Homeland Security Secretary Appoints Three New Members To Homeland Security Advisory Council

Release Date: August 28, 2007

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

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff announced the appointment today of three new members to the Homeland Security Advisory Council (HSAC) and ten new members to its subcommittees.

"I value the independent and innovative advice I receive from these trusted counselors," said Homeland Security Secretary Chertoff. "These appointments will increase the knowledge and experience of our membership and provide me with critical and diverse perspective as we work together to keep America safe."

The Homeland Security Advisory Council is the Secretary's primary advisory body and is comprised of experts from state and local governments, terrorism prevention and response communities, academia and the private sector. The council provides advice to Secretary Chertoff and the department's leadership on homeland security issues.

The three new members of the Homeland Security Advisory Council:

County Supervisor Don Knabe, of Los Angeles, Calif., will also serve as the chairman of the State and Local Officials Senior Advisory Committee. Supervisor Knabe was first elected to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors in November 1996. In 2006, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed Knabe to the California Emergency Council.

Governor Sonny Perdue, of Georgia, will also serve as the Vice Chairman of the State and Local Officials Senior Advisory Committee. Governor Perdue was sworn in as Georgia's 81st governor on Jan. 13, 2003, and re-elected to his second term in November 2006. Prior to becoming governor, Perdue was a captain in the United States Air Force, and served in the Georgia General Assembly as majority leader and president pro tempore of the State Senate. He is a small business owner, a licensed veterinarian, and a pilot.

Dr. John "Skip" Williams, of Georgia, is the provost and vice president for health affairs; professor of anesthesiology and of health services management and leadership at George Washington University. Dr. Williams previously served as a member of the HSAC's Emergency Response Senior Advisory Committee.

The three new members of the HSAC's State and Local Officials Senior Advisory Committee:

Mayor Douglas Palmer, of Trenton, N.J., has served as the city's mayor since July 1990. Mayor Palmer is the president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the New Jersey Urban Mayor's Association.

Mayor David Wallace, of Sugar Land, Texas is serving his third term as mayor.  Mayor Wallace is co-chairman of the U.S. Conference of Mayors Homeland Security Task Force and also serves as a trustee member of the Executive Committee and member of the Urban Water Council. Mayor Wallace previously served on the Sugar Land City Council. Mayor Wallace serves on the Board of Directors for the Texas Economic Development Corporation.

State Senator Thomas Wyss, of Fort Wayne, Ind., has served as a state senator since 1985. He is chairman of the Homeland Security, Transportation, and Veterans Affairs Committee in the Indiana Senate. Senator Wyss will serve as the organizational representative for the National Conference of State Legislatures.

The two new members of the HSAC's Private Sector Senior Advisory Committee:

Nelson H. Balido, of San Antonio, Texas, is founder of Balido & Associates, Inc. a public strategies, multicultural marketing, and real estate consulting firm. He worked at SBC Communications (AT&T) as the director of multicultural marketing, where he established the position and was responsible for developing culturally relevant marketing strategies for the diverse SBC customer base across the country. In 2003, the governor of Texas appointed Nelson to a six-year term as the commissioner of the Texas Commission on the Arts.

Emily Walker, managing director at Citigroup in London, England, recently served as business executive advisor to the United Nations World Food Programme in Rome, Italy, on loan from Citigroup to set up an emergency network for corporate donations to global disasters. She also served as professional staff member and family liaison for the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States.

The two new members of the HSAC's Emergency Response Senior Advisory Committee:

Ellis M. Stanley Sr., of Los Angeles, Calif., is the general manager of the City of Los Angeles Emergency Preparedness Department. He has significant experience in the emergency management field as director of the Atlanta-Fulton County Emergency Management Agency, as past president of the International Association of Emergency Managers, as a Certified Emergency Manager, and as a member of the National Advisory Board for Harvard University's National Preparedness Leadership Institute.

Joseph White, of St. Louis, Mo., has served for the past five years as the chief executive officer for the American Red Cross, St. Louis Area Chapter. Mr. White has deployed on many disaster assignments, including to Baton Rouge and New Orleans, Louisiana for Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Mr. White serves on the National American Red Cross President's Advisory Council.

The three new members of the HSAC's Secure Borders and Open Doors Advisory Committee:

Thomas J. Donohue, of Potomac, Md., is president and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the world's largest business federation representing three million companies, associations, state and local chambers, and the American Chambers of Commerce Abroad. Prior to his current post, Mr. Donohue served 13 years as president and chief executive officer of the American Trucking Association, the national organization of the trucking industry.

Susan Ginsburg, Esq., of Alexandria, Va., is a visiting senior policy analyst at the Migration Policy Institute and private consultant. Ms. Ginsburg served as senior counsel and team leader on the staff of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States. She was responsible for research and policy recommendations concerning the entry of the 9/11 hijackers, terrorist travel, and border controls. Prior to that, Ms. Ginsburg worked at the Department of Treasury as senior advisor and firearms policy coordinator, under secretary for enforcement.

Stephen Payne, of Houston, Texas, is the president of Worldwide Strategic Partners and Worldwide Strategic Energy, an energy and international business consulting firm. He is also board member of the National Defense University Foundation and the U.S. Baltic Foundation.

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This page was last modified on August 28, 2007