FirstNet Authority board gets seven new members, Keisha Lance Bottoms appointed as chair

FirstNet Authority’s board today was overhauled with the appointment of seven new members—including former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms being named as chair—and the reappointment of four existing members by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo.

“I am pleased to appoint these experienced and highly qualified members to the FirstNet Authority Board to ensure this program continues to enhance public safety response with a world-class communications network,” Raimondo said in a prepared statement. “They demonstrate a commitment to the mission and vision of FirstNet and to the safety of our communities. Their diverse backgrounds and experiences, working with the FirstNet Authority CEO, will provide leadership for the public safety broadband network.”

Alan Davidson—assistant secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information, as well as the administrator for the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA)—echoed this sentiment.

“Congratulations and a warm welcome to Chair Keisha Lance Bottoms and the new and returning FirstNet Board members,” Davidson said in a prepared statement. “These appointments reflect the diverse viewpoints and needs of FirstNet’s 6.1 million public-safety users nationwide.”

After serving as the mayor of Atlanta from 2018 to 2022, Bottoms was a senior advisor to President Joe Biden as the director of the Office of Public Liaison—a post in which she was succeeded by former FirstNet Authority board Chair Stephen Benjamin in the spring of 2023. Bottoms is currently the CEO of KRLB, LLC.

Raimondo appointed Bottoms as FirstNet Authority board chair for a two-year term, succeeding Richard Carrizzo in this role. Davidson applauded Carrizzo’s work leading the FirstNet Authority board.

“I would also like to extend my gratitude to our outgoing chair, Fire Chief Richard Carrizzo, for his dedicated service to the FirstNet Authority and the public-safety community,” Davidson said. “Chief Carrizzo has been an invaluable member of the board, and his leadership has helped build a strong foundation for the FirstNet Authority. Thanks to him and our other outgoing board members for their dedicated service.”

In addition to Bottoms, Raimondo selected the following six new members to serve on the FirstNet Authority board for three-year terms, according to a U.S. Department of Commerce press release:

• Michael Adkinson—The sheriff of Walton County, Fla., and a member of the National Sheriffs Association board of directors.
• Damon Darsey—An emergency medicine and EMS physician who is the medical director for the Mississippi Department of Public Safety. He was a former tenured associate professor in emergency medicine and pediatrics at the University of Mississippi. Darsey is a member of the National Association of State EMS Officials and the National EMS Physicians Association.
• Erik Gaull—President of the International Association of Emergency Managers Region III, he is a technology expert and consultant specializing in public-safety, emergency-management, counterterrorism/homeland-security, organizational-resilience, and enterprise risk management. Gaull is a reserve officer for the D.C Metropolitan Police Department; and a member of the Cabin John Park, Maryland Volunteer Fire Department.
• Jeffrey Norman—Milwaukee Police Department’s chief of police, Norman is a member of the Major City Chiefs and a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police.
• Rasheid Scarlett—An information technology executive and CEO of NetAesthetics.
• Trisha Wolford—Fire Chief of Anne Arundel County, Maryland, Wolford is first vice president of the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) and treasurer for the IAFC’s Metropolitan Fire Chiefs Section Executive Board.

In addition, Raimondo reappointed four existing FirstNet Authority board members to new three-year terms: Alexandra Fernandez Navarro, Sean McDevitt, Warren Mickens and Jocelyn Moore, according to the press release.

FirstNet Authority Board Vice Chair Renee Gordon is the lone FirstNet Authority board member who will return to the board without reappointment, as her existing term does not expire until September 2025.

FirstNet Authority Executive Director and CEO Joe Wassel expressed optimism about the makeup of the organization’s new board of directors, and he thanked Carrizzo and other outgoing board members for their efforts.

“We applaud Secretary Raimondo for appointing these accomplished leaders from the public and private sectors to the FirstNet Authority Board,” Wassel said in a prepared statement. “These Board members have proven track records in public safety, technology, and government, and their expertise will be invaluable as we expand and enhance the Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network. We look forward to working with the new and returning Board members to provide the best network experience to first responders across the country.

“The FirstNet Authority would also like to recognize our outgoing Board Chair, Fire Chief Richard Carrizzo, for his leadership during a critical time in the evolution of FirstNet. We thank Chief Carrizzo and all of the outgoing Board members for their service and contributions to our mission and to public safety.”