The Honorable Thomas J. Ridge

Tom Ridge is president and CEO of the international consulting firm Ridge Global, headquartered in Washington, DC. He served as the nation’s first Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security from January 2003 through January 2005, and as the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security from October 2001 through December 2002.  Previously, he was governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania from 1995 through October 2001 and a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1983 through 1995.

A Vietnam combat veteran, Secretary Ridge works with multiples organizations to assist our nation’s veterans, serves as chairman of the National Organization on Disability and co-chairs the Flight 93 National Memorial. He also serves on public and private boards, including the Institute for Defense Analyses and the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress. He holds a B.S. from Harvard University and J.D. from the Dickinson School of Law.