EDS to loan executive to DOT security division

Jan 15, 2002 12:00 PM

EDS Corp, Plano, Texas, and the Department of Transportation (DOT) have announced that a senior EDS executive will join DOT on loan to help plan and implement the department's new Transportation Security Administration.

Ben T Smith IV, a vice-president with A T Kearney, a global management consulting subsidiary of EDS, will advise on the development of strategy and implementation planning for the new agency. Smith will be based in Washington and will work in the office of Secretary of Transportation Norman Y Mineta. The appointment is effective immediately.

"The Department of Transportation has an important mission in creating the Transportation Security Administration, with major manpower needs, complex operations and logistical challenges and rigorous deadlines," said Mineta. "The American people are counting on us to deliver. We're confident in our ability to do so."

"EDS and A T Kearney are widely recognized for our ability to develop and manage complex, large-scale transformation programs for Global 1000 companies," said Smith. "I believe we can apply those private sector learnings to this public transportation challenge. I look forward to helping Secretary Mineta and his staff ensure the security of US transportation networks while addressing his goals of efficiency and service."

Smith joined A T Kearney in 1994 and is based in the firm's Silicon Valley office, where he serves clients in the high-technology industry in North America and Asia. He works with EDS emerging technology alliances. Prior to joining A T Kearney, he worked in the high-technology industry and in the high-tech practice of Ernst & Young. He is a graduate of the University of California and earned graduate degrees in operations and in high-technology strategy from Carnegie-Mellon University.