Dr. Reginald Brothers — A Very Important Keynote

With today’s announcement of Dr. Reginald Brothers, undersecretary of science and technology at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), as a keynote speaker at the SIA Government Summit, we have truly begun to reveal why we are so proud of this year’s Summit.

In less than one month, the Security Industry Association (SIA) will present the SIA Government Summit at the W Hotel in Washington, D.C., on June 3-4. In the coming days, we will unveil the complete agenda for the Summit, including keynote speakers from the Obama administration and from Congress as well as panel discussions packed with government and industry leaders.

But let me take a moment to tell you why I’m so excited about Dr. Brothers as our first confirmed keynote, tentatively scheduled for 9:45 a.m. on Tuesday, June 3.

The Senate confirmed Dr. Brothers as the latest DHS undersecretary to head up its Science and Technology (S&T) Directorate very recently on April 7. As such, Dr. Brothers’ appearance at the SIA Government Summit will be one of his very first public speaking appearances in his new role.

Previously, Dr. Brothers was deputy assistant secretary of defense for research in the Department of Defense (DoD) Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Engineering. There, he was responsible for policy and oversight of Department of Defense (DoD) S&T programs from basic research through advanced technology development—clearly a stepping stone to his leading the research and development portfolio at DHS.

Last fall, SIA, and DHS S&T signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to bring together DHS employees, first responders, end users and industry experts to exchange information and resolve technical challenges to achieve common homeland security objectives. This was the first time that SIA has signed such an agreement with a federal agency. In its most recent year in review, the DHS S&T Directorate touted this MOU as a means “to expand S&T’s situational awareness of private sector capabilities” by enhancing “its ability to forage and alert private sector partners of new requirements.”

Many important homeland security innovations come out of the DHS S&T Directorate, and the SIA Government Summit will allow attendees to hear its upcoming priorities directly from the new undersecretary.

Keep your eyes and ears open for more exciting information pertaining to the SIA Government Summit!