The Bridge Advisory Group

Mike Carter

Mike co-founded The Bridge Advisory Group after ten years as a founding partner of CarterMcClean.  Previously Mike spent six years with the Bracewell law firm, a premier international energy and technology firm; he has the distinction of having been one of their first non-attorneys elected to partner level.  Mike has represented his clientele before Congress and the Executive Branch on a wide range of issues, including defense, homeland security, electronic warfare, intelligence, cybersecurity, and defense energy, for over 25 years.  Whether it was adding, protecting, or restoring funds, generating favorable legislative language, or influencing policy, Mike has consistently been successful.

Using firsthand experience and a deep understanding of the political and policy framework in which national security decisions are made, Mike provides strategic advice and direct advocacy to enable his clients to achieve their business goals.  His clients have represented all aspects of the national security arena—major corporations, defense contractors, military base municipalities, and high-tech start-ups.

His background is comprised of military service, corporate experience, and legislative advocacy.  During his Air Force service, his operational experience included 11 years of flying fighter aircraft as an Electronic Warfare Officer (EWO).  In his last three years of active duty, he was assigned to the White House Military Office.  Mike completed his military career as an Air Force Reserve officer serving in the Secretary of the Air Force’s Legislative Liaison Directorate.

In the corporate world, Mike previously managed the east coast operations and Washington, DC office of a defense contractor.  In that role, he identified and established relationships with vendors and contractors, developed proposal strategies, and optimized teaming arrangements and organizational capabilities, all in addition to being a legislative advocate for the company.

Mike has a master’s degree in International Relations and an undergraduate degree in Political Science.  He is a member of the Association of Old Crows (the premier electronic warfare organization), the Overseas Security Advisory Council, the Center for Strategic & International Studies, the National Defense Industrial Association, and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.  On a side note, prior to serving in the Air Force, Mike was a golf professional earning his PGA card.

Dwight Williams

Dwight Williams is a career executive with extensive experience in security, emergency management and investigations in both the public and private sectors domestically and abroad. He is well known and respected in the security community and is a Security Executive Council Emeritus Facility member. Most recently, Dwight was a career Senior Executive serving as the Chief Security Officer (CSO) for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) with oversight of all aspects of security and investigations.  In this role, he restructured the Office of the Chief Security Officer with a crisis response focus on improving performance at major disasters including Superstorm Sandy and Hurricanes Harvey, Maria, and Irma. Williams also increased fraud investigation capabilities resulting in significant increases in both fraud detection and prevention.

Dwight was also the Chief Security Officer for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), serving under Secretary Chertoff.  In this position, he directed and provided oversight to security activities for 32 DHS components and over 200,000 employees.  Further, he established the DHS CSO Council to provide a forum for senior DHS Security officials to work together to create world-class security performance throughout the Department.  Williams was the Chairman of the Interagency Security Council charged with establishing security standards for all Federal non-DOD facilities. He also was the DHS member of the National Counterintelligence Policy Board within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Prior to his position as the DHS Chief Security Officer, he was the Director of Security for US Customs and Border Protection and was responsible for reviewing and improving the Agency’s security posture following the attacks on September 11.

In the private sector, Dwight was Vice President of Global Security for DynCorp International.  He was charged with the protection of 25,000 employees stationed in over 30 countries. Concurrently he led one of DynCorp’s largest government contracts, Worldwide Protective Services, providing security for Department of State staff and facilities in the Middle East and Asia.  Currently, Dwight has been assisting companies navigate recovery support in Puerto Rico, enter or expand their footprint in the federal space and advising corporations how to improve their security posture while controlling costs.

Williams holds a Master of Science Degree from Johns Hopkins University and Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Maryland and is a graduate of the FBI National Academy.

Noel Zamot

Noel Zamot is a technical expert associated with the Bridge Advisory Group.  His expertise is in the artificial intelligence arena in addition to his background in spectrum management, electronic warfare, and advanced testing. He serves as a Senior Advisor to the Aeronautics Administrator for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and to the Civil Aviation Authority of the Bahamas. He was elected to serve as the acting CEO of VeriMetallum LLC, a venture firm focused on expanding the global Rare Earths supply chain through environmental remediation of power plant waste sites.

Mr. Zamot previously served as the Economic Development Executive (“Revitalization Coordinator”) for the Financial Oversight and Management Board (FOMB) for Puerto Rico, a Congressional role tasked with attracting private capital to revitalize Puerto Rico’s critical infrastructure, and setting the conditions for economic growth. He launched the Critical Projects Process under Title V of Public Law 114-187 to evaluate and fast-track projects to address the island’s critical infrastructure emergency. Mr. Zamot built and led an organization performing financial, permitting and technical due diligence for over $8B of projects across energy, transportation and public housing. He was nominated to be the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) Chief Transformation Officer (CTO) and provided the initial framework for the utility’s strategic transformation plan. This vision was codified into the eventual privatization of the utility. Mr. Zamot has also led transformation efforts for advanced technology clusters in Puerto Rico, bringing together industry, financial and government stakeholders to catalyze ethical investment.

Prior to his appointment, Mr. Zamot was an entrepreneur and aerospace executive. He founded Corvus Analytics LLC, a firm that helps businesses manage cyber risk and design cyber-resilient systems. Corvus led teams that created an innovation accelerator for unmanned systems for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts; developed and taught methods to evaluate military aircraft against cyber threats for the US Air Force; and supported Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) projects in autonomy and robotics. As an executive in the aerospace industry, he managed operations valued at $230M for a major defense contractor, providing technical solutions to the Federal Government. He has developed and implemented strategies for revenue growth and market segmentation, crafted a strategic roadmap for contract transition, and led his teams to win back-to-back business performance awards. He has led consulting engagements for federal and state agencies, aerospace firms, nonprofits and NGOs.

Before entering private industry, Mr. Zamot served as a colonel in the US Air Force. He finished his career as commander of the USAF’s elite Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base in California, a position that combines the roles of academic dean, president of flight operations and director of applied research. There, he crafted the Air Force’s initial framework for testing military systems in contested cyberspace and developed the first formal curriculum to evaluate military drones and autonomous systems. During his career he served as a Senior National Representative in NATO, led a team to win a $1M prize for installation-wide energy savings, led teams responding to cybersecurity attacks, and developed operational plans for counter-space and stealth operations. He managed emergency and recovery operations during a natural disaster and led his teams to Air Force-wide recognition. He has logged over 1900 flight hours in over 30 different types of aircraft, including over 100 hours of combat.

Mr. Zamot has twice testified before Congress; on energy and infrastructure recovery for Puerto Rico, and on initiatives for transparency and anti-corruption.  He has been interviewed by NPR, The Wall Street Journal, and numerous local newspapers in Puerto Rico, as has been a guest on NPR and local television discussing government transparency. He has published articles related to ethical investment in local and US media and has served on boards for financial service companies and professional organizations.

Mr. Zamot earned engineering degrees from MIT (SB) and the University of Michigan (MS), an MBA from MIT’s Sloan School of Management, and a Master of Science in National Security Strategy from the National Defense University in Washington, DC. He has completed MIT’s Artificial Intelligence Strategy  program, and earned a Professional Management degree from ESAN in Lima, Peru. He is the author of the award-winning “The Archer’s Thread” and “The Feather’s Push,” speculative fiction novels that weave his experiences in artificial intelligence, military aviation, and intelligence operations. He is a sailplane pilot, an avid cyclist, and speaks frequently on infrastructure security, artificial intelligence, the energy sector, and ethical investment.