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Homeland Security 5 Year Anniversary 2003 - 2008, One Team, One Mission Securing the Homeland

Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge Announces the Appointment of Three New Members of the Homeland Security Advisory Council

Release Date: 12/08/03 00:00:00

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
December 8, 2003

Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge is pleased to announce the appointment of Herb Kelleher, Frank J. Cilluffo, and Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, to serve as members of the Homeland Security Advisory Council (HSAC).  The Council provides advice and recommendations to Secretary Ridge on homeland security-related issues. The HSAC is comprised of experts from state and local governments, first preventer and responder communities, academia and the private sector.

"Governor Mitt Romney, Frank Cilluffo and Herb Kelleher bring a vast amount of experience from government, academia and the private sector to the Homeland Security Advisory Council.  I am grateful that these accomplished leaders will be advising me and contributing to the Department of Homeland Security's efforts to protect our fellow citizens," said Secretary Ridge.

Herb Kelleher, of Texas, is a Founder of Southwest Airlines Co. and is currently its Executive Chairman, a position he has held since March, 1978.  From September 1981 through June 2001, Kelleher also served as President and CEO of Southwest Airlines. Kelleher is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including the U. S. Chamber Business Leadership Hall of Fame; CEO of the Year, and CEO of the Century. Kelleher will serve as Vice Chair of the HSAC's Private Sector Senior Advisory Committee.

Frank J. Cilluffo is the Associate Vice President for Homeland Security at George Washington University and manages the University's homeland security programs.  Mr. Cilluffo joined the University from the White House where he served as Special Assistant to the President for Homeland Security. He was a senior advisor to Governor Tom Ridge and directed the President's Homeland Security Advisory Council and its Senior Advisory Committees. Prior to his White House appointment he spent eight years in senior policy positions with the Center for Strategic & International Studies.

Governor Mitt Romney was elected governor of Massachusetts in November 2002.  Governor Romney has been an effective leader in both the business and public service worlds.  He currently serves as a lead Governor on homeland security issues for the National Governors' Association.  Prior to his election as governor, Romney was President and CEO of the Salt Lake Organizing Committee for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games.  In his three years in Salt Lake, Governor Romney erased a $379 million operating deficit, organized 23,000 volunteers, and oversaw an unprecedented security mobilization. Secretary Ridge has asked Governor Romney to serve as the Chair of the HSAC's State and Local Officials Senior Advisory Committee in 2004.

The HSAC will convene its next meeting on December 9, 2003 in Miami, Florida.  A detailed Federal Register notice regarding the meeting was posted on November 21, 2003.

This page was last reviewed/modified on 12/08/03 00:00:00.