White House names radio amateur as new cybersecurity co-ordinator

On December 22, President Barack Obama named Howard A. Schmidt, W7HAS, as the new White House Cybersecurity Coordinator.

According to the White House, Schmidt, an ARRL member, is one of the world's leading authorities on computer security, with some 40 years of experience in government, business and law enforcement and "will have regular access to the President and serve as a key member of his National Security Staff. He will also work closely with his economic
team to ensure that our cybersecurity efforts keep the Nation secure and prosperous."

In an exclusive interview with the ARRL, Schmidt said that he credits Amateur Radio with getting him involved with technology:
"In high school, one of my friends was a ham and he got me interested in shortwave radio, which in turn got me into building shortwave radios and equipment, many from Heathkit. As I got older, I took courses from NRI and Bell and Howell in electronics and built a number of projects,
preparing me for my first ham radio ticket.

"I love technology, and it was Amateur Radio that caused me to build my first computer - a Sinclair ZX-80 to use for EME calculations. I studied all about the OSCAR systems and would build equipment to monitor when they would pass
within range of Arizona.

"Building these computers to support my ham radio hobby gave me the technical skills that I needed to start doing computer crime investigations and work on the early stages of computer forensics, in turn enabling me to start working on cybersecurity issues."

Read more here
http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2009/12/23/11264/?nc=1