Chief Operating Officer, Holtec Security International
Chief Governance Officer and the Corporate Vice President, Holtec International
J. Scott Thomson is the Chief Operating Officer of Holtec Security International (HSI). In this role, Mr. Thomson leads all aspects of HSI’s programs, including Holtec’s acquired shutdown nuclear plants. Mr. Thomson is also Holtec’s Chief Governance Officer and the Corporate Vice President. His vision for corporate governance is articulated in the Chief Governance Officer’s communique. Mr. Thomson holds a Master of Arts in Education from Seton Hall University and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Rutgers University. Mr. Thomson has a distinguished record of public service with more than 27 years of law enforcement experience, most recently for 11 years as the Chief of Police of the Camden County Police Department, where he oversaw an organization of more than 600 sworn and civilian employees. He has collaborated with the many preeminent thought leaders in the United States and internationally in the disciplines of safety, security and justice.
In 2013, Mr. Thomson pioneered an innovative strategy that significantly transformed the public safety profile of the city of Camden, New Jersey, a city that was perennially labelled as the “Nation’s Most Dangerous City.” He created a new police department that was responsible for achieving sustainable, unprecedented reductions in crime, culminating in a 50-year low in 2019 including a 65% reduction in murders. To achieve this, Mr. Thomson developed unique strategies, harnessed technologies, coalesced partnerships and bolstered an organizational culture that led to the President of the United States in 2015 recognizing his department as a model for 21st Century Policing.
Mr. Thomson has served on numerous boards and committees of leading institutions including the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, the United States Attorney General Global Advisory Committee, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, and was a founding member of the Harvard University Law Enforcement Executive Leadership Group in 2014. He has served as a strategic advisor and subject matter expert to corporate executives and governmental leaders. From 2015 to 2019, Mr. Thomson was the elected President of the Police Executive Research Forum, a Washington DC policing think-tank which represents more than 3000 international law enforcement executives. In October of 2019, the County and City of Camden named the police administration building in recognition of Mr. Thomson’s dedication, sacrifice and service to the community and their safety.