Chapter Hosts Montgomery, Ala., Mayor

In October, the chapter hosted a luncheon featuring Montgomery, Alabama, Mayor Todd Strange at local venue Arrowhead Country Club, drawing a full house of professionals from military, industry and government. Strange discussed local cyber initiatives, including plans to collaborate on a cyber-focused center with Maj. Gen. Steven Kwast, USAF, commander, Curtis E. LeMay Center for Doctrine Development and Education, and vice commander, Air University, Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base. According to the mayor, working with Gen. Kwast and the local military community provides an opportunity to link information technology and science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) programs with local River Region universities, thereby retaining graduates in Montgomery for information technology-related jobs. The mayor wants to instill cyber training into the universities' curriculum, as it will complement the training needs of local military organizations. Strange continued his information technology-themed discussion by reiterating his ongoing and strong support for the Montgomery Information Technology Summit, an annual chapter-hosted conference bringing in various speakers from across industry and the Department of Defense. Strange concluded by discussing plans for a $60 million investment to further enhance local areas around Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base. The chapter thanks Strange for his time, his strong support for AFCEA initiatives and for sharing his thoughts and plans related to information technology in the River Region. At the luncheon's conclusion, Tom Gwaltney, regional vice president, AFCEA Mid-South Region, took a moment to recognize Dr. Joe Besselman, Disruptive Technologies, for his recent AFCEA International Leadership Award.

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