Derek Poarch joined APCO International in November of 2011 after more than 30 years of public safety experience, and demonstrated leadership in law enforcement and federal telecommunications policy. Prior to joining APCO he served as the first Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau Chief at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) where he led a team of professionals responsible for the licensing of all public safety communications networks in the United States and ensuring its reliability in responding to manmade and natural disasters and other homeland security matters for the FCC. He began his career in public safety as a telecommunicator and served eight years as the Director of Public Safety/Chief of Police for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he led a CALEA accredited department of approximately 300 persons providing police, security, E-911, parking and transportation services to a university community of approximately 45,000 persons. Since joining APCO and by partnering with association elected leadership, APCO has seen unprecedented growth in membership, budget, advocacy and member service.
