U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo Appoints Renee Gordon as FirstNet Authority Board Member
Nov 7, 2022
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo Appoints Renee Gordon as FirstNet Authority Board Member
KCPullen@doc.gov
Fri, 11/04/2022 – 11:39
First responder network
Infrastructure
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, November 4, 2022
Office of Public Affairs
publicaffairs@doc.gov
Today, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo announced the appointment of Renee Gordon, Director of the City of Alexandria’s Department of Emergency Communications, to serve on the Board of the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet Authority).
Gordon will serve as one of 12 non-permanent members selected by the Department of Commerce. Three permanent seats are occupied by the Attorney General of the United States, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget. The Board oversees activities to ensure that the FirstNet Authority and AT&T—its commercial partner—develop, build, and operate a nationwide public safety broadband network that will best equip first responders to save lives and protect U.S. communities.
“I am proud to announce the selection of Director Renee Gordon to serve on the FirstNet Authority Board. She brings years of public safety emergency communications experience, which will be a vital asset to an already diverse and dedicated Board,” said Secretary Raimondo. “I also want to thank our outgoing member Karima Holmes for her time and dedication guiding FirstNet through a significant period of growth and investment in the network. Karima has been a valuable and dedicated member of the Board and used her experience to dutifully serve the FirstNet Authority and the public safety community at-large.”
Gordon has served as the Director of the City of Alexandria’s Department of Emergency Communications in Virginia since 2015. During her tenure, she established the Nation’s first remote 911 call-taking program using FirstNet technology. Gordon began her career as a police officer in Prince George’s County, Md., before moving into 911 and emergency communications for the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority’s Public Safety Communications Center and the City of Baltimore 911 and Emergency Communications.
“Congratulations to Director Gordon and a big NTIA welcome to the FirstNet team. Her experience as both a law enforcement officer and a public safety communications official make her a perfect fit for the FirstNet Authority Board,” said Alan Davidson, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information and NTIA Administrator. “My thanks to Karima Holmes for her important and impactful service to the Board over the last three years. FirstNet greatly benefitted from her commitment to the mission. Her work has left the nation’s public safety broadband network well positioned for the future.”
Background:
The First Responder Network Authority is an independent entity within the Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). The FirstNet Authority’s mission is to ensure the building, deployment, and operation of the nationwide public safety broadband network that equips first responders to save lives and protect U.S. communities. In March 2017, the Department of Commerce and FirstNet announced a partnership with AT&T to build and operate the first responder network. It is delivering the technologies and infrastructure that public safety relies on for day-to-day operations, disaster response and recovery, and securing of large events.
The Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 created the FirstNet Authority, and Congress directed that it be governed by a 15-person Board, with the U.S. Attorney General, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget named as permanent Board members. Congress charged the Secretary of Commerce with selecting the remaining 12 non-permanent members.
Bureaus and Offices
National Telecommunications and Information Administration
First Responder Network Authority
Leadership
Gina M. Raimondo
Tags
Secretary Gina Raimondo
Broadband
Public Safety
Read the full report from the U.S. Department of Commerce: Read More
