Rivada Networks - About Us

Declan Ganley
Chairman & CEO

Declan Ganley (41), Irish Entrepreneur founder, Chairman and CEO of Rivada Networks designing and deploying broadband public safety communications networks for government customers.

Declan has founded wireless broadband and cable TV businesses, in Western, Central and Eastern Europe, including Broadnet and operating broadband wireless networks in ten EU countries, and Cabletel, with a cable multimedia network in Eastern Europe. With extensive experience in emerging markets, from 1991 he built what became the largest private forestry company in the Former Soviet Union, which he divested in 1997.

Declan is Chairman of the Forum on Public Safety in Europe & North America, where senior leaders confer to provide policy and implementation recommendations to governments, legislators, public safety and defence entities in Europe and North America. He was an advisor on "technology and terrorism" to the Club De Madrid group of former heads of government and has served as a member of Futures Group of the Irish Government's Information Society Commission. He is founder and President of The Libertas Institute, established as a pan European think tank. He was awarded the JCI Entrepreneur of the year title in 2001 & 2005.

Declan is a recipient of the Louisiana Distinguished Service Medal for what was cited as his life saving actions; leading Rivada Networks’ delivery of communications capability for emergency responders post Hurricane Katrina.

Declan was awarded the Frode Jacobson Prize for Personal Courage in Copenhagen on the 5th April 2008. This award, named after one of Denmark’s leading WWII resistance figures, was in recognition of Declan's founding of Libertas and its pursuit of greater democracy, accountability, transparency, reform and renewal in the governance of the European Union. He was also awarded the Czech Republic’s Michal Tosovsky Prize 2008. As Chairman of Libertas, Declan, was a leading figure in the successful defeat of the Lisbon Treaty in the Irish referendum of June 2008, a campaign for improved European governance in order to build a stronger more successful European Union.

Declan has served on the board of the University of Limerick Foundation and The Irish Chamber Orchestra, he is a member of the Royal Institute of International Affairs. He is a member of the 54th. Field Artillery Regiment, Irish Army Reserve and is a published speaker and media commentator on business, public safety communications and international affairs topics. He was the subject of columnist Bruce Arnold’s 2009 book ‘The Fight for Democracy’.

Declan has been married to Delia for 16 years and they have 4 children, they reside in County Galway, in the West of Ireland.

CLOSE BIO

John J. Kelly
Director

John J. Kelly, is the Chairman of the Board of Pan-American Life and has served on the board since 1994. He also serves as a director of the Whitney National Bank, the World Trade Center, and, formerly, was a founding director for the National D-Day Museum. He is a past chairman of the Advanced Microstructures and Devices Foundation (CAMD), the National Security Industrial Association, Amphibious Warfare Committee, and the U.S. Navy League Industrial Executive Board. He also served as the head of the Southern USA Chapter of the Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican Museums. He is also actively involved in New Orleans civic and Mardi Gras organizations, as well as local and state economic development activities.

Mr. Kelly has published several articles on national defense and industrial issues and some of the awards he has received are: Outstanding Technical Innovation, Offshore Technology Conference; U.S. Senate Productivity Award; Propeller Club’s Maritime Man of the Year Award; and the highest civilian awards given by the United States Navy (Commendation for Meritorious Civilian Service) and the Navy League of the United States (Robert M. Thompson Award for Outstanding Civilian Leadership).

As chairman of the Louisiana Technology Council, Mr. Kelly has organized and chaired national forums held in New Orleans on the role of technology in homeland security, which have featured senior officials from the Department of Homeland Security.

Mr. Kelly was President of Bell Aerospace Textron (formerly Bell Aircraft), where he led an organization involved in Liquid Rocket Propulsion, Lasers and Advanced Electronic Systems. He was named President of Textron Marine Systems Division based in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1986, an organization he had led since 1973. Textron Marine and Land Systems is the United States industry leader in the development and production of the Landing Craft Air Cushion for the U.S. Marine Corps and for the U.S. Coast Guard’s innovative 47-foot motor lifeboat. The organization is recognized for numerous technical innovations that serve customers in seventeen countries. Mr. Kelly retired from Textron Marine and Land Systems in 1998.

Mr. Kelly received a BSME degree from the University of Notre Dame and an MBA from St. John’s University. He attained the rank of Captain in the United States Air Force and has held high-level security clearances.

CLOSE BIO

Michael Jackson
Director

Michael P. Jackson served as Deputy Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security from 2005 until 2007. In this role, Mr. Jackson served as Department of Homeland Securitys' chief operating officer, with responsibility for managing the day-to-day operations.

Mr. Jackson served as Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) from May 2001 to August 2003. As Deputy Secretary, Mr. Jackson was the Department’s chief operating officer, with responsibility for day-to-day operations of an organization that, following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, grew to a $68 billion annual budget supporting over 179,000 employees. His tenure was particularly focused on DOT’s response to the terrorist attacks, including standing up the new Transportation Security Administration and management of recovery efforts for the nation’s aviation industry.

He served as a member of the Board of Directors of Amtrak and was chairman of its Audit Committee.

In 2004, Mr. Jackson was appointed to serve on the President's Commission on Implementation of United States Space Exploration Policy, which provided management recommendations to the President on NASA and its future mission management. Mr. Jackson also held positions working for two earlier Presidents. In the Administration of President George H. W. Bush, he served at the White House as Special Assistant to the President for Cabinet Liaison and later as Chief of Staff to the Secretary of Transportation. He held several positions reporting to the Secretary of Education in the Administration of President Ronald Reagan.

CLOSE BIO

General the Lord Guthrie
Director

Lord Guthrie was Chief of the Defence Staff in the United Kingdom between 1997 and 2001 and Chief of the General Staff of the British Army between 1994 and 1997. He is a member of the House of Lords. He was created a life peer after retiring as Chief of the Defence Staff.

He serves as a director of several other boards, including N M Rothschild & Sons. He is the president of several charities, including Action Medical Research, Army Benevolent Fund, Federation of London Youth Clubs and the Progressive Supranuclear Palsy Association.

CLOSE BIO

Gen Richard Myers
Director

General Richard B. Myers became the fifteenth Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on Oct. 1, 2001. In this capacity, he served as the principal military advisor to the President, the Secretary of Defense, and the National Security Council. Prior to becoming Chairman, he served as Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for 19 months. As the Vice Chairman from March 2000 to September 2001, General Myers served as the Chairman of the Joint Requirements Oversight Council, Vice Chairman of the Defense Acquisition Board, and as a member of the National Security Council Deputies Committee and the Nuclear Weapons Council. In addition, he acted for the Chairman in all aspects of the Planning, Programming and Budgeting System including participation in the Defense Resources Board.

From August 1998 to February 2000, General Myers was Commander in Chief, North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Space Command; Commander, Air Force Space Command; and Department of Defense manager, space transportation system contingency support at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado. Prior to assuming that position, he was Commander, Pacific Air Forces, Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii, from July 1997 to July 1998.

From July 1996 to July 1997 he served as Assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Pentagon; and from November 1993 to June 1996 General Myers was Commander of U.S. Forces Japan and 5th Air Force at Yokota Air Base, Japan.

CLOSE BIO

George Foresman
Director

George Foresman was confirmed by the United States Senate in December 2005 as America’s first Under Secretary of Preparedness at the Department of Homeland Security. On March 31, 2007 he became the first Under Secretary for National Protection and Programs at DHS. In these roles, Foresman has led a comprehensive effort to harmonize the Nation’s preparedness towards integrated capabilities for prevention, protection, and response. He has also has worked closely with a wide array of state and local elected officials and leading business CEO’s to focus on risk management and reduction in securing our nation’s homeland.

Prior to his appointment to the Department of Homeland Security, Foresman had extensive experience in homeland security and emergency response and preparedness. He served as Assistant to the Governor for Commonwealth Preparedness and as Homeland Security Advisor, a cabinet level position in the Administration of Governor Mark Warner. He acted as chief liaison with the White House, the military, Congress, other local governments and the private sector in this capacity. Foresman also chaired the Secure Commonwealth Panel and led the Governor’s initiative responsible for strengthening Virginia’s security and preparedness for emergencies and disasters of all kinds, including terrorism.

CLOSE BIO

Peter Goldscheider
Director

Mr. Goldscheider has 25 years experience as a senior executive in the securities and finance industry. Before jointly establishing EPIC, he was Vice President for Marketing and Sales and Member of the Board of Zürich Kosmos Insurance Company in Austria, and he began his professional career with IBM Austria, serving in a number of executive positions.

His professional activities include serving as Chairman of the Board of EPIC (Advisors) Russia Ltd. and I. EPIC Holding, Prague, as President of the Board of KINTO Investments & Securities, and as Chairman of the Investment Committee of Invision AG, Zug-based investment group focusing on leading edge technology and innovation companies.

Mr. Goldscheider received his Ph.D. in Law from the University of Vienna Law Faculty and attended the IBM/Harvard Business School joint senior managers program. He is the recipient of the Golden Order of Merit of the City of Vienna.

CLOSE BIO

Admiral Jim Loy
Director

Admiral James M. Loy completed a 45-year career in public service in 2005, retiring as the first Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security, a position that he held from 2003 to 2005. In this capacity, he was involved in all aspects of consolidating 22 separate agencies into one unified cabinet department as well as managing the day-to-day activities of the agency.

Prior to the establishment of the Department of Homeland Security, Admiral Loy served in the Department of Transportation from 2002 to 2003 as Deputy Under Secretary for Security and Chief Operating Officer of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), and later as Under Secretary for Security. In these roles, he served as the first administrator of the newly created TSA, which is responsible for protecting the U.S. transportation systems to ensure freedom of movement for people and commerce.

Admiral Loy retired from the U.S. Coast Guard in 2002, having served as its Commandant from May 1998. As head of the 90,000 person organization, he restored readiness through workforce development and modernized the Coast Guard’s fleet of ships and aircraft.

Prior to his service as Commandant, Admiral Loy served as the Coast Guard Chief of Staff from 1996 to 1998, during which time he redesigned the headquarters management structure and overhauled the Coast Guard planning and budgeting process to focus more sharply on performance and results. From 1994 to 1996, he was Commander of the Coast Guard’s Atlantic Area, supervising U.S. forces during the mass Haitian and Cuban migrations of 1994, and leading Coast Guard forces participating in Operation Restore Democracy.

CLOSE BIO