WASHINGTON, Nov. 29, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Richard Reed, who has held senior disaster preparedness, recovery, and resilience positions in the federal government including his current post at the White House, will receive the Government Security News/Raytheon Award for Distinguished Leadership and Innovation in Public Safety and Security.

The GSN/Raytheon Award honors extraordinary individuals who, by virtue of their personal integrity, leadership skills and innovative thinking, contribute in a meaningful way to public safety.

"Richard Reed is an experienced leader and relentless problem-solver who can get varied agencies and diverse stakeholders to collaborate during crisis situations," said TJ Kennedy, director of Public Safety and Security for Raytheon's Network Centric Systems business.

"He has been instrumental in developing several key public safety, emergency management, continuity, and resilience policies," Kennedy added. "Raytheon is pleased to present this award to someone who has devoted countless hours to the safety and well-being of Americans."

The award is being presented the evening of Nov. 29, 2012, at the Washington Convention Center before an audience of federal, state, county and municipal government officials and first responders. Vendors of IT and physical security products and technologies will also attend.

Reed is currently the Deputy Assistant to the President for Homeland Security, overseeing a broad portfolio that includes all-hazards preparedness, resilience, critical infrastructure protection, transportation security and border security.

He is valued for his leadership and collaboration during disasters and emergencies such as the wildfires around Los Alamos, N.M.; tornadoes and flooding in Minot, N.D.; the 2009 influenza pandemic; the Haiti earthquake; the Gulf of Mexico oil spill; the Fukushima earthquake; and most recently, Hurricane Sandy. White House photo.

In agreeing to accept the award, he expressed thanks for "the opportunity to highlight the heroic work our first responders, community partners, and government colleagues do on a daily basis. Their contributions during a disaster save lives, reduce suffering, and enable recovery efforts." In his keynote remarks, he plans to share some of his insights on world disasters, response and recovery.

About Raytheon
Raytheon Company, with 2011 sales of $25 billion and 71,000 employees worldwide, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, homeland security and other government markets throughout the world. With a history of innovation spanning 90 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration and other capabilities in the areas of sensing; effects; and command, control, communications and intelligence systems, as well as a broad range of mission support services. Raytheon is headquartered in Waltham, Mass. For more about Raytheon, visit us at www.raytheon.com and follow us on Twitter @raytheon.

Note to Editors
Raytheon offers a wide range of security solutions for border security and critical infrastructure protection.

Media Contact
Peter Ramjug
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SOURCE Raytheon Company