Advisory Board of Directors

TOM RIDGE

Following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Tom Ridge then the Governor of Pennsylvania was named to be the first Secretary of the Office of Homeland Security. He was charged with developing and coordinating a comprehensive national strategy to strengthen the United States against terrorist threats or attacks. In the words of President George W. Bush, Ridge had the strength, experience, personal commitment and authority to accomplish this critical mission.

A two-term governor, Mr. Ridge is a popular Republican from a traditionally moderate Democratic state. He was twice mentioned as a potential Republican candidate for vice president – for a brief period during the early days of Bob Dole's run for the presidency in 1996 and, more recently, as a potential running mate for candidate Bush.

Mr. Ridge earned a scholarship to Harvard, attended his first year at the Dickinson School of Law, and then was drafted into the U.S. Army. He served as an infantry staff sergeant in Vietnam and earned the Bronze Star for Valor.

After returning to Pennsylvania and earning his law degree, he became an assistant district attorney in Erie County. He was elected to Congress in 1982. He was the first enlisted Vietnam combat veteran elected to the U.S. House, and was re-elected six times.

Mr. Ridge was sworn in as Pennsylvania's 43rd governor on January 17, 1995. He was re-elected in 1998 with 57 percent of the vote in a four-way race. Mr. Ridge's share of the vote was the highest for a Republican governor in Pennsylvania (where Democrats outnumber Republicans by almost 500,000) in more than half a century.

LARRY PRESSLER

Retired Senator Larry Pressler was a member of Congress (R - S.D.) for 22 years, serving for 18 years in the United States Senate and four in the US House. He authored the Telecommunications Act of 1996; served as chairman of the US Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee; and authored various aviation, pipeline, transportation, satellite, foreign policy, business and trade legislation during his time in Congress. He is a former Rhodes Scholar at Oxford, England (graduate) and Harvard Law School graduate. Mr. Pressler was awarded Vietnam decorations for his service as a lieutenant in the US Army in Vietnam. He currently serves on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Education Center Advisory Council.

During his 22 years in Congress, Mr. Pressler served on the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee and was chairman of the European and Asian Subcommittees. Since leaving the Senate in 1997, Larry Pressler has pursued a business career largely centered on a telecommunications law practice; lobbying; teaching; and serving on corporate boards. He has made numerous successful trips on international business to India, Brazil, Europe, China and the Far East. He is a frequent speaker at investment banking conferences on topics such as, “What’s Happening Next in Telecommunications Policy?” and has recently lectured at Harvard on corporate governance.

Mr. Pressler served as a member of Republican presidential candidate George W. Bush's IT Steering Committee 2000, and was a member of the Bush Transition Team in January and February 2001. In November and December 2004 and early January 2005, Mr. Pressler served as a US government-sponsored observer in Ukraine in the presidential elections and traveled to Kiev and Odessa, Ukraine. He received a letter of commendation from Vice President Cheney for his work in Ukraine.

Mr. Pressler was a senior fellow at the University of California in Los Angeles for the year 2001. He has lectured at Harvard, Georgetown, Creighton, Oxford University, England, and several Chinese universities.

ROBERT I. KRAMER, M.D., FAAP

Dr. Kramer is a prominent physician with a specialty in pediatrics and pulmonology. He is Clinical Professor of Pediatrics and Pulmonology at UT Southwestern Medical Center, and previously was chairman of the Department of Pediatrics at Baylor University Medical Center. His additional work history is extensive, including serving as distinguished Professor at the University of Dallas Graduate School of Management.

Dr. Kramer is active as a medical advisor, Board member, and consultant for numerous corporations, community arts and civic organizations, as well as medical and educational centers. He currently serves as corporate medical director for Zale Corporation, Texas Industries, Wyndham International, and Prentiss Properties.

His medical education and training background includes: Tufts Medical School; Yale University School of Medicine; and University of Texas Southwest Medical Center. Dr. Kramer also is a graduate of the Harvard Business School's Executive MBA Odyssey Program. He has been the recipient of several honors and awards, and has authored numerous publications.