Alexandria, Va. – December 12, 2017
– The Security Manufacturers Coalition (SMC), the unified voice of companies that manufacture security screening technology, announced that aviation security industry veteran, Mark Laustra, Vice President, Global Business Development and Government Relations for Analogic, has been elected Chair for a third term. He will be supported by co-Vice Chairs Jim King, Vice President of Government Relations, OSI Systems, Inc., and Kevin Schmidt, Vice President U.S. Government Relations, Smiths Group, plc.
The leadership of the SMC are transportation security industry experts that have led the industry in various capacities for more than 65 years collectively.
“We are pleased to announce Mark Laustra as Chair of the SMC. His caliber of expertise, with more than 25 years in the industry, has served the Coalition well,” said T.J. Schulz, President of the Airports Consultants Council (ACC), the host organization for the SMC. “We look forward to his continued leadership in continuing to drive the organization and helping to set and deliver on our priorities for 2018.”
The organization is focused on advocacy priorities that impact the transportation security industry and the traveling public.
“This is a critical time for our industry. Manufacturers are responding to a changing landscape of security priorities and funding issues that impact our coalition members and the customers we serve,” said Laustra. “I am pleased to have the opportunity to lead the SMC as we navigate these issues and bring solutions that benefit the public and improve U.S. and international security.”
SMC co-Vice Chair, Kevin Schmidt, currently serves as the Vice President of U.S. Government Relations for Smiths Group plc. In addition to his work in the private sector, Schmidt has held a range of key positions in the public sector including serving as a presidential appointee to the Office of Legislative Affairs at the Department of Homeland Security, where he was director of intelligence and operations, and working for the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) as a professional staff member for the U.S. Congress. Kevin also served on the Speakers Working Group on Terrorism and Homeland Security prior to September 11
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, which produced a report that was used as a foundation by the Joint Inquiry Committee and the 9/11 Commission.
SMC co-Vice Chair, Jim King, is Vice President of Government Relations for OSI Systems, Inc., with broad and deep expertise and experience spanning more than twenty years in both the public and private sectors. His background includes work in the Legislative and Executive branches of the Federal Government, as well as with three global defense and security corporations. King is a retired Master Army Aviator and served as a Congressional Fellow in the House of Representatives and as a DOD Legislative Liaison for over six years.
About the Security Manufacturers Coalition
The Security Manufacturers Coalition serves as the unified voice of companies that manufacture security screening technology and focuses on aviation and intermodal security issues in the U.S. and globally. Organized under the Airport Consultants Council (ACC), the Coalition addresses issues that most affect its member companies relating to funding and acquisitions, technology research programs, and international regulations and standards.
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