Former National Security Agency Director to Keynote Homeland Security Conference

CHARLESTON, SC – May 4-5, 2011 –  Mike McConnell, Executive Vice President of Booz Allen Hamilton, and former Director of the National Security Agency (NSA) will be the keynote speaker at the 7th Annual Homeland Security Innovation Conference on May 4 – 5, 2011 at the Charleston Area Convention Center, where he will discuss how innovation and technology have changed the approach to homeland security since the 9/11 attack.

McConnell served as Director of the National Security Agency (NSA) under President George H. W. Bush and President Bill Clinton from 1992-1996.  He became the second person to hold the position of U.S. Director of National Intelligence (DNI) from 2007-2009 and was the principal intelligence advisor to the President.

The focus of this conference is Homeland Security – 10 Years Later, post 9/11. National security experts  will discuss border, port and transportation security, preventing domestic initiated attacks, responding to natural disasters and advancing cyber security.  There will be a pre-conference live demonstration with the United States Coast Guard showing the actions taken since 9/11 to improve security at our ports.

Confirmed speakers include:

• Keynote Address: Mike McConnell, Executive Vice President, Booz Allen Hamilton, former U.S. Director of National Intelligence (2007-2009), former Director of the National Security Agency (1992-1996)

• Zalmai Azmi, Senior Vice President, Cyber Solutions Group, CACI; former CIO of the Federal Bureau of Investigation
• Dennis McCarthy, Assistant Secretary for Reserve Affairs, U.S. Department of Defense
• Peter Costa, Vice President of Critical Infrastructure Protection, Honeywell
• Michael Kutch, Business Portfolio Manager for Information Dominance and Integrated Cyber Operations, SPAWAR Systems Center Atlantic
• Chris Miller, Technical Director, SPAWAR Systems Center Atlantic
• Jack Wiles, President, The Training Co.

The cost is $250 Chamber members/government/military, $350 non-member. The conference will be held May 4 – 5 at the Charleston Area Convention Center. For more information including the full agenda visit www.thinktec.org.

About ThinkTEC

ThinkTEC is an initiative established by the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce’s Innovation Division in an effort to facilitate start-up companies, grow existing business and attract new business in the high-tech arenas.