Iowa State Senate in 1992 and re-elected in 1996.
Lt. Governor Judge is a life long resident of Southern Iowa, born in Fort Madison and raised in Albia. She and her husband, John, have owned a cow-calf farm in Monroe County for thirty-five years. They raised three sons and have two grandchildren. Lt. Governor Judge has been dedicated to community service, serving on the Albia Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, as a 4-H leader, a member of PEO, an honorary FFA Chapter Farmer and a member of the Iowa State Fair Board.
For the past four years, Michael Loehr has led Public Health's efforts to enhance preparedness throughout the health system in King County. In this position, Mr. Loehr oversees planning, training and exercise programs for all hazards. He is also charged with maintaining the Public Health Emergency Operations Center. Mr. Loehr is also serving as Incident Commander for the Public Health Response. He has established linkages with regional partners, such as hospitals, health centers, first responders, businesses, and emergency managers.
Prior to working with Public Health, Mr. Loehr worked for two years with the King County Office of Emergency Management. He managed the county's Emergency Operations Center and developed operational procedures for all hazards facing King County.
Prior to joining King County, Mr. Loehr spent 6 years with the Florida Division of Emergency Management serving as the Response Section Administrator and State Operations Section Chief. He was in charge of the overall management of the State Emergency Operations Center and State Warning Point, as well as the administration of the state's critical infrastructure and meteorology sections and development of the State Emergency Management Plan and emergency response procedures.
Mr. Madden was appointed in January 2007 as the Director of the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management for the State of Alaska. This followed a year as the Deputy Director for Homeland Security within the division. His state service follows a distinguished career in seven federal agencies. Most recently, he served with the Transportation Security Administration as Assistant Federal Security Director for Operations. He coordinated security policies, procedures, plans, and exercises with federal, state, and local agencies throughout Alaska.
Mr. Madden served in the U.S. Army for three years including twenty months in Vietnam performing aviation direct support. After his military service, he joined the U.S. civil service with the Department of the Navy. He worked in program and project management with the Naval Weapons Engineering Support Activity, Naval Electronic Systems Command, and the Joint Cruise Missile Project Office. After earning his degree in political science, he joined the Department of Energy working on fossil fuels programs and research and development into alternative fuels.
In 1982, he elected to move to Alaska with the National Weather Service. He supported their operations throughout Alaska and traveled extensively to maintain the remote weather observation sites. He next worked for the Alaskan Region of the Federal Aviation Administration as the Executive Staff to the Regional Administrator. He also ensured continuity of operations for all FAA operations under all hazards. He supported FEMA in several exercises and served in several Disaster Field Offices, most notably to Puerto Rico and Florida in response to Hurricane Georges.
Tim Manning is the current Director of the New Mexico Department of Homeland Security & Emergency Management and Homeland Security Advisor to Governor Bill Richardson. Among Tim's many duties is the oversight of the daily administration of the State's disaster and emergency preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery efforts. He has served New Mexico in various capacities, in 2005 as the Deputy Secretary of the Department of Public Safety overseeing the Office of Emergency Management and as the State Director of Emergency Management since 2003. His diverse background in emergency services includes serving as a firefighter, rescue mountaineer, hazardous materials specialist, and hydrogeologist.
He is currently the Chairman of the Response and Recovery Committee and regional vice president of the National Emergency Management Association, member of the Emergency Management Accreditation Standards Committee, Chair of the New Mexico Intrastate Mutual Aid Committee, as well as serving as chair or board member on many other National and State commissions. Tim received a Bachelors of Science in Geology from Eastern Illinois University and is a graduate of the Executive Leadership Program at the Center for Homeland Defense and Security of the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California.
Stan McKinney currently serves as Executive Assistant to the South Carolina Homeland Security Advisor, with responsibility for Homeland Security policy and program development across all levels of state and local government.
Mr. McKinney served on special detail to the U.S. Department of Justice, Office for Domestic Preparedness during 2001, as a Senior Emergency Management Advisor for state and local domestic preparedness. He was responsible for direct interface with all U.S. state and territory emergency management agencies regarding preparedness to manage the consequences of incidents involving weapons of mass destruction.
Previously, he served as Director of the South Carolina Emergency Management Division from 1993 to 2001, where he was responsible for the development and implementation of a statewide emergency management system. He was the primary advisor to the state's Governor regarding emergency preparedness and response operations. During this period, he served as the State Coordinating Officer for four presidential major disaster declarations. He developed the South Carolina Emergency Management Division's Critical Incident Management Group, a highly specialized crisis management unit designed to coordinate the state's response to any incident involving a weapon of mass destruction.
Mr. McKinney served from 1987 to 1993 as a senior policy advisor to the South Carolina Governor on the administration of public safety and criminal justice. He had executive responsibility for policy and legislative matters related to criminal justice, highway safety, fire, and emergency management. During his tenure in the Governor's Office, he served as the State Coordinating Officer for overall response and recovery efforts during the devastating Hurricane Hugo disaster in 1989.
He received his B.A. (1980) and M.S. (1988) from the University of South Carolina. He is a member of a diverse group of professional organizations including the National Emergency Management Association.
Dr. James P. O'Brien is the Director of the Clark County Office of Emergency Management & Homeland Security in Nevada. He currently chairs the Clark County Local Emergency Planning Committee, Vice-Chair of the National Association of Counties Emergency Management Subcommittee; also serving in that capacity as the NACo representative to the Emergency Management Assistance Compact Advisory Committee. He is a member of the National Infrastructure Protection Program's State, Local, Territorial and Tribal Government Coordinating Council. He participates actively as a member with the International Association of Emergency Managers and is credentialed by them as a Certified Emergency Manager. He holds leadership roles with the Nevada Emergency Response Commission and the Nevada Emergency Communications Committee.
Dr. O'Brien earned a B.A. in Biology from Stonehill College; a Masters in Public Administration and a Ph.D. in Environmental Science both from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He is an adjunct professor for the UNLV Executive Masters Degree Program in Crisis and Emergency Management courses: The Science of Catastrophes and Emergency Planning & Exercise Essentials.
John Paczkowski has worked for the Port Authority since 1978 holding a variety of executive level positions in planning, policy and operations. In December 2001, he was appointed Director, Office of Emergency Management (OEM), where he is responsible for oversight of all security and emergency readiness programs for the Authority's aviation, transit, tunnel and bridge, and maritime cargo facilities, to include a five-year $500 million security capital investment program. On September 11, 2001, John managed the agency's emergency operations center following the attacks on the World Trade Center, the Authority's corporate home and flagship facility for over 30 years.
As Director, John has supervised comprehensive security assessments of all Port Authority facilities, implemented new security and emergency management practices, prepared WMD consequence management plans for the Authority's aviation, port, transit and highway businesses, and has spearheaded several national-level Homeland Security projects with various DHS agencies. These include a comprehensive risk and needs assessment program, a WMD countermeasures test bed program, a regional radiological detection and interdiction pilot project, and a regional information sharing and collaboration effort. In September of 2005 he led a Port Authority emergency management team that assisted the City of New Orleans in reestablishing incident command less than a week after Hurricane Katrina struck that city.
He holds a BS in Industrial Engineering and MS in Management Engineering from the New Jersey Institute of Technology, along with an MA in Organizational Psychology from Columbia University. A graduate of the Marine Corps Command and Staff College, his awards include the Legion of Merit Medal. He is currently attending the Naval Postgraduate School pursuing a degree in National Security Affairs with a concentration in Homeland Defense and Security.
Susan Palchick is the Administrative Manager for Epidemiology, Environmental Health, Assessment and Public Health Emergency Preparedness at Hennepin County Human Services and Public Health Department in Minnesota. She has been with Hennepin County for 11 years and also serves as the Environmental Health Director for Hennepin County. Prior to coming to Hennepin County, Susan was the program manager for the Metropolitan Mosquito Control District (MMCD) for 10 years. MMCD is a special local governmental unit covering the cities and 7 counties surrounding Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota.
Susan has been a public health representative to the Minneapolis-St. Paul Metropolitan Medical Response System (MMRS) for several years and also served on the Bioterrorism and Emergency Preparedness Committee, National Association of County & City Health Officials, 2002-2006. She serves on several state and local public health emergency response workgroups. She is the principal investigator for an Advanced Practice Center (APC) grant from NACCHO awarded to Hennepin County in collaboration with Minneapolis and Ramsey County. This APC project is focused on environmental health emergency preparedness. Susan also completed FEMA's Integrated Emergency Management Course as well as numerous Minnesota emergency management courses.
Susan received her Ph.D. in Medical Entomology from the University of California-Davis in 1986; Master of Public Health in Epidemiology from the University of California-Berkeley in 1983; M.S. in Entomology from University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1981; and B.S. (with honors) in Agricultural Journalism-Natural Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1978.
Kerry has served the people of the State of Oklahoma for more than a quarter of a century. Beginning as a State Trooper in 1982 he has risen in the Oklahoma Highway Patrol (OHP) to his current rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Throughout his tenure, Kerry has served in specialized positions utilizing his training as a bomb technician, hazardous materials technician and in tactical operations. He served as commander of the OHP Bomb Squad and Tactical Teams, as liaison to the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) and commander of OHP's Special Operations. Kerry was one of the first responders on the scene after the Oklahoma City Bombing and witnessed first hand the need for effective counter-terrorism measures. In 2002, he was appointed by the Oklahoma Cabinet Secretary for Safety and Security as the Deputy Director of Homeland Security. Governor Brad Henry appointed Kerry the Oklahoma Homeland Security Director in January 2004.
Kerry is a graduate of the 39th OHP Academy, Leadership Oklahoma Class XIX, FBI National Academy, FBI Hazardous Devices School and has his Bachelor of Science from Southern Nazarene University.
Shelly Schechter is the Director of the Division of Community Health for the Nassau County Department of Health, Long Island, NY. Her responsibilities include strategic planning and supervision of the Office of Public Health Preparedness, which manages all emergency preparedness grants awarded to the Health Department including the CDC Public Health Preparedness and Response to Bioterrorism Grant, the New York City and New York State Cities Readiness Initiative, Pandemic Influenza funding, and the Medical Reserve Corps that is designed to operate as a public health model. This office is responsible for all emergency response policy development, education and planning in the County Health and Human Services departments and integration of preparedness planning with the Office of Emergency Management.
Shelly is a member of the Advisory Committee of Columbia University's New York Consortium for Emergency Preparedness Continuing Education and several county, city and state level health care emergency preparedness and response planning organizations.
A Board Certified Clinical Nurse Specialist in Community Health, she received a B.S. from Boston College, a M.S. from Adelphi University School of Nursing, and a M.A. in Security Studies from the Center for Homeland Defense and Security at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California.
Ulysses (Ulie) Seal has 31 years of experience in the Volunteer and career fire service with an extensive background in technical rescue and hazardous materials response. He is currently the Fire Chief for the City of Bloomington. Chief Seal gained his experience working at the Bloomington Fire Department since 1976. He rose from Captain to Deputy Chief to Fire Chief. He served as Volunteer Fire Chief from 1986 until recently when he became the first full-time fire chief for the City of Bloomington.
Concurrent to his experience with the Bloomington Fire Department, Chief Seal was also a member of the Minneapolis Fire Department. He started with the Department in 1980 and rose through the ranks as Captain, Battalion Chief, Deputy Chief, and Assistant Chief. He left his post as Minneapolis Fire Department Fire Chief after eight years in the position to become the full-time Fire Chief for Bloomington.
Chief Seal also holds memberships or has participated in the following causes: the Minnesota State Radio Board appointed by the Governor; the State Radio Board Operations and Technical Committee representing the Minnesota State Fire Chiefs; the Minnesota State Fire Chiefs Board of Directors; the Metropolitan Emergency Services Technical Operations Committee for the radio system in the Metro area; the UASI area Tactical Interoperable Communications planning and coordinated the exercise to meet Federal guidelines; the Minnesota Public Safety Commissioners Homeland Security Advisory Council; the International Association of Fire Chiefs, Past President of the Great Lakes Division; the Minneapolis UASI area All Hazards Incident Management Team; and the State Urban Search and Rescue capability.
Brigadier General F. David Sheppard is the Director of the New York State Office of Homeland Security. He is also the Commander of the 53rd Troop Command, New York Army National Guard, Valhalla, NY. Prior to this assignment, General Sheppard served as the Deputy Adjutant General of the New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs.
General Sheppard served as the Joint Task Force "Dual Hat" Commander in support of the 2004 Republican National Convention in New York City. He also coordinated the joint New York State Organized Militia Force emergency response to civil authorities during the September 11, 2001 events.
General Sheppard also served as Vietnam combat helicopter pilot, Director of Aviation and Safety, Chief of Staff, and Deputy Adjutant General before his current assignment.
He received his Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of the State of New York in Albany in 1988, Certificate from Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government - State and Local programs in February 2002, and is a graduate of the U.S. Army War College, Carlisle Barracks with a Masters Degree in Strategic Studies. General Sheppard is a licensed fixed-wing and rotary-wing Commercial Pilot, a Foundation Board Member of Empire State College, an Executive Board Member of the Boy Scouts of America Twin Rivers Council, and Chair of the New York State Governor's Executive Council for Counter-Terrorism and Homeland Security Executive Council.
His military decorations and awards include the Bronze Star for Valor, the Bronze Star for Meritorious Service, an Air Medal for Valor, Fifteen Air Medals for Combat Missions, the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry with Bronze Star, the Army Aviation Broken Wing Award, and the New York State Governor's Medal for Valor.
Director Jim Walker was appointed on January 20, 2003, by Governor Bob Riley to serve as Alabama's first Director of Homeland Security.
Director Walker was born October 5, 1959, at Fort Benning, Georgia. He is the oldest son of a career Army officer father and school teacher mother. He attended Austin Peay State University on an ROTC Scholarship, graduating in 1981 with a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration. He also holds a Master's Degree in Public Administration from the University of Oklahoma, and, in conjunction with an American Political Science Association Fellowship, studied Congress and Foreign Affairs at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in Washington D.C.
Director Walker served in the Army from 1981-2001, retiring as a lieutenant colonel. An infantry officer and airborne ranger, he served in both the 25th Infantry Division and the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault).
His additional military assignments included service as aide-de-camp to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, operations briefer to General Colin Powell during Operation Desert Shield, aide to President Ronald Reagan, congressional fellow and legislative assistant to Congressman John Tanner from Tennessee, and congressional liaison officer for the Secretary of the Army.
After retiring from the Army, Director Walker worked in Washington, D.C. as a strategic consultant for a Houston-based company.
In May 2007, Director Walker became one of the first senior homeland security officials in the nation to successfully complete the Executive Leadership Program offered by the Naval Postgraduate School Center for Homeland Defense and Security.
This page was last modified on November 19, 2007