Trucking industry leaders included in new TSA transportation security committee

Ashley Coker

Image: Shutterstock

IMAGE: SHUTTERSTOCK

A handful of trucking industry leaders will sit on the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) new Surface Transportation Security Advisory Committee. The committee will draft recommendations on surface transportation security.

The committee will consider topics like development, refinement and implementation of policies, programs, initiatives, rulemakings and security directives, according to a TSA media release. It will report to TSA Administrator David Pekoske.

“I look forward to collaborating closely with the newly appointed members of the Surface Transportation Security Advisory Committee,” said Pekoske in the release. “The knowledge and expertise these leaders bring to the table will play a vital role in TSA’s continued efforts to safeguard the nation’s surface transportation systems.”

The committee includes 35 voting members, representing surface transportation providers and users. It will also include 14 non-voting members, representing federal agencies that deal with surface transportation regulation.

The committee members representing motor carriers include:

  • Douglas R. Morris, Director of Safety and Security Operations, Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association
  • Jacob E. Pierce, Deputy Executive Director, Safety Management Council, American Trucking Association
  • Alexandra Rosen, Customs, Immigration, & Cross-Border Operations Manager, American Trucking Association
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Other voting committee members include:

Mass Transit and Passenger Rail:

  • Jaime E. Becerra, Chief of Transit Enforcement/Deputy Chief of Safety & Security, North County Transit District
  • Edward A. Bruce, Director of Intelligence, New Jersey Transit
  • Robert J. Finnegan, Captain, Police Administration, Delaware River Port Authority Police
  • Robert P. Gatchell, Chief Safety & Security Officer, Go Brightline
  • Polly Hanson, Director of Security, Risk and Emergency Management, American Public Transportation Association
  • Ivan T. Mote, Chief Safety Officer, Jacksonville Transportation Authority
  • Ronald A. Pavlik, Jr., Chief of Police, Metro Transit Police Department
  • Joe Perez, Chief of Police & Security, Northeast Illinois Commuter Railroad
  • Lisa Ann Shahade, Deputy Chief of Police for Strategic Operations, Amtrak

Freight Rail:

  • Greg Bretzing, Senior Vice President, Global Security, Safety and Corporate Affairs, The Greenbrier Companies, Inc.
  • Thomas L. Farmer, Assistant Vice President of Security, Association of American Railroads
  • Herschel Flowers, Homeland Security Manager, Kansas City Southern Railway
  • Edward R. Gelnar, Jr., Vice President of Safety and Compliance, American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association
  • Donald B. Loftis, Principle Software Engineer, Olin Corporation

Pipeline:

  • Kimberly A. Denbow, Senior Director of Security, Operations and Engineering Services, American Gas Association
  • Rebecca Gagliostro, Director of Security, Reliability and Resilience, The Interstate Natural Gas Association of America
  • Alfred J. Hancock, Senior Regulatory Security Consultant, Xcel Energy
  • William L. Hayward, Director of Security, BP Alaska

Highway and Motor Carrier – Infrastructure:

  • Natalie Jones-Best, Emergency Preparedness and Risk Manager, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials
  • Eileen M. Phifer, Safety and Security Administrator, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials

Highway and Motor Carrier – Over-the-Road Bus:

  • Michael A. Beltranena, Jr., Director of Safety and Security, Coach USA/Suburban Transit Bus Company
  • Michael J. Licata, President, Community Anti-Terrorism Training Institute
  • Jason W. Louis, Vice President of Safety, Coach USA
  • Alan Smith, Director of Safety and Security, Greyhound

Highway and Motor Carrier – School Bus:

  • Robert F. Ramsdell, Chief Safety Officer, National Express, LLC
  • Brian Reu, Lieutenant, Minnesota State Patrol, State Director of Pupil Transportation, National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services

Groups Representing the Users of Surface Transportation:

  • Joseph A. DeLuca, Chief Compliance Officer, Secure Worker Access Consortium
  • Jennifer C. Gibson, Vice President of Regulatory Affairs, National Association of Chemical Distributors
  • Robyn S. Kinsley, Vice President Transportation and Emergency Preparedness, The Chlorine Institute
  • K. Denise Rucker Krepp, locally elected official, Advisory Neighborhood Committee
  • Jonathan R. Todd, Partner, Transportation & Logistics Practice Group, Benesch, Friedlander, Coplan & Aronoff LLP
  • Dr. Patricia P. Woodbury, Council Member, City of Newport News, Virginia
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Chris Henry

Chris Henry has spent his entire 20-year career in transportation. In 2014, he founded the online motor carrier benchmarking service StakUp. As a result of a partnership with the Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) in 2015, StakUp was rebranded as inGauge and Henry became the program manager for the TCA Profitability Program (TPP), an exclusive benchmarking initiative that includes more than 230 motor carrier participants throughout North America. Since joining the program, participation in TPP has grown over 300%. In June 2019, StakUp was acquired by FreightWaves and Henry became its vice president of carrier profitability, in addition to his role with TPP. Henry earned an MBA from the University of Massachusetts and a bachelor of commerce degree from Nipissing University.