24 March 2005
Nine Appointed to the Wireless Enhanced 911 Advisory Board
To provide wireless enhanced 911 services in the ongoing effort of public safety to Kansans, Governor Kathleen Sebelius has announced the appointments of nine individuals to the Wireless Enhanced 911 Advisory Board. Each person will serve at the pleasure of the Governor.
“Cell phones are immensely useful in reporting crimes, fires, and other emergency situations, but only if our first responders can pinpoint the caller’s location. We are working to expand wireless enhanced 911 service throughout the state and the individuals appointed to the board will play a critical role in this effort,” Governor Sebelius said.
Bob Boaldin, Elkhart, has been the chairman and chief executive officer of Elkhart Telephone and Epic Touch Co. It was one of the first companies to provide Internet service to rural America and to provide high speed Digital Subscriber Line based service. He has served as co-chairman for the expansion of the county hospital system.
Captain Kermit Crane, Topeka, is a deputy sheriff at the Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office. He is trained in various capacities including Emergency Management Operations.
Donald DeHaven, Sedgwick, is mayor of Sedgwick, Kansas, a post he has held for the past 28 years. De Haven has been the chairman of the Harvey County Economic Development Executive Board and the vice-president of South Central Kansas Economic Development District.
Diane Gage, Sedgwick, is the director of Sedgwick County Emergency Communications, which provides 911 services to Sedgwick County and its communities. She also serves as the Kansas Chapter President of National Emergency Number Association.
Major John Gaunt, Wichita, has worked for the Kansas Highway Patrol since 1974. He has served on the D.U.I. Victim Center of Kansas Advisory Board, the W.S.U. Midwest Criminal Justice Institute Advisory Board, and the State Enforcement Plan Committee.
James Jarboe, Lakin, has been the sheriff of Kearny County for the past 21 years. He has also been the Chief of Police in both Lake and Deerfield, Kansas through a Law Enforcement Contract. In 2004, he served as president of the Kansas Sheriff’s Association.
Michael Napolitano, Great Bend, is the fire chief at the Great Bend Fire Department. He is a member of the Kansas State Fire Chiefs’ Association, Kansas Emergency Medical Technician Association, and Kansas Emergency Medical Services Association. Napolitano served in the U.S. Navy from 1972 through 1978.
Thomas Pat Thetford, Kansas City, Missouri, is the regional vice-president for Southwestern Bell Company Public Safety 9-1-1. The region includes Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas. Beginning in 1989, he has worked at SBC in various capacities including global sales director and regional vice-president of SBC Global Accounts.
Richard Veach, Ulysses, is the general manager and CEO of Pioneer Communications. He also serves as the CEO of WestLink Communications which provides wireless telephone service in western and central Kansas. Until 2004, he has served as a member of the Kansas Cavalry and the Grant County Kansas Development Corporation. Veach served in the U.S. Army Special Forces from 1966 through 1969.
The Wireless Enhanced 911 Advisory Board serves as an Advisory Board to the Secretary of Administration with regard to the Wireless Enhanced 911 Grant Fund. The fund provides grants to eligible municipalities’ public safety answering points for implementation of wireless enhanced 911 service; purchase of equipment, upgrades, and modifications solely to process the data elements of wireless enhanced 911 service; and maintenance and license fees for such equipment and training of personnel to operate such equipment.
