Our directors have decades of experience in critical infrastructure protection.
Dr. George H. Baker, Director. Dr. Baker is a Professor Emeritus at James Madison University, where he directed the JMU Institute for Infrastructure and Information Assurrance. Previously, Dr. Baker led the Defense Nuclear Agency's Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) program, directed the Defense Threat Reduction Agency’s assessment arm, and served as a member of the Congressional EMP Commission Staff. Dr. Baker holds an M.S. in Physics from University of Virginia, and a Ph.D. in Engineering Physics from the U.S. Air Force Institute of Technology. Currently, Dr. Baker is CEO of BAYCOR, LLC – a consulting company primarily devoted to preparedness for and protection against major electromagnetic threats to critical infrastructures including nuclear EMP, solar storms, and radio frequency weapons. Dr. Baker also serves as a Principal Investigator for Resilient Societies on matters of infrastructure protection.
Ambassador Henry F. Cooper, Director. Ambassador Henry (Hank) Cooper was Director of the Strategic Defense Initiative Organization (SDIO) during the George H.W. Bush administration and President Reagan's Chief Negotiator at the Geneva Defense and Space Talks. Also serving as Assistant Director of the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency, he backstopped U.S. bilateral negotiations with the Soviet Union and led the development of President Reagan's space arms control policy; and, as Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force, oversaw the Reagan modernization program for USAF strategic and space systems. Currently, Ambassador Cooper is Chairman of the Board of High Frontier, a non-profit, non-partisan educational corporation, formed to examine the potential for defending America against missile attack and Chairman Emeritus of Applied Research Associates, Inc. Ambassador Cooper holds a Ph.D. from New York University in Mechanical Engineering, and BS and MS degrees from Clemson University, also in Mechanical Engineering. He serves as a technical resource for Resilient Societies on matters of ballistic missile defense and international arms control.
William R. Harris, Director. Mr. Harris is an international lawyer specializing in arms control, nuclear non-proliferation, energy policy, and continuity of government. He worked on Hot Line upgrades, creation of linked Nuclear Risk Reduction Centers (1982-84), and was a co-drafter of arms limitation treaties in 1986-87, 1991, and 1993. Mr. Harris worked for the RAND Corporation and in a variety of assignments for the U.S. Government. Mr. Harris holds a B.A. from Harvard College and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. Mr. Harris serves as Secretary and attorney for Resilient Societies.
William Kaewert, Chairman and Director. William Kaewert is President and CTO of Colorado-based Stored Energy Systems LLC (SENS), a manufacturer of DC power systems that protect critical infrastructures from shutdown due to power loss. Previously, Mr. Kaewert held roles in computer data center operations with Federated Department Stores and information technology consulting with the Yankee Group in Europe. He received his AB in history from Dartmouth College and MBA from Boston University. He has served on the board of directors of several economic development organizations and the Electrical Generation Systems Association (EGSA). Since 2010, Mr. Kaewert has been a member of the Electromagnetic Pulse Special Interest Group of FBI InfraGard.
Mary D. Lasky, Secretary and Director. Ms. Lasky is the Chairman of the InfraGard Electromagnetic Pulse Special Interest Group (EMP SIG) and has been the Program Manager for Business Continuity Planning for the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. She is lead editor and an author of Powering Through: From Fragile Infrastructure to Community Resilience, an action guide on preventing and mitigating grid failure. Ms. Lasky is a past president of the Community Emergency Response Network Inc. (CERN) in Howard County, Maryland; while she was president, CERN received two FEMA grants to research preparation for nuclear attack. She is a Past President of the Central Maryland Chapter of the Association of Contingency Planners (ACP). Previously at the Applied Physics Laboratory, Ms. Lasky has held a variety of supervisory positions in Information Technology and in business services. For many years, she was adjunct faculty of the Johns Hopkins University Whiting School of Engineering, teaching in the graduate degree program in Technical Management. Ms. Lasky is a Certified Business Continuity Professional (CBCP).
Thomas S. Popik, President, Director, and co-founder. In addition to leading Resilient Societies, Thomas Popik serves as a Principal Investigator on critical infrastructures, specializing in vulnerability assessment, comparative risk analysis, and economic modeling. In his commercial sector work, Mr. Popik is a principal of Geosegment Systems Corporation, a market research firm specializing in the U.S. banking and mortgage industries. Mr. Popik holds a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from MIT. In his early career, Mr. Popik served as an officer in the U.S. Air Force, with a final rank of Captain. Mr. Popik was also a co-founder of the Academy for Science and Design, New Hampshire's charter high school for science and math education.
Paul Schwarzbaum, Treasurer and Director. Mr. Schwarzbaum is President, CEO, and a director of Tronair, Inc., a leading supplier of ground support equipment for the aerospace industry. Previously he was President, CEO, and a director of GT Technologies, Inc., a global supplier of engine valvetrain components. Earlier in his career he held senior leadership positions at Federal-Mogul, IDEX, Magnetek, and Corning. Mr. Schwarzbaum earned a BA from Columbia University and an MBA from Harvard Business School. He currently serves on the board of JVS, a Detroit-area social service organization that provides training and jobs for the unemployed and underemployed.