Ridge Global Advisory Committee


DR. PARNEY ALBRIGHT is Managing Director of Civitas Group LLC. One of the nation's leading experts on homeland and national security policy and technology, Dr. Albright previously served as Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security for Science and Technology in the Department of Homeland Security.  Prior to his DHS post, he was Senior Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy where he was a key architect of the President's National Strategy for Homeland Security. 

DUNCAN CAMPBELL is a founding partner of The Pennant Group LLC. He previously served as Chief of Staff to Secretary Tom Ridge at the Department of Homeland Security where he was instrumental in new security measures, departmental policies, threat communications and interagency planning.  Prior to his time at DHS, Duncan Campbell served as Director of Intergovernmental Affairs at the White House Office of Homeland Security and as Executive Director of the Republican Governors Association.

ADMIRAL TOM COLLINS retired from his post as Commandant of the United States Coast Guard in 2006.  He has served the American public and the maritime industry in a variety of safety, environmental, law enforcement and national security missions including leadership of the nation’s maritime component of homeland security.  Prior to his post as Commandant, Admiral Collins served as Vice Commandant from 2000-2002, and has 38 years of experience and accomplishments as a commissioned officer, leader and manager with the United States Coast Guard.

GENERAL JOHN A. GORDON, a retired four-star general from the United States Air Force, was Assistant to the President and Homeland Security Advisor from 2003-2004 as well as Deputy National Security Advisor for Combating Terrorism.  Prior to his time at the White House, General Gordon served as the first Administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration, Under Secretary of Energy, Deputy Director of Central Intelligence and Associate Director of Central Intelligence for Military Support at the Central Intelligence Agency.

LISA GORDON-HAGERTY, founder, president and CEO of LEG Inc., was named to Fortune Magazine’s “Most Powerful Women” in 2004, 2005 and 2006.  She is the former Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of USEC Inc.  She has served as a counter-terrorism and security expert to the White House National Security Council, U.S. Department of Energy and the Committee on Energy and Commerce in the U.S. House of Representatives.

GENERAL BARRY MCCAFFREY has 32 years of distinguished service in the United States Army.  Upon his retirement as a four-star general, he was the most highly decorated serving general with three Purple Heart medals for wounds sustained in combat, two Distinguished Service Cross awards and two Silver Stars for valor.  Currently President of BR McCaffrey Associates LLC, the General previously served as Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy and as a member of the President’s Cabinet and the National Security Council for drug-related issues. 

HERMAN PIRCHNER JR. founded and has served as president of the American Foreign Policy Council since 1982.  He is an internationally recognized security and policy expert on Russian, Indian and Sino-Russian relations, and author of Reviving Greater Russia: The Future of Russia's Borders with Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Moldova and Ukraine and the 2002 AFPC Monograph, “The Russian-Chinese Border: Today's Reality.”

HOWARD A. SCHMIDT has 40 years of experience in defense, law enforcement and corporate security in both the public and private sectors, and currently serves as President and CEO of R&H Security Consulting Inc. and International President of the Information Systems Security Association.  He has held the positions of Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer of eBay and Chief Security Officer of Microsoft Corporation.  Howard Schmidt also served as Special Cyberspace Security Adviser to the White House, Chief Security Strategist for the US CERT National Cyber Security Division of DHS and as an FBI Computer Specialist.