The Electronic Security Expo has announced that Francis Taylor, vice president and chief security officer for General Electric (GE), will deliver the 2009 keynote address. Taylor's keynote will be presented at the 2nd annual ESX on the morning of June 24 in Baltimore, Md., at the Baltimore Convention Center.
Taylor is a former head of security from the U.S. Department of State, where he oversaw protection of U.S. embassies around the world, as well as the consulates and State Department personnel. He has served as a senior advisor to the President on the topic of counterterrorism in the wake of the 9/11 attacks.
His topic for the keynote is "Local Solutions for Global Security Threats," and he will be discussing how companies involved in security systems integration and monitoring can become "providers of choice" to the government and corporate security decision makers.
Along with the keynote, GE Security will be sponsoring the keynote, as it did during the 2008 Electronic Security Expo in Nashville, Tenn. The 2008 keynote featured former NFL player Cris Carter and brother John Carter, of security and project management firm Carter Brothers.
ESX is an annual event co-owned by the National Burglar and Fire Alarm Association (NBFAA) and the Central Station Alarm Association (CSAA). The expo features a tradeshow and numerous training sessions related to fire detection systems, alarm systems, networking, access control and video surveillance as well as business management. Sessions are designed with systems designers, technicians, business owners and systems developers in mind. More information on the expo, scheduled for June 23-25, 2009, is available at www.ESXweb.com.
About Frank Taylor (information provided by GE and ESX):
Francis X. Taylor is Vice President and Chief Security Officer for the General Electric Company. He joined GE on March 7, 2005. He is responsible for overseeing GE’s global security operations and crisis management processes. Prior to joining GE, Mr. Taylor had a distinguished 35-year career in government service, where he held several senior positions managing investigations, security and counterterrorism issues.
Most recently, he served as the Assistant Secretary of State for Diplomatic Security and Director of the Office of Foreign Missions, with a rank of Ambassador. The Bureau of Diplomatic Security is the Department of State’s security and law enforcement arm. As Assistant Secretary, Ambassador Taylor oversaw all Department of State security programs that protect all U.S. Government employees and buildings overseas from terrorist, criminal or technical attack, and ensure the integrity of classified national security information produced and stored in these facilities. Leading more than 32,500 US, foreign and contractor personnel, he provided security for all US government employees assigned to over 250 U.S. embassies and consulates worldwide. The Ambassador also directed the law enforcement function of the Bureau, wherein Diplomatic Security Service special agents protect the Secretary of State and foreign dignitaries who visit the United States. And conduct criminal investigations of violation of US Visa and Immigration statutes. As Director of the Office of Foreign Missions, Taylor regulated the activities of foreign missions in the United States to protect the foreign policy and national security interests of the United States and safeguards the American public from abuses of privileges and immunities by diplomatic and consular officials.
Ambassador Taylor also served as the US Ambassador at Large and Coordinator for Counterterrorism for the Department of State from July 2001 to November 2002. In this role, he was responsible for the implementing US counterterrorism policy overseas and coordinating the US government response to international terrorist activities. In the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, attacks, he was a key advisor in assisting the President Bush and Secretary of State Powell in forming the international coalition against terrorism and developing aggressive international policy implementation to defeat terrorism.
During his 31 years of military service, Ambassador Taylor served with distinction in numerous command and staff positions, rising to the rank of Brigadier General in September 1996. In his final active duty assignment, Brigadier General Taylor headed the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, where he was responsible for providing commanders of all Air Force activities independent professional investigative services in fraud, counterintelligence, and major criminal matters.
Mr. Taylor has received numerous awards and decorations, including the Distinguished Service Medal, the National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal, the Defense Superior Service Medal and the Legion of Merit and the Department of State Distinguished Honor Award. The University of Notre Dame Alumni Association honored his military service with the Father William Corby Distinguished Military Service Award.
