Global Leadership Forum on Emergency Management in Washington, DC to Draw Widespread Government and Business Interest
MELBOURNE, FLA.—Florida Institute of Technology’s Global Center for Preparedness and Resilience (GCPR) will host a series of four Global Leadership Forums on Emergency Management to be held starting Dec. 9 in the Greater Washington, D.C. area.
Leaders from public and private sectors will participate and share cutting-edge ideas on preparedness and resiliency including inter-agency coordination and the growing need for global interoperability. Experts argue that an integrated global approach to emergency management and response is essential.
Confirmed distinguished keynote speakers will include leaders Michael Chertoff, (former Secretary of Department of Homeland Security), now CEO of the Chertoff Group; Craig Fugate, FEMA administrator; Mark Ward, Director, Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA); CEO of Firestorm Jim Satterfield; Admiral James Winnefeld of NORTHCOM; and Governor of Virginia, Bob McDonnell who will provide an opening welcome to the forum. Clifford Bragdon, Ph.D., Executive Director of the Global Center for Preparedness and Resilience Forum at Florida Tech, is the Forum Chair.
The forums are of interest to anyone concerned about the innovative practices and emerging technologies designed to protect and preserve national and global assets and human lives.
“The Dec. 9 forum, ‘Emergency Management,’ will address one of the most critical issues of our time: how do we increase resilience, mitigate risks and reduce vulnerability to disasters?” said Bragdon.
“We have to learn how to anticipate, plan and effectively respond in a coordinated manner to emergencies when they occur. Coordination is not only required at the local and national level, but it is absolutely essential internationally due to the nature of some of the threats.”
The center’s forums over the next 12 months are focused on disaster management. They will be held at the National Conference Center, Leesburg, Va. Other forums are: “Interoperability in Communications” on April 19, 2011; “Green Security” on June 7, 2011; and “Resilience” on Sept. 20, 2011.
In addition, the center will present the Fourth Annual Conference on Preparedness and Resilience in Melbourne, Fla., March 16-17, 2011.
Participating in the first forum are such major national and international organizations as the United Nations at the level of Under-Secretary General from the Office of Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), World Bank’s Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery, American Red Cross, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Department of Defense, and the Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA). Exhibitors will include Jones and Bartlett publishers, Rexicon International and B-Secur. One of the panel discussions will be Global Media Issues of Emergency Management. Participating will be Defense News, Washington Post, EM Magazine, Homeland Security Today, Government Executive Magazine, GovLoop Digital Pub, ExecutiveGov.Biz, and Safe and Secure TV channel.
The GCPR integrates the preparation for and response to natural and man-made disasters to promote sustainable and resilient communities globally, including infrastructure. The concept of global resilience addresses the four inter-related elements of safety, security, sustainability and health to ensure the stability of our planet.
To register, visit: http://www.fit.edu/glf/
