The DSTA Advisory Committee will provide strategic vision, drawing upon the expertise of its members in technology, government, and defense and security. It will make recommendations to the President of the DSTA.

The DSTA is governed by the Partnership for Defense Innovation, a non-profit, corporation that is part of the Cumberland County Business Council.

Those named today comprise the initial members of the Advisory Committee. The DSTA is interviewing candidates for a President. Once named, the President may appoint additional Advisory Committee members. Those named today to the Advisory Committee are: Helen Ballentine, Bank of America; Kent Blossom, IBM Information Technology Services for the Americas; T.J. Bryan, Fayetteville State University; Terry Cox, Business Innovation & Growth Council; Herb Crenshaw, BellSouth, Rep. Margaret Dickson (D-Cumberland), North Carolina General Assembly; Scott Dorney, N.C. Military Business Center; Monica Doss, Council for Entrepreneurial Development; Randall Fraser, Time Warner Cable; Joe Freddoso, Cisco Systems, Gary Gardner, TotalEAccess; Rep. Rick Glazier (D-Cumberland), North Carolina General Assembly;

Mark Gross, Oak Grove Technology; Mirsad Hadzikadic, Ph.D, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte; Jerry Heneghan, Virtual Heroes; Dennis Kekas, N. C. State University, Networking Technology Institute; General W.F. Kernan (retired), MPRI, International Group; Sen. John Kerr (D-Wayne), North Carolina General Assembly; General James Lindsay, U.S. Army (retired); William Martin, Cumberland County Business Council; Robert McMahan, Science and Technology Advisor for the Governor, State of North Carolina; Joan Myers, NCTA; Larry Norris, Fayetteville Technical Community College; C. Steve Parrott, Sprint; Sen. Tony Rand (D-Cumberland), North Carolina General Assembly; Jim Roberts, Blue Ridge Entrepreneurial Council; Robert L. Schumeier, Jr., Insignis Security Solutions; Sen. Richard Stevens(R-Wake), North Carolina General Assembly; Rep. Joe Tolson (D-Edgecombe), North Carolina General Assembly; and Janet Wylie, Engineous Software.

The DSTA project is based on a plan and initial funding approved by the N.C. General Assembly to create an innovation center leveraging Fort Bragg and Pope Air Force Base as channel partners and subject matter experts to rapidly develop technologies to support national defense and security initiatives. The DSTA is scheduled to open this summer.

As an incubator for new defense and security technologies, the DSTA will be a center of collaboration with the military, private industry and entrepreneurs that will drive technology business development, technology commercialization, and job creation in North Carolina. The DSTA will provide specialized services to assist and accelerate the formation and growth of early stage defense and security technology companies. The Fayetteville location provides close proximity to potential subject matter experts and Fort Bragg and Pope Air Force Base.

The DSTA is the cornerstone of an NCTA initiative to establish a statewide Defense and Security Cluster to foster statewide innovation through existing resources and partnerships to create new companies and jobs throughout North Carolina by collaborating with the military, private industry, government and entrepreneurs.

The statewide initiative envisions other potential sites at Camp Lejeune near Jacksonville and Seymour Johnson Air Force Base near Goldsboro. In addition, NCTA is working with partners to leverage other security and intelligence clusters of resources and expertise that may include additional initiatives in the Research Triangle Park region, Charlotte and Western North Carolina.

Janet Wylie, Chairman of the Board of Directors of NCTA, said, "North Carolina has the 4^{th largest military presence in the United States with 3 "first strike" military bases. We also have a terrific entrepreneurial spirit, which has produced cutting edge technology companies that can produce solutions for defense and security needs. We plan to marry all of the state’s assets and grow our defense and security industry in North Carolina."}

William Martin noted: "With its proximity and strong working relationship with Fort Bragg and Pope Air Force Base, Cumberland County is poised to serve the model for military and private sector partnerships in North Carolina," said Martin, President of the

Cumberland County Business Council. "The DSTA will take that relationship to the next level by providing business opportunities, jobs for transitioning military and spouses, and technologies to better equip our military warriors."

The Partnership For Defense Innovation is a not-for profit corporation established to encourage economic development opportunities in Cumberland County, North Carolina, particularly with respect to opportunities in the homeland securities and national defense industries.