Meet our Leadership

Stephen Volandt

Steve is a Citadel graduate and former US Marine Corps logistics officer who has worked in corporate, governmental, and national security roles. 

Steve has led or been deeply involved in large organizational change, enterprise transformation, modernization, process improvement, merger and acquisition, security, project and venture finance, and start-up/scale-up efforts for the Department of Defense CIO, FBI CJIS, Headquarters Army (to include nuclear weapon detonation response and weapons of mass destruction interdiction), Headquarters Marine Corps, the North Carolina Board of Elections and Ethics Enforcement, Cigna, GlaxoSmithKline, Bayer, and other corporate, state, local and federal government entities. 

Early in his career, Steve performed or led thousands of commercial and industrial real estate assessments and construction inspections, hurricane and disaster recovery, and environmental cleanup projects across the United States. 

Before founding FIR, Steve served as Vice Chair, FBI-InfraGard National Disaster Resilience Council, co-authored two of their books on infrastructure resilience, and is the recipient of their 2023 Cross-sector Council Leadership award.  

 Mary D. Lasky

Mary is the Executive Vice President for the Foundation for Infrastructure Resilience (FIR) and a member of the InfraGard National Member Alliance Board. She served as Chairman of the InfraGard National Disaster Resilience Council (NDRC) from 2017 through 2023. She is the lead editor and author of “Powering Through: Building Critical Infrastructure Resilience (2021)” looking at threats, impacts, consequences and preventative measures organizations can take for long term power outages and “Powering Through: From Fragile Infrastructure to Community Resilience (2016)” an action guide on being prepared if there is grid failure. 

Mary is a Certified Business Continuity Professional (CBCP). She is on the Foundation for Resilient Societies Board of Directors. Mary is serving on the NARUC Emergency Preparedness, Recovery, and Resiliency Task Force and it Black Sky Subcommittee.  She 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 on being prepared for a nuclear attack. She is a Past President of the Central Maryland Chapter of the Association of Contingency Planners (ACP). 

Mary has been the Program Manager for Business Continuity Planning for the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) and is currently the senior advisor for the program. At APL, Mary 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. 

She is the recipient of the InfraGard Linda Franklin National Achievement Memorial Award and the FIR Lifetime Achievement Award. 

Mary served as president of the APL Woman's Club from 2007 to 2009.  She serves on the Grassroots Crisis Intervention Board of Directors and previously served on the Grassroots Board and as president from 2014 to 2017.

 Rob Hartwell

Rob is a native of Alexandria, VA, and former Congressional Chief of Staff to Reps. Dick Schulze (R-PA) and Nick Smith (R-MI). Hartwell also worked for Reps. Mike Oxley (R-OH) and Mac Sweeney (R-TX) and as Chief of Staff for Schulze was an Associate Staff Member of the Committee on Ways and Means.

Since 2001, Rob has served as President of Hartwell Capitol Consulting, a full-service lobbying business development and Capital access firm, and has conducted business here and abroad in the Middle East, Europe and Asia. His firm currently engages 101 consultants including past National Security Council Staff; 3 Admirals; 2 DoD Assistant Secretaries; the past head of DoD Labs, Los Alamos National Lab and DHS Science and Technology; 3 retired Congressmen; 3 Retired Colonels and a total of 24 retired Veterans from every service branch. 

During his career, he has orchestrated over $23 billion in appropriation and tax provisions and raised over $4 million for charities and campaigns. He has obtained millions in funding for specialized ethanol production, advanced batteries out of Ft. Monmouth NJ, women Veterans’ health care, transportation projects and advanced UAV helicopters from Ft. Eustis, VA.   

Rob is currently Vice President for Public Affairs for the Foundation for Infrastructure Resilience (FIR) and the past Chairman of the National Disaster Resilience Council (NDRC) Public Policy Working Group educates the Congress on electric grid security, critical infrastructure security, Electromagnetic Pulse and Solar Storm issues. 

He was also a Member of the Fairfax County Planning Commission and the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin.  

 Luke Reiner

Luke spent over 38 years in uniform and is a soldier for life. He earned several Master's Degrees, one in Public Administration from the University of Wyoming, the other in Strategic Studies from the US Army War College. He also holds an Honorary Doctorate and Bachelor’s degrees in Accounting and Education from Concordia University, Seward, NE.

Luke spent most of his military career as an Active-Duty Guardsman, working through the ranks both as a Field Artilleryman and as a domestic operations response officer.  He spent years working closely with Mayors, County Commissioners, Sheriffs, County Emergency Planners and others; preparing for and responding to disasters. Luke deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom II in 2004 where he successfully served as the Mayor of a 10,000 man deployment camp; responsible for feeding, sheltering and securing all those passing through the camp and ensuring their life support needs in terms of reliable power, water, wastewater, sanitation and fire / emergency medical response were met.  He retired in 2019 after serving eight years as Wyoming's  Adjutant General (TAG).  During his tenure as the TAG, Luke was a regular instructor at the US NORTHCOM Dual Hatted Commander course and a leader in the Adjutant Generals Association Homeland Security Subcommittee. 

Luke  successfully served for four years as the Director of the Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT), the largest and most diverse agency in the State of Wyoming after retiring from the military. This experience broadened his knowledge of state government and allowed him the opportunity to support state disasters from a different seat. 

As the TAG, he took a special interest in the threat and potential effects of a long-term power outage (LTPO) and worked closely with the Governor's Office, the Wyoming Department of Homeland Security and Public Service Commission, County Officials, utility companies and others to prepare for and plan a respond to that potential event. He continued his LTPO efforts with a focus on emergency communications (part of his portfolio) as the Director of WYDOT. 

Retiring in 2023, Luke made the decision to stay involved in dealing with this critical threat. 

Robert B. Newman, Jr.

Mr. Newman has over thirty years of business, military, and homeland security expertise in both government and private sectors in the fields of infrastructure protection, financial services, and energy. He has served on national committees including the Reserve Forces Policy Board and as a member of the Board of Directors of the Army and Air Force Exchange Services.

 Mr. Newman   was appointed by the Undersecretary for Science and Technology in the Department of Homeland Security as the Director of the Office of Engagement and Partnerships in August of 2020. In this capacity, Mr. Newman is responsible for engagements with the homeland security enterprise for strategic development and partnering with those organizations that can accelerate access to the technologies needed by the Department's agencies.

Mr. Newman graduated with a BA in Economics from the Virginia Military Institute and was designated a distinguished aerospace graduate. He later received a Master of Arts in Management and Public Administration from Webster University and is a graduate of the United States Air Force Air War College.

A retired Air Force general officer, Mr. Newman has flown both the A-7D and F-16C fighter aircraft and was a member of an 8-man team that represented the US Air Force and won an international air to ground gunnery competition against the British Royal Air Force.

Following the attacks of 9/11, Mr. Newman served as the Deputy J3/4 for operations and logistics at US Joint Forces Command and later was named by Governor Mark Warner as his deputy assistant homeland security advisor where he was responsible for homeland security strategic planning and the development of a state-wide terrorist alert system. He was later selected to serve as the Adjutant General of Virginia by Governor Tim Kaine where he was responsible for the operations and training of the Virginia National Guard in both state and Federal missions. During his tour of duty, he developed units with joint capabilities to leverage both manpower and equipment in support of state homeland security missions.

Mike Poynter

In Michael Poynter has managed operations and led Emergency Personnel in environments of all types throughout his 40 years of public service. His experience spans all branches of Emergency Services, including Law Enforcement, Emergency Medical Services, and the Fire Service. During his tenure, he has responded to hundreds of significant incidents in all sectors and trained emergency responders worldwide in their related fields. Mike served as a Tactical Paramedic with the Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Weapons and Tactics Team and a Flight Paramedic at a Level 1 Trauma Center for twenty years and was involved in many duties, including those in special operations, training, and aviation overseeing Emergency Services Responders. Mike served ten years as the State Director for Emergency Medical Services for the Commonwealth of Kentucky, Advisory Board Member for Emergency Medical Services World Magazine, Advisory Board Member for the Bluegrass State Intelligence Community Center of Academic Excellence, Board of Directors for the National Association of State Emergency Medical Services Officials, and Commissioner for the American College of Paramedic Executives. Mike also served a 4-year term on the Board of Directors for the FBI’s InfraGard National Members Alliance. He has been published in numerous peer and trade journals and has spoken at numerous regional, national, and international conferences. Mike currently works as a Senior Consultant with Fitch and Associates. Mike was just inducted into the Cave City, Kentucky Chamber of Commerce Hall of Fame. He resides in Lexington, Kentucky with his wife and 2 children.   

 Fred Ferrer

   Mr. Frederick Ferrer is a national security expert and educator with over four decades of knowledge and work experience in the Intelligence Community, National Defense, Homeland Security, Homeland Defense, Anti-Terrorism and Cybersecurity fields. Past positions have included: Senior National Security SME at a National Lab; State Critical Infrastructure Protection Manager; Anti-Terrorism Branch Chief in a State Intelligence Fusion Center; FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force member; Cyber and Homeland Security Director for two Large-scale industry integrators; Homeland Security Manager; Senior Policy Analyst in the Pentagon’s Homeland Defense Office; and many assignments at various three-letter IC agencies. 

   Mr. Ferrer is a 20-year U.S. Air Force veteran, where he served as a Cryptologic Linguist in several foreign languages, and Intelligence Collector and Senior Executive Leadership Manager. Mr. Ferrer retired from the military having been recognized over his career with 28 military awards and decorations and with numerous leadership and teaching achievements. Mr. Ferrer has completed a three-year Ph.D. program of studies and holds a Master of Science degree in Strategic Intelligence from the National Intelligence University. He attended and completed his undergraduate work at the Defense Intelligence College and his post graduate studies at the Joint Military Intelligence College. He is a former Air Training Command Master Instructor and has taught at the intelligence schools for both the NSA and CIA. 

   In addition to over 20 years of in-residence/classroom teaching experience, Mr. Ferrer has more than 17 years teaching online Homeland Security, Intelligence, Anti-Terrorism and Cyber courses at both the graduate and undergraduate levels for seven different universities. He has served on national executive boards and councils to include the FBI’s National InfraGard Alliance Board of Directors; DHS State, Local, Territorial and Tribal Government Coordinating Council and several state-level cybersecurity commissions, technical and educational councils. Mr. Ferrer is an inductee of the Chapel of the Four Chaplains Legion of Honor; has held several positions within the American Legion at the National, State and Local levels; and has served as a church Elder and Deacon Overseer. He has been married for almost 40 years and he and his wife have four grown children and eight grandchildren. He and his wife currently reside in Southwest Montana.

 Dr. James Terbush

Major Areas of Expertise:

· Health critical infrastructure, domestic disaster preparedness and response, international humanitarian assistance

· Federal healthcare systems, disaster public health education strategies, innovative medical developments and Interagency cooperation

· Public health, primary care, preventive and military operational medicine

Summary of Career Accomplishments:
James Terbush MD MPH is a Senior Partner with Martin, Blanck & Associates and joined the firm in April 2014.

From 2006 to 2009, Captain Terbush USN, served as Command Surgeon to North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM). In this role, he served as the Medical Advisor to the Commander and was responsible for the integration of Department of Defense medical assets internally and with other agencies in support of military response to civilian disasters, combating terrorism and protecting Americans.

From 2009-2011, Dr. Terbush served as the Fleet Surgeon for Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command. He was deployed forward to Port au Prince in response to the devastating earthquake disaster in Haiti, integrating DOD medical capabilities into the overall International response.

Dr. Terbush’s final assignment before retiring from military service was with the Science and Technology Directorate at NORAD and USNORTHCOM where he served as the lead for medical innovations.

Additional Qualifications:
In more than 30 years of Government service Dr. Terbush was the physician to U.S. personnel in over 80 countries. He is published in scientific journals on; Influenza and Air Travel, Mass Fatalities Management and Public Health Consequences of a Cyber Attack. Dr. Terbush served on multiple boards of directors; Public Health for El Paso County Colorado, Peak Military Care Network (veterans affairs), graduate medical education (Univ. of Colorado), and disaster medicine. He was also an advisor to the National Academy of Sciences Institute of Medicine Forum on Disaster and Public Health and is a Past President of the American Academy of Disaster Medicine. Dr. Terbush served as the Board of Health President from 2018 to 2023, during the COVID 19 pandemic.

Dr. Terbush received his MD degree from the University of Colorado (1978) and a Master’s in Public Health from the University of California, Los Angeles (2005). 

 John Juhasz

John is a seasoned executive, systems engineer, and innovator with a demonstrated history of driving progress across the energy, aerospace, automotive, and telecommunications industries. As the Task Force Leader for the Resilient Microgrid Task Force, John applies his deep expertise in Systems Thinking to address some of modern society’s most complex critical infrastructure challenges.

He is also the Founder and CEO of Telepath Systems, Inc., a non-profit enterprise dedicated to educating the workforce and advancing the adoption of systems methods. Under his leadership, Telepath Systems focuses on three core pillars:

• Education      & Workforce Development: John leads an initiative in collaboration      with Cleveland State University and regional partners to create a      specialized workforce development and certification program in Microgrid      Systems.
• Industry      Events: Since 2014, Telepath Systems has been the prime organizer and      sponsor of the bi-annual Energy and Mobility Conference (formerly      EnergyTech). Held in Cleveland, OH, this unique forum is supported by      major organizations including NASA, INCOSE, SAE, and InfraGard.
• Consulting      Services: Providing high-level business development and technical      project consulting to foster resilient engineering solutions.

Innovation & Career Highlights

John’s business leadership is built on a rock-solid foundation in design engineering and product development. His career highlights include:

• Patented      Technology: Holds 9 patents in automotive electronics and systems,      specifically for heavy truck adaptive braking and onboard information      systems.
• Product      Development: Developed and holds the patent for the      "Tripmaster" product, a pioneering tool for heavy vehicle system      diagnostics and monitoring.
• Global      Engineering: Contributed to the development of the OnStar vehicle      system for OPEL/GM-Europe.
• Executive      Leadership: Extensive background spanning Design Engineering,      Project/Program Management, and C-suite General Management and Start-ups.

Professional Affiliations & Leadership

A dedicated community leader and advocate for infrastructure security, John holds several key positions across prominent engineering and security organizations:

• INCOSE:     Lifetime Member (since 1991). Currently serves as Co-Chair of the Power      & Energy Systems Working Group and Co-Chair of the Critical      Infrastructure Protection & Recovery Working Group.
• InfraGard:     Member of the National Disaster Resilience Council (NDRC) and Sector Chief      for the InfraGard NEO Energy Sector.
• Former      Memberships: IEEE, SAE, and AIAA.

Education & Academia

• M.S.      & B.S. in Electrical Engineering (MSEE, BSEE), Cleveland State      University
• Master      of Business Administration (MBA), University of Detroit
• Adjunct      Professor: Spent 7 years teaching Information Technology, Quantitative      Methods, and Decision Theory to Executive MBA candidates.

 Jim Lint

Currently serves as the Google Services Manager for the Foundation for Infrastructure Resilience, where he coordinates Google support and manages the Foundation's LinkedIn presence.  

Mr. Lint retired from the US military after a distinguished 21-year career, including seven years in the US Marine Corps and 14 years in the US Army. His military journey began in the Marine Infantry, where he honed his leadership skills. He then served four years in Marine Counterintelligence and 14 years as an Army Counterintelligence Special  Agent. His overseas postings included two cruises in the Mediterranean, as well as assignments in Korea, Europe, and Cuba.  

Following his military retirement, Mr. Lint spent two years as a contractor supporting  INSCOM Test and Evaluation. He then transitioned to Civil Service, serving four and a  half years in Korea as the Deputy Director for Intelligence and Security with the 1st  Signal Brigade in Yongsan. He subsequently held positions at the Department of  Homeland Security, Office of Intelligence and Analysis for two years, and as the Deputy  Director for the Safeguards and Security Division, Office of Science, Department of  Energy for 1.5 years. At the Department of Energy, he managed an $81 million  Safeguards and Security budget for 10 national science laboratories under the purview of the Under Secretary of Science. 

 From 2008 to 2014, Mr. Lint served as the Director of Intelligence and Security for the  US Army Communications Electronics Command, an 11,000-member organization wit  units in all Combatant Commands. After retiring from this senior management position,  he taught at American Military University and authored three books on management,  federal jobs, and Korea. 

 In 2018, Mr. Lint, a long-time member of InfraGard, was appointed as the first National  Sector Chief for the Defense Industrial Base, a position he continues to hold today. 

 Thomas Di Mascio

    Thomas has spent over thirty-five years as a global supply chain practitioner, working for respected companies such as: DHL Global Forwarding, Penguin, John Wiley & Sons, Berlitz, and Warner Bros.

    He received his bachelor’s degree with a dual major in economics & political science, along with an MBA with a concentration in Supply Chain Management, from Rutgers University. He also holds an MS in the field of Publishing from Pace University. 

    Inspired by the events of 9/11, Thomas began his association with the FBI in New York City, attending the Citizens’ Academy in 2011, and then going on to join the NY Metro InfraGard. Thomas maintains very strong working relationships with the Bureau, the military, and many other government agencies in Newark, New York, Los Angeles, and Washington DC. In 2018, InfraGard National and FBI HQ awarded him the prestigious Meeting the Challenge award; and in 2021 was the National Sector Chief of the Year. Currently, he is a member of DSAC and for InfraGard he serves as the Transportation Sector Chief for Los Angeles and the National Deputy Transportation Sector Chief. 

    In addition, Thomas is also volunteering to stand up the Global Supply Chain – Information Sharing and Analysis Center, which is a division of the International Association of Certified ISAOs (IACI). They are based at Kennedy Space Center.

    Thomas is also a proud member of the USAF’s Civil Air Patrol, serving as a Captain in a cadet squadron at Teterboro Airport. His focus at the squadron is supporting the cadet program; and is an aircrew mission scanner, supporting the emergency services branch of CAP.