ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Cliff Stearns is an Executive Director based in APCO Worldwide’s Washington, DC, office and serves as a member of APCO’s International Advisory Council. He is a former Member of Congress for Florida’s 3rd District, where he gained extensive experience in telecommunications, technology, cyber-security, and international trade during his twenty-four years of service. He recently was president of the United States Association of Former Members of Congress, whose membership includes more than 500 former Senators and Congressmen.

While in Congress, his various pieces of legislation were signed by four presidents, including the “Do Not Call List” to prevent nuisance phone calls, the Millennium Healthcare for Veterans, the placing of defibrillators in public sectors, and the return to the State of Florida 87,000 acres of federal land that established a greenbelt across Florida from Jacksonville to the Gulf Coast.

Congressman Stearns was also a business owner of motels and restaurants before being elected to Congress. He is a graduate of the George Washington University with a degree in electrical engineering. He was a Captain in the United States Air Force and served four years as an aerospace project engineer providing satellite reconnaissance of Vietnam. He was awarded the Air Force Commendation Medal for distinguished service and meritorious achievement and later, as a congressman, received the Air Force Association W. Stuart Symington Award, the highest honor presented to a civilian in the field of national security.

Mr. Stearns lives in Ocala, Florida, with his wife, Joan. They have three grown sons.