Management Team

Michael Jackson has been a Director at VidSys since 2009, and its Chairman and CEO since January 2012.  He has served in senior executive positions both in the private sector and the federal government, with deep experience in homeland security, transportation and technology integration and services. In 2008, he founded Firebreak Partners, LLC to finance and deploy advanced security technology systems to protect airports, seaports and other critical infrastructure.  He was Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (2005-2007) – the COO for an organization of some 210,000 employees and a budget in 2006 of $48.5 billion.  Its seven operating components and over twenty supporting organizations span the range of homeland security missions, including counter-terrorism, intelligence analysis, emergency management, maritime rescue operations, law enforcement and advanced research. Michael also served as Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation (2001-2003), where he focused particularly on response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks, including creation of the Transportation Security Administration and recovery for the nation’s aviation industry.  During that period he also served on the Amtrak Board of Directors.   He also held positions working for two earlier Presidents.  In the Administration of President George H. W. Bush, he served at the White House as Special Assistant to the President for Cabinet Liaison, and later as Chief of Staff for the Secretary of Transportation.  In the Administrations of Presidents Reagan and George H.W. Bush, he served stints in various capacities working for the Secretary of Education. In the private sector, Michael was a Senior VP of AECOM and COO of its government services group (2003-2004), a global family of design and engineering firms.  During 2004 he was appointed by the President to serve as a private sector member of the Commission on Implementation of United States Space Exploration Policy, which provided a management roadmap for undertaking NASA’s future space missions. Before joining the Department of Transportation in 2001, he was COO of Lockheed Martin IMS’s Transportation Systems and Services.  IMS’s transportation group provided technology services to toll authorities, freight transportation companies and 35 state governments.  From 1993 until 1997, he was Senior Vice President at the American Trucking Associations, where he managed intermodal, international and technology policy matters. Michael is a Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration and continues to hold active security clearances.  He has been a researcher at the American Enterprise Institute and taught political science at the University of Georgia and at Georgetown University.  Michael has a Ph.D. (Government) with distinction from Georgetown University.

John Bruno has over two decades of experience and senior management expertise directing strategic, operational and financial matters for high-tech companies.  At VidSys, John oversees both financial management and core administrative functions such as human resources and contracting oversight.  Prior to joining VidSys, John served as Chief Financial Officer for Appfluent Technologies, a leading provider of enterprise business intelligence and data warehouse management software.  Before Appfluent, John held executive positions at Access Spectrum, LLC, Ericsson IP Infrastructure and Torrent Networking Technologies, where he played a key role in building the company, raising capital and negotiating its sale to Ericsson for $450M. John is a Certified Public Accountant.  He holds a B.S. in Accounting from West Virginia University and an MBA from George Mason University.

James Chong is the founder of VidSys and currently serves as the Chief Technology Officer and Senior Vice President, Strategic Innovation.  A world-class security software and systems integration technology expert, entrepreneur and innovator, in 2005 James provided the core strategic vision for launching VidSys and its transformational PSIM software platform.  His strategy for developing a highly-specialized product-driven business with focus on specific vertical market segments led to the development of several industry-leading software applications including VidShield, Intelligent Traffic Management System (ITMS), VidPhone, and RiskShield. Today James supervises selected large-scale VidSys deployments, manages the VidSys product roadmap and incubates strategies for emerging technology applications, with a focus on converged security initiatives and strategic technology partnerships.  A frequent author and speaker, he routinely contributes to professional publications and industry organizations globally, focusing on PSIM, physical security technologies, command center design and operations, Intelligent Transportation Systems, video surveillance and related topics. Prior to VidSys, James served over ten years in executive positions with Dynamic Technology Systems, Inc. (DTS), leading successful implementations of integrated voice, video, and data communications solutions and some of the most sophisticated operations centers for both government and large enterprise clients.  In 2007, James was a recipient of International Data Group’s “InfoWorld Top CTO 25 Awards” for his business management leadership and security technology vision. He holds B.S. degrees in two engineering disciplines from Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University (Virginia Tech), along with double minors in Mathematics and Engineering Science & Mechanics (ESM).

Bob Mackin brings more than two decades of engineering leadership experience in the networking, software and defense industries to his role as Vice President, Engineering at VidSys – the senior executive leading the company’s software development organization.  He previously served as Software Director for VidSys, a position from which he supervised the company’s programming engineers, but also not infrequently architected and coded core functions of the VidSys PSIM platform.  Prior to that, Bob served in engineering management roles at Cisco Systems and Siemens Medical Systems, as a software engineer for PTC and as an officer and acquisition program manager for the U.S. Air Force. Bob holds a B.S. and a PhD in Computer and Systems Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and both an MBA and a M.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Mike O’Dea has over two decades of business management and entrepreneurial experience in services and technology solutions industries.  As Vice President, Business Partnerships at VidSys, he is responsible for global channel and strategic alliance relationships.  A regular presenter regarding the benefits of a “Safe and Secure Communities” and topics associated with PSIM, Mike has been integral in safety and security planning for numerous large U.S. cities, and is a trusted advisor on technology investments supporting interoperability and inter-agency communication.  Prior to VidSys, Mike was director and owner of Furniture Medic franchises, as well as Chair of the Franchisee Leadership Council within the ServiceMaster organization.  He is active in numerous civic and professional organizations.

Dave Bartolini brings more than 20 years of senior leadership experience in the networking and software industries to his position as Vice President, Strategic Innovation at VidSys.  In this role, he is focused on managing development of new technical and market services for the VidSys PSIM software platform.   Prior to his current assignment, Dave served as VidSys’ VP, Engineering.  Before VidSys, he held various senior positions including VP, Engineering and co-founder of Invento Networks and VP, Engineering at Lucent Technologies and Springtide Networks.  In each of these roles, he focused on providing network security and value-added services to the carrier market.  He also served as software and network management director at 3Com and Chipcom Corporation. Dave holds a B.S. in Aeronautical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Darren Chalmers-Stevens is a technology executive with proven success in business development, partner management and building world-class teams for international technology and services companies.  As Vice President, EMEA Operations, he is responsible for driving sales and strategic partnerships throughout Europe, Middle East and Africa. Darren’s professional career has focused particularly on security technology matters.  He served as technology development manager for ADT Fire & Security, where he led UK and Ireland IP physical security strategy and business development.  Before that he held several senior positions for Computer Network Limited (CNL), including VP, Professional Services.  He also was Business Manager for Integrated Communications at IBM in the UK, where he managed global solution development and delivery.

John Gill brings three decades of experience in domestic and international security, law enforcement, intelligence and private sector contracting to his role as Vice President, Business Development at VidSys.  Prior to joining VidSys, John was Vice President, Business Development at 3i-MIND, providing operational leadership and strategic counsel for the company’s homeland security and technology offerings.  From 2007-2009, John was the Chief Security Officer at the White House, where he managed and implemented security policies and programs supporting the White House complex and the Executive Office of the President. In 2007, John retired from the United States Secret Service after 24 years of service, which included work in the protective and investigative missions of the Secret Service, ranging from assignments with the Presidential Protective Division, the Special Programs/Counter Assault Team and work in the Miami and Washington Field Offices.  Executive appointments included work on Capitol Hill for House and Senate Committees, service as Special Agent in Charge for Public Affairs – the primary public spokesman for the Service – and Attaché, Paris Field office, where he was responsible for oversight of the largest Secret Service overseas district, with reporting sub-offices in London, Moscow, Frankfurt, the Hague (Europol liaison), Lyon (Interpol liaison) and Madrid. John holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Massachusetts and will soon complete a Masters in Homeland Security Studies at the American Military University.

Dan Myslewski brings over 15 years of global security sales and project integration management to his VidSys role as Vice President of Sales for the Americas.  Adept at managing rapid growth, he has successfully led teams that have delivered significant annual revenue growth in the federal, defense, commercial and homeland security sectors.  His own sales experience has embraced enterprise clients as well as public sector sales at all levels. Prior to joining VidSys, Dan was Vice President, Government Programs at Stanley Convergent Security Solutions, where he successfully developed and grew the business at the newly created division.  The focus was on large security capture efforts, high security installations and increasing recurring services.  Dan earlier held several sales leadership positions with ADT Security Services, including Director, Federal Systems for the National Capital Region. Dan is a certified Homeland Security Professional with an MBA from Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina, and a BA in Criminal Justice from Edinboro University.