Board of Advisors
Howard Schmidt
President & CEO, R & H Security Consulting LLC
Mr. Schmidt has had a long distinguished career in defense, law enforcement and corporate security spanning almost 40 years. He has served as Chief Security Officer for companies including Microsoft and eBay, as well as a cyber-security advisor for the U.S. White House. He has been a key leader on committees in local, federal and international efforts on cyberspace security and critical infrastructure protection.
Schmidt was appointed by President Bush as the Vice Chair of the President’s Critical Infrastructure Protection Board and as the Special Adviser for Cyberspace Security for the White House in December 2001. He retired from the White House in 2003 after 31 years of public service in local and federal government. He currently serves as a trusted advisor for the international security community in both the public and private sectors.
Schmidt also serves as the international president of the Information Systems Security Association (ISSA) and was the first president of the Information Technology Information Sharing and Analysis Center (IT-ISAC). He is a former executive board member of the International Organization of Computer Evidence, and served as the co-chairman of the Federal Computer Investigations Committee.
Schmidt is a member of the American Academy of Forensic Scientists. He had served as a board member for the CyberCrime Advisory Board of the National White Collar Crime Center, and was a distinguished special lecturer at the University of New Haven, Conn., teaching a graduate certificate course in forensic computing.
He is regularly featured on media outlets including international markets such as BBC, CNN, CNBC, ABC and Fox TV talking about technology and security. He is a co-author of the Black Book on Corporate Security and author of Patrolling CyberSpace: Lessons Learned from a Lifetime in Data Security.
John Shegerian
Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO of Electronic Recyclers
Mr. Shegerian started Electronic Recyclers, Inc. (ERI) in 2002, which is an electronic waste collector and recycler, specializing in the environmentally-safe and socially responsible dismantling of electronic items such as computers, televisions and monitors. Electronic Recyclers is recognized as the Number One Electronic Waste Recycler in the state of California and one of the largest in North America.
Shegerian was co-founder and CMO of www.finanicialaid.com, one of the most successful student loan companies in the country. He created www.rateyourcampus.com and www.campusdirt.com, which evolved into the most relevant and trafficked college search engine. Last but not least, www.campusclix.com was created and became one of the first college social networking properties on the web.
Shegerian went on to create and be the Founder of MyTuition.com, a next generation student loan site designed to guide students and their parents through the college loan process, and Addicted.com, a comprehensive, interactive website dedicated to helping those struggling with the disease of addiction.
Shegerian has a 25-year track record of quickly converting start-ups into large, highly successful business enterprises. In 1993, he founded Homeboy Industries, which continues to serve as a paradigm for urban renewal in America and was awarded the New York Stock Exchange “Building for the Future” Award for creating new jobs and opportunities for gang-impacted youth in post-riot Los Angeles.
Passionately espousing his trademarked mantra that “Green is Good,” Shegerian serves as an executive board member of the Alliance Toward Harnessing Global Opportunities (www.athgo.org) and as a board member on the VerdeXchange for Innovations and Developments in the Green Economy. He also serves on the Fundraising Committee and as an Ambassador of Education at California State University at Fresno. Shegerian also serves on the Board of the Boys and Girls Club of Fresno and on the Media Relations steering committee for the State of California’s Integrated Waste Management Board.