Bill D’Agostino resigns as FirstNet general manager

FirstNet General Manager Bill D’Agostino has resigned from the top staff position of the organization for “personal and family reasons,” and the organization is launching a nationwide search for a new general manager, according to a FirstNet press release issued this afternoon.

“I have been honored to lead FirstNet’s management efforts over the past year, and believe the organization is now well positioned to enter the next stage of its development,” said D’Agostino said in a prepared statement. “Although I will no longer be part of the mission, I will remain an ardent supporter and look forward to its future successes.”

FirstNet Chairman Sam Ginn expressed appreciation for D’Agostino’s efforts to prepare the organization to deploy and maintain a nationwide broadband network for public safety.

“We appreciate Bill’s service as general manager over the past year—a critical time in FirstNet’s early planning stage,” Ginn said in a prepared statement. “Bill believed that public safety should be a partner in defining network features and capabilities, and we will remember the example he set for us.”

Last month, FirstNet board members approved a program roadmap for the much-anticipated first-responder broadband network that was prepared by D’Agostino and FirstNet staff members hired during the past year. With D’Agostino’s resignation, FirstNet Deputy General Manager TJ Kennedy will assume the general-manager duties on a temporary basis as the FirstNet board seeks a permanent replacement for D’Agostino.

“FirstNet has assembled an excellent management team to lead this organization as we continue to develop plans for the nationwide public safety broadband network.” FirstNet Vice Chairman Sue Swenson said in a prepared statement. “The FirstNet Board will now begin a search to hire someone to lead the team – someone with the right blend of experience along with the management and leadership skills to carry out FirstNet's vision.”

The job posting for FirstNet general manager will be found at www.USAjobs.gov, according to the FirstNet press release.

FirstNet spokesman Corey Ray said D’Agostino’s resignation was effective as of 3 p.m. Eastern time today, but Ray said he was not sure when FirstNet board members were informed of D’Agostino’s resignation plans. Last Tuesday, the FirstNet board held a meeting that was closed for personal reasons, but Ray said no specifics about the content of that meeting have been released yet.