Cernium Corporation, the leading developer of video analytics-enabled products, today announced the appointment of The Honorable Tom Ridge, the nation’s first Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security and former Governor of Pennsylvania, to the company's board of directors.
"Cernium is honored to welcome Secretary Ridge to our board as a key strategic advisor," said Craig Chambers, president and chief executive officer of Cernium. "His unique experience as an internationally recognized leader on matters of business and government will bring an invaluable perspective to Cernium as we expand our product offerings both in the US and overseas. We are delighted that he has chosen to take a role in shaping our future."
"In my work in both government and the private sector, I have appreciated the difference made by innovative firms such as Cernium," said Ridge. "I believe in the potential of Cernium’s technology and their vision for its deployment, and I’m pleased to work with them to bring this vision to fruition."
Secretary Ridge was the first U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, a federal department President George W. Bush formed and appointed him to lead shortly after the tragic events of September 11, 2001. Secretary Ridge’s role at that critical time was to develop and implement a comprehensive strategy to strengthen the protections against terrorist threats to the nation. A former Vietnam combat veteran, Secretary Ridge was twice elected Governor of Pennsylvania, serving from 1995 to 2001, and served six terms as a Member of Congress. He retired from the public sector on February 1, 2005, and currently serves as president and CEO of Ridge Global LLC, a Washington, DC-based strategic and operational consulting firm. Additionally, he is a board member of several private sector companies, including Vonage Holdings Corp. and The Hershey Company. He also currently serves as the chairman of the National Organization on Disability and as co-chair of the Flight 93 National Memorial. In 2007, he served on a state-appointed incident review panel investigating the tragedy at Virginia Tech.
