James S. Gilmore III

n homeland security, former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore is determined to stay ahead of the pack. And his career path-by choice and by chance-has placed him prominently among those shaping the debate. As leader of the commission created in 1998 to assess the country's terrorism response capabilities, and as governor of Virginia when terrorists attacked the Pentagon, Gilmore has had to think ahead. The 17-member Gilmore Commission, which disbanded in 2003, has had a significant impact on homeland-security policy. Of its 144 recommendations, Congress or the administration has adopted 125.

Former commission member Ellen Gordon said Gilmore's leadership impressed her. "There was never a time when we were meeting or working on recommendations that he didn't give each and every one of us opportunity to voice our issues," she said.

Now Gilmore is taking his government experience to the private sector as head of the homeland-security practice group at the law firm of Kelley Drye & Warren. The 54-year-old former Army counter-intelligence agent counsels and represents companies seeking to engage in homeland-security business with the government and also manages USA Secure, an organization he started in 2002 to "link government to the private sector in terms of [homeland-security] policy thinking."

One area that concerns Gilmore is the health care system's ability to handle a sudden surge in patients in the event of a bioterrorist attack. He's proposed setting up an international treaty to address surge capacity here and abroad by using medical personnel from allied countries.

Born in Richmond and educated at the University of Virginia, Gilmore worries about sustaining momentum for homeland security, but he isn't pointing fingers. "We do our best work for the country when we are trying to stay ahead of this discussion, not looking backwards," he said.