"Nine Hired As Federal Security Directors"

Wednesday, May 22, 2002

Nine Hired As Federal Security Directors
Airport Security Report


Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta announced the selection of
nine more individuals to serve as Federal Security Directors (FSDs) at
U.S. airports. So far, 20 FSDs have been hired, but only two have
aviation security backgrounds, according to industry sources. Some of
the FSDs hired so far include: 

* Boston Logan International Airport: George Nacarra a retired U.S.
Coast Guard rear admiral. Nacarra is a 1969 graduate of the U.S. Coast
Guard Academy. He was originally chosen for Washington Dulles
International Airport (IAD), but was switched to Boston due to personal
preference. 

* Louisville International Airport: Bruce Botman, who spent 20 years in
the Federal Bureau of Investigation serving as supervisory special agent
and senior executive special agent. 

* Orlando International Airport: Charles Lutz, a 32-year veteran of the
Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), is a former U.S. diplomat who
served as a senior executive at the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand.
Lutz coordinated drug law enforcement and intelligence programs in
Southeast Asia and established DEA offices in Laos and Vietnam. He
implemented the President's General Intelligence Plan while serving as a
DEA director. 

* San Francisco International Airport: Edward Gomez, a retired
California highway patrolman, has coordinated law enforcement resources
during natural disasters, and spent time working with the DEA. 

* Pittsburgh International Airport: Robert Blose served 30 years in the
U.S. Marine Corps, most recently at the U.S. Naval Academy as the Dean
of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. His Marine Corps
service includes command of a battalion in the Gulf War, command of the
11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, and special assistant to the Supreme
Allied Commander, Europe. 

* Seattle-Tacoma International Airport: Robert Blunk served as manager
of the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) Civil Aviation Security
(CAS) programs in the Northwest Mountain Region. He was responsible for
federal oversight of CAS programs and management of FAA internal
security and investigative programs in Colorado, Idaho, Oregon, Montana,
Washington, Wyoming, and Utah. 

* Las Vegas' McCarran International Airport: James Blair has more than
30 years experience in managing large organizations ranging from
airfield management, human resources, security and city planning. Since
completing 25 years of Air Force service, Blair served as the deputy
director of planning, City of Las Vegas and as the executive director of
security, Mirage Hotel and Casino. 

* San Antonio International Airport: Leopoldo Vasquez, Jr. served for
almost 30 years in the United States Army. Since then, Vasquez has
worked as a senior program manager for a defense contractor and as a
consultant. 

* Grand Rapids Gerald R. Ford International Airport: John Mumma served
in the U.S. Army's Military Police Corps, gaining experience in law
enforcement, corrections, security and antiterrorism. He later served as
warden of two adult prisons in Arizona and transferred to Puerto Rico in
1998 where he was director of operations for juvenile facilities. 


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