Edward Parkinson Named Acting CEO of First Responder Network Authority

The First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet Authority) and the Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced that Edward Parkinson will serve as Acting Chief Executive Officer, following the recent resignation of Mike Poth, who had served as CEO since 2015. Parkinson joined the FirstNet Authority in 2013, after working on the House Homeland Security Committee for then-Chairman Peter T. King (R-NY). During his time with the committee, he drafted the initial bill that began the effort to create FirstNet. Parkinson was one of the first employees to join the FirstNet Authority, and served in a variety of leadership positions within the organization, most recently as the Executive Director of External Affairs. He led the organization’s outreach efforts that resulted in all 56 states and territories choosing to opt-into the FirstNet Network.