Chertoff adds members to advisory council

WASHINGTON, Aug. 29 (UPI) -- U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff has made a series of appointments to his advisory council, his primary source of non-government expert advice.

The Homeland Security Advisory Council and its several subcommittees are made up of state and local government and police officials, counter-terrorism specialists, first responders, academics and private-sector executives.

A statement from the Department of Homeland Security Tuesday named three new members of the council and 10 new members of its subcommittees.

The new council members are Gov. Sonny Perdue, R-Ga., County Supervisor Don Knabe of Los Angeles and Dr. John “Skip” Williams, the provost and vice president for health affairs at George Washington University.

In addition, Chertoff announced 10 other appointments to four subcommittees of the council -- those working with state and local government, the private sector, emergency responders and on border policy.

The president and chief executive officer of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Thomas Donahue; Susan Ginsburg, a former Sept. 11 Commission staff counsel now with the Migration Policy Institute; and Stephen Payne, president of an energy and international business consulting firm in Houston, have all been appointed to the council’s Secure Borders and Open Doors Advisory Committee.

And its Emergency Response Senior Advisory Committee will be joined by Ellis Stanley, the general manager of the Emergency Preparedness Department of the City of Los Angeles; and by Joseph White, CEO of the St. Louis area chapter of the American Red Cross.