The International Wireless Communications Expo (IWCE), an annual event for communications technology professionals, today officially announced the first annual IWCE Young Professional Award winners. NPSTC’s Jason Matthews, Chair, Interoperability Committee, and Emergency Management Bureau Sergeant, Lake County Sheriff, FL, is one of the award recipients.

The award showcases the next-generation of leaders in the communications technology industry who are shaping the future of the industry. These individuals are executing some of the most innovative ideas, showing creativity and initiative.

Jason has been deeply involved in the NPSTC for a number of years and is valued for his participation in a number of important efforts. Jason is the vice chair of the Interoperability Committee and recently served as Chair of the Encryption Task Force created to research whether or not encryption should be allowed on nationwide interoperability channels. In May of this year, NPSTC’s Governing Board approved the Encryption on Interoperability Channels report detailing the results of a public safety questionnaire and further research.

In 2014 Jason received NPSTC’s Participants Award, created to recognize individuals and/or organizations that have supported NPSTC and the public safety community on critical objectives such as achieving interoperability. He received the recognition for his work as part of the Broadband Working Group’s LTE Console Task Group, leading the LTE Task Team that developed the use cases for law enforcement.

In Florida, Jason has served as a Communications Unit Leader (COML) and Communications Technician (COMT) trainer and trainer instructor. He has also served on multiple regional, statewide, and international full-scale exercises, as exercise staff, evaluator, and peer-evaluator. He responded to the 1998 firestorms in the State of Florida, the 2004-05 hurricane season, and numerous other local and regional emergencies planned events and disasters. Jason has expertise and specialist knowledge in FCC licensing, communications electronics, and subscriber programming and training, and is responsible for those areas in a team environment for daily operations of a large P25 regional trunked radio network.

NPSTC appreciates the expertise in public safety communications and operations Jason Matthews is providing to public safety communications.