Tom Ford, Grand Forks, North Dakota county administrator, was elected president of the Association of Defense Communities during a member meeting Monday at the Defense Communities National Summit. Ford is currently ADC’s vice president. “I’m excited about the opportunity to lead ADC, especially as we celebrate its 50th anniversary next year,” Ford said. “The association’s leadership and members understand that national security starts at home and continue to support each other to strengthen our installations and communities, while making life better for our service members and military families. ADC has always been a valuable resource for Grand Forks, and we look forward to learning even more from other defense communities across the country.” Brian Garrett, deputy director for military affairs for the state of Utah, was elected vice president. Scott Norton, executive director and chief executive officer of TexAmericas Center in Texas, was elected treasurer. ADC members elected three new members to the board of directors:
- Rick Dwyer, executive director of the Hampton Roads Military and Federal Facilities Alliance in Virginia
- Jace Ponder, director of the Mississippi Governor’s Office of Military Affairs
- John Trylch, administrative services director for the city of Fountain, Colorado
Re-elected to the board were:
- Keith Graf, executive director of the Texas Military Preparedness Commission
- Sal Nodjomian, CEO of Matrix Design Group and Niceville, Florida City Council member
- Lisa Swoboda, executive director of the Maryland Military Installation Council
Other members of the ADC board are:
- Elaine Bryant, executive vice president of aerospace and defense at the Dayton Development Coalition and managing director of JobsOhio’s military federal sector
- Karen Holt, director of Harford County Office of Economic Development in Maryland and ADC’s current president
- Kimberly Huth, executive director of military affairs for St. Clair County, Illinois
- Harry Kleiser, senior managing principal at Salas O’Brien
- George Schlossberg, ADC’s legal counsel
- Stacey Shepard, president of Shepard Global Strategies
- Jerrod Wheeler, superintendent of Knob Noster Public Schools in Missouri
The new terms start tomorrow. ADC photo of Ford by Will Noonan
