Workshop on Suez Canal Incident Impact and Implications for the Global Maritime Supply Chain
A virtual event, hosted by the ADAC, CCICADA, and CREATE DHS Centers of Excellence
Monday, June 21, 2021, 12 noon, EDT
The Suez Canal Incident: Impact and Implications for the Global Maritime Supply Chain News Article
Organizing Committee:
Maj. Gen. (ret) Randy “Church” Kee, ADAC
Dr. Fred Roberts, CCICADA
Dr. Adam Rose, CREATE
Capt. Andrew Tucci, USCG – retired
Photo Credit: Wikimedia commons, Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data [2021], processed by Pierre Markuse
The next workshop in the series will explore the supply chain impacts of the recent Suez Canal incident and its interconnections with the pandemic. The blockage of the Suez Canal has potential long-term supply chain impacts and illustrates the interconnectedness and vulnerability of the world’s maritime trade system.
When the Suez Canal incident occurred, the global supply chain, which is dominated by maritime traffic, was already impacted by the pandemic. Some of those impacts included port congestion, container shortages, spikes in freight rates and energy prices, and impacts to vital commodities and goods, from food to microchips. As global trade increases through fixed waterways and ports, disruptions from future events may be significant.
Malicious actors, natural disasters, pandemics, geo-political events and marine casualties such as the Suez event can disrupt domestic and global supply chains. Furthermore, these and other disruptions can occur singly or in combination. Building resilience requires an understanding of supply chain vulnerabilities, consequences, and mitigation and recovery strategies.
Our nation’s homeland security is linked to global maritime trade. Examining the Suez incident provides a unique opportunity to identify emerging global supply chain factors, improve preparedness, enhancing business continuity, and prioritize future research and policy decisions. Among the topics of interest are:
- Identifying and evaluating global maritime choke points
- Alternative routes and risks, including Arctic
- Cascading impacts of freight rate spikes and shortages
- Shipping-related global food supply risks
- Shipping-related global energy supply risks, including emerging fuels
- Gaps in global trade governance and risk management
- Port congestion and shipping container shortages and gluts
- Emerging technology, AI, autonomous vessels, maritime domain awareness
- Cyber security factors
- Multiple, simultaneous risk factors and worst-case scenarios
- Prioritizing future research and policy initiatives
Attendance is by invitation. If you would like an invitation, please send email to Nicole Clark-Johnson at nicolec@dimacs.rutgers.edu and provide your professional affiliation and work email address.
For more information contact Dr. Fred Roberts at froberts@dimacs.rutgers.edu.
Program:
Opening: Welcome (Dr. Fred Roberts, Director, COE COVID-19 Supply Chain Initiative, Director of CCICADA COE)
Opening: Welcome (Rebecca Medina, Director, DHS Office of University Programs)
Keynote: Adm. Brian Penoyer, USCG Slides
Panel I: Overview
Moderator: Dr. Adam Rose
- Capt. David Moskoff, Merchant Marine Academy Slides
- Sam Ruda, Port Authority of NY/NJ Slides
- Capt. Lawson Brigham, USCG, ret Slides
- Capt. Andrew Tucci, USCG, ret
- Henry Willis, RAND Slides
Panel II: Impacts of the Suez Disruption and other Multiple, Complex Disruptions
Moderator: Capt. Andrew Tucci
- Dr. Gabriel Weaver, CIRI
- Brandon Fried, Air Forwarders Association Slides
- Capt. Eric Johansson, SUNY Maritime Slides
- Capt. Zeita Merchant, USCG Slides
Panel III: Types of Disruptions, Present and Future; Mitigation and Response
Moderator: Maj. Gen. (ret) Randy “Church” Kee
- Capt. Phil Thorne, USCG, ret Slides
- Bethann Rooney, Port Authority of NY/NJ
- Casey Hehr, Port of Long Beach Slides
- Dr. Kim Young-McLear, CISA and USCG Slides
Wrap-up: Dr. Fred Roberts, Capt. Andrew Tucci, Maj. Gen. (ret) Randy “Church” Kee
Bios:
Introductory Remarks: Fred Roberts, Director, COE COVID-19 Supply Chain Initiative, Director of CCICADA COE
Bio: Fred S. Roberts is a Distinguished Professor of Mathematics at Rutgers University and Director of the Command, Control, and Interoperability Center for Advanced Data Analysis (CCICADA), founded as a University Center of Excellence of DHS. He is Emeritus Director of DIMACS, one of the original National Science Foundation science and technology centers, with 14 academic and industrial partners and some 350 affiliated scientists. Among his current research interests are resilience of supply chains, challenges of disasters and pandemics, stadium and large venue security, resource allocation, maritime cyber security, and the homeland security aspects of global environmental change. Roberts has authored four books, edited 24 additional books, and authored 200 scientific articles, some translated into Russian and Chinese, included the first book on maritime cyber security. Among his awards are the Commemorative Medal of the Union of Czech Mathematicians and Physicists, the Distinguished Service Award of the Association of Computing Machinery Special Interest Group on Algorithms and Computation Theory, Fellow of the American Mathematical Society, the National Science Foundation Science and Technology Centers Pioneer Award, and an honorary doctorate from the University of Paris-Dauphine.
Introductory Remarks: Rebecca Medina, Director, DHS Office of University Programs
Bio: Rebecca Medina is the newly named Director of the Office of University Programs (OUP) at the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate. Prior to joining OUP, she served as the Directorate’s Attaché at the U.S. Embassy London and as the European Branch Chief, managing all research and development partnerships in Europe, including with the North Atlantic Treat Organization. Within the Directorate Ms. Medina also served as the Senior Policy Advisor for the Explosives Division, coordinating their interactions with Congress, the media and international partners. She came to DHS S&T in 2005 with Booz Allen Hamilton and worked in Office of Systems Engineering and Design.
Prior to joining the Department of Homeland Security, Ms. Medina spent three years as a Senior Defense Analyst at the Government Accountability Office where her major efforts focused on reviews of force structure realignment at the Department of Defense and international public health initiatives being led by the Department of State. She also worked for the United States Senate and The Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
Ms. Medina holds a Master of Public Policy from the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Miami University.
Adam Rose, University of Southern California Sol Price School of Public Policy and Center for Risk and Economic Analysis of Terrorism Events (CREATE)
Bio: Adam Rose is a Research Professor in the University of Southern California Sol Price School of Public Policy, and Director of USC’s Center for Risk and Economic Analysis of Terrorism Events (CREATE). Professor Rose’s primary research interest is the economics of disasters. He has spearheaded the development of CREATE’s comprehensive economic consequence analysis framework and has done pioneering research on resilience at the level of the individual business/household, market/industry and regional/national economy. He has also completed dozens of case studies of disaster consequences, resilience and recovery, including the September 11 terrorist attacks and several seaport disruption scenarios. He is currently the PI on an NSF grant on advanced computational methods to improve reliability and resilience of interdependent systems and a contract with the Critical Infrastructure Resilience Institute to measure static economic the cost-effectiveness of individual resilience tactics. Professor Rose has served as the American Economic Association Representative to the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and as a member of the Board of Directors of the National Institute of Building Sciences Multi-Hazard Mitigation Council and of the Advisory Board of the Center for National Policy Resilience Forum. He is the recipient of the Distinguished Research Award from the International Society for Integrated Risk Management (IDRiM), a Woodrow Wilson Fellowship, East-West Center Fellowship, American Planning Association Outstanding Program Planning Honor Award, Applied Technology Council Outstanding Achievement Award, Regional Economic Models Outstanding Economic Analysis Award, and DHS/CREATE Transition Product of the Year Award. He is also an elected Fellow of the Regional Science Association International.
Andrew E. Tucci, USCG (Ret)
Bio: Mr. Tucci is a maritime risk consultant and retired U.S. Coast Guard Officer with 28 years of active duty service. He has experience and skills in Port Security, Port Safety, Homeland Security, Emergency Management, Marine Environmental Response, Cyber Security, Critical Infrastructure Protection, and related risk management fields. He can be reached at Andrew.E.Tucci42@gmail.com.
Maj. Gen. Randy Kee, USAF (ret)
Executive Director and Commissioner, U.S. Arctic Research Commission
Bio: Maj Gen Randy “Church” Kee, United States Air Force (ret) serves as a U.S. Arctic Research Commissioner. He was appointed to the Commission by President Trump on November 10, 2020. General Kee is also the Executive Director of the Arctic Domain Awareness Center (ADAC) at the University of Alaska, a DHS Science and Technology (S&T) Office of University Programs Center of Excellence in Maritime Research, a position he has held since January 4, 2016.
As the ADAC Executive Director, “Church” leads a distributed team of Arctic-focused S&T, education & student field programs and convening activities of knowledgeable Arctic researchers, policy makers, Alaska Native Leaders and maritime operators.
During his 30-year military career, General Kee led at the Squadron, Group, Wing and Air Ops Center levels. General Kee’s staff assignments include U.S. Transportation Command, Headquarters USAF, and the U.S. Joint Staff in both Operations plus Strategic Plans and Policy Directorates. He has contributed to U.S. Arctic Strategy, supported domain awareness technology development, and Defense Support to Arctic crisis response. He culminated his military service as Director of Strategy, Policy, Planning and Capabilities for U.S. European Command (ECJ5/8) in Stuttgart, Germany.
Church is a Global Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson Center Polar Institute, a Network Member of the Canadian hosted North American and Arctic Defense and Security Network at Trent University, Peterborough Ontario, and the U.S. designated lead for a technology working group for the U.S. Navy Office of Naval Research International Cooperative Engagement Program for Polar Research. Church also leads ADAC and associated university efforts in conducting Arctic Senior Leader Summits and Symposiums for Alaska Command, a Sub-Unified Command of U.S. Northern Command headquartered at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson Alaska.
Finally, he is also the co-chair of the State of Alaska Civilian Armed Services Team (ACAST) an advisory board to the Governor of Alaska on defense and security matters.
His USAF Biography is available at: www.af.mil/AboutUs/Biographies/Display/tabid/225/Article/108465/major-general-randya-kee.aspx.
Keynote: Rear Admiral Brian K. Penoyer
Commander, U.S. Coast Guard District Eleven
Bio: Rear Admiral Brian K. Penoyer assumed his duties as Commander, Eleventh Coast Guard District in July of 2020. As such, he oversees the Coast Guard’s safety, security, law enforcement and environmental stewardship operations from the California-Oregon border to Peru including Arizona, Utah, and Nevada. He previously served as Commander, Coast Guard Force Readiness since July 2018. The Force Readiness Command directs the activity of 41 subordinate units in 17 states impacting every Coast Guard Mission…every unit…every enlisted rating…and every officer specialty…every day…to deliver mission-ready forces through superior training, doctrine, leader development, readiness assessments, and major exercise support.
Prior to his assignment as the Commander, Force Readiness Command, Rear Admiral Penoyer commanded the Fourteenth Coast Guard District. As the Commander, he directed all Coast Guard missions across the Central and South Pacific, an area spanning over 12.2 million square miles and including the Hawaiian Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas, with additional activities in Singapore and Japan. The region encompasses almost half of the U.S. maritime Exclusive Economic Zone and reaches nearly three times the size of the continental United States.
Rear Admiral Penoyer has extensive operational experience with a specialty in coastal operations. During his career, he has served as the Commander of Coast Guard Sector Houston-Galveston, as the Deputy Commander at Coast Guard Sector Maryland/National Capitol Region, and at Sector Jacksonville, Florida. He was the liaison in the office of the Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security during the Deepwater Horizon incident, deployed during Hurricane Katrina to Louisiana, and again during the Hurricane Sandy to New York. In other operational assignments, he inspected foreign and U.S. merchant vessels, led oil spill response teams, and conducted investigations in Alaska during a period of multiple cruise ship groundings and significant, fatal commercial fishing vessel accidents. In his first assignment for the Coast Guard, he deployed throughout Europe and the Middle East during the 1991 Gulf War.
Rear Admiral Penoyer’s staff assignments include serving as the Chief of Staff at the Fourteenth Coast Guard District, as deputy Chief of Coast Guard Congressional Affairs, as a military fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and as Department of Homeland Security’s Chief of Contingency Planning. He also served as the Coast Guard’s liaison to the U.S. Department of the Interior and Coast Guard representative on the National Response Team. Rear Admiral Penoyer holds a Master of Public Policy degree from the University of Maryland, a Master of Arts in national security and strategic studies from the Naval War College. He is a 2015 recipient of the Coast Guard’s Type I Incident Commander qualification.
He has been awarded two Legion of Merits, five Meritorious Service Medals, three Coast Guard Commendation Medals, the Department of Transportation “9-11” Medal, and several campaign medals including the Southwest Asia Service Medal. Rear Admiral Penoyer is a native of the Chicago area, and a proud University of Chicago graduate. He is married to Hildi Baker of Madison, Wisconsin, a nurse and equally proud University of Chicago graduate. Together they have two daughters, Scotia and Teslin.
Lawson Brigham, Capt. USCG (Ret)
Bio: Lawson Brigham is a Fellow in the Wilson Center’s Polar Institute. He is a former researcher at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and a Fellow at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy’s Center for Arctic Study & Policy. Captain Brigham was a career Coast Guard officer and commanded four cutters including the icebreaker Polar Sea on Arctic & Antarctic expeditions. During 2004-09 he was chair of the Arctic Council’s Arctic Marine Shipping Assessment. He is a graduate of the Coast Guard Academy and earned his PhD at Cambridge University. Dr. Brigham is a member of the National Academies Polar Research Board and is a Council on Foreign Relations member. His research interests have focused on the Russian maritime Arctic, environmental change, polar marine transportation, and polar geopolitics.
Brandon Fried, Air Forwarders Association
Bio: Brandon Fried, executive director of the Airforwarders Association is one of the country’s leading experts on air freight and cargo security. With more than 40 years of experience, Brandon represents the industry and the association by serving on several Federal Advisory Committees including: The TSA Aviation Security Advisory Committee, and The U.S. Department of Commerce Committee on Supply Chain Competitiveness. He also served three terms on the CBP Commercial Operations Advisory Committee.
While still a forwarder, Brandon joined the Airforwarders Association and was soon elected Chairperson in 2001. He served two consecutive terms as Chair and remained an active member of the Board of Directors. In 2005, he sold his forwarding company and was appointed Executive Director of the Association.
He also represents forwarder interests as Chair of the advisory Board of Cargo Network Services, an IATA company.
In Washington, Brandon is the public face of the Airforwarders Association testifying in Congress, working with the Department of Homeland Security, and frequently appearing in national media including CNN, The Wall Street Journal, CBS Marketwatch and the New York Times.
A graduate of Syracuse University, Brandon holds a master’s degree in business administration and lives in Chevy Chase, Md. with his wife Kim and has two children, Evan and Jordan.
Casey J. Hehr, Director of Security, Port of Long Beach, California
Bio: Casey Hehr is the Director of the Security Division at the Port of Long Beach, California, reporting to the Chief Commercial Officer and Deputy Director for Commercial Operations, Dr. Noel Hacegaba. He was named to the position of Director of the Security Division in 2018 by the Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners after serving 2-years as the Assistant Director of Security for the port.
As the Director of Security, Mr. Hehr administers a staff of over 100 personnel and the division’s budget of more than $40-million. He leads the division’s Joint Command and Control Center and external engagement, emergency management, grants and administration sections. He also provides liaison with more than 80 public safety and security partners throughout the region.
Before coming to the Port, Mr. Hehr spent nearly 8-years serving the Long Beach/Los Angeles maritime community, most recently as the Chief of Response for the U.S. Coast Guard, leading port security operations, law enforcement, search and rescue, and pollution response. Before coming to Southern California, Mr. Hehr was assigned to the Office of the Secretary of Homeland Security in Washington, where he provided immediate support to Secretaries Ridge and Chertoff for Homeland Defense and Maritime Security Policy and Operations. While assigned to the Secretary’s office, he was a member of the White House National Security Council’s team that developed the United States’ first National Strategy for Maritime Security signed by the President.
Mr. Hehr is a graduate of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree with honors in Mechanical Engineering and his commission as an officer. He also earned a Master of Business Administration degree from Boston College’s Carroll School of Business. Casey and Tara Kelly Hehr and their two sons, Coburn and Cole, make their home in Long Beach.
Eric Johansson, SUNY Maritime
Bio: Captain Johansson, a third generation Port of NY/NJ Tug Captain and Distinguished Service Professor at SUNY Maritime College, located in NYC, holds a Master of Science in International Transportation Management from SUNY Maritime The Distinguished Service Professorship is the State University’s highest academic rank and conferred by the State University Board of Trustees for having a distinguished reputation for service to the campus, University, community, State of New York, and Nation. Since joining the faculty staff at SUNY Maritime in 1994, he enjoys teaching and mentoring future professional mariners in areas of Towing, Shipping, Marine Spatial Planning, Leadership, and Ship Systems Captain Johansson is a recipient of the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Faculty Service, Plimsoll Award, and the Public Service Commendation (United States Coast Guard). Captain Johansson is the innovative and forward-leaning founder of the annual SUNY Maritime College Towing Forum, now in its 18th year and has published funded research projects including the Maritime Support Service Location Study I, Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation “Economic Analysis”, Small Business Dredge Needs Port of NY Study, New Jersey Offshore Wind Outlook, “Economic Impact of Siltation on NYC’s Small Waterways” and Hunts Point Terminal Market: The Demand for Waterborne Transportation as a Part of the Outbound Distribution System. In addition to his research, Captain Johansson serves on many local maritime committees such as Harbor Safety Committee, Energy Sub-committee, and nominated by the Department of Homeland Security as Vice Chair of the Towing Safety Advisory Committee.
Captain Zeita Merchant, Sector Commander, Sector New York, USCG
Bio: Captain Zeita Merchant assumed the duties of Commander, Sector New York in May 2020, overseeing the daily operations of Sector New York’s over 900 personnel, seven cutters, three small boat stations, two aids to navigation teams, and vessel traffic management system. Prior to joining Sector New York, Captain Merchant was a National Security Fellow at Harvard University’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs.
Enjoying over 23 years of active duty service, Captain Merchant is a recognized authority in the complex maritime safety and security and emergency management fields. She has served in a variety of assignments at the operational and strategic levels and has been certified as one of the Coast Guard’s top Emergency Managers leading large-scale, multijurisdictional incident responses from Texas to Puerto Rico.
Her operational assignments include commanding maritime operations across the southern tip of Lake Michigan at Marine Safety Unit Chicago. She also directed operations as the Executive Officer of Marine Safety Unit Texas City, Chief of Port Operations at Sector Miami and as a Marine Inspector and Port Operations Officer at Marine Safety Office New Orleans.
Her previous staff assignments include serving as the Special Assistant to the 27th and 28th Vice Commandants of the Coast Guard, Congressional Fellow on the Committee of Oversight and Reform and Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and Executive Strategic Planner for Coast Guard Flag and Senior Executive Service Corp.
Captain Merchant holds a Doctorate of Business Administration and Master of Quality Systems Management from the National Graduate School at New England Institute of Business as well as a Master of Public Administration from George Washington University and a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Tougaloo College. In addition, she is a graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School of Government’s Executive Education Leadership in Homeland Security Course and a Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Seminar XXI National Security and Foreign Affairs Fellow.
She has been honored with numerous professional, academic, and community service awards, including the 2019 Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration Outstanding Achievement in Public Service, 2018 Chicago Federal Executive Board J.F. Kennedy Leadership Award, 2018 USCG Captain Jarvis Inspirational Leadership Award, 2017 USO LTC James M. O’Rourke Service Salute Award and many more. Her personal military awards include three Meritorious Service Medals, six Coast Guard Commendation Medals, three Coast Guard Achievement Medals, three Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medals, and four Commandant’s Letters of Commendation, Marine Safety Insignia and Commandant’s Staff Identification Badge.
Captain David B. Moskoff, USMS, United States Merchant Marine Academy
Bio: For this workshop, CAPT Moskoff particularly employs his expertise in the Nautical Sciences and Bridge Resource Management. He is a Professor at the United States Merchant Marine Academy and has served there as Head of the Department of Marine Transportation, Assistant Academic Dean, Faculty Forum President and on a range of committees at the Academy. He is the capstone course Bridge Resource Management (BRM) Lead Instructor having taught this Full Mission Bridge Class A Simulator course for more than two decades. Additionally, in regard to this workshop, one of the academic divisions of the Maritime Transportation Department he recently managed, concentrates in Maritime Transportation Logistics and Security. He is a Senior Expert Advisor to NATO’s Transport Group for Ocean Shipping, Senior Advisor to the DoD’s Purposeful Interference Response Team (PIRT) under US SPACE COMMAND, serves as a DoT/MARAD representative to other federal entities, has represented US DHS abroad and made numerous presentations throughout the United States and internationally by request. CAPT Moskoff has acted as USMMA POC for the USCG, USCG National Maritime Center and DOD’s Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) providing midshipmen Independent Study in Maritime Security and Counter-Terrorism venues. CAPT Moskoff has chaired panels and steering groups for various external symposia, conferences and maritime-related exercises/drills.
CAPT Moskoff is also President of MARITECH, a marine consulting and maritime services firm. He has been certified American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) Surveyor, certified ABS/QE ISO/ISM third party external Lead Auditor as well as third party auditor for the American Waterways Operators’ Responsible Carrier Program. He is a certified Vessel Security Officer (VSO), Facility Security Officer (FSO) and Company Security Officer (CSO). He served as the first Mooring Master at Sea-3’s LPG ship terminal in New England. He has held a USCG Unlimited Master’s License for over three decades and has commanded both steam and diesel ships. He has a BS in Marine Transportation (SUNY Maritime) and MS in Information Technology (AIU).
Bethann Rooney, Port Authority of NY/NJ
Bio: Bethann Rooney is the Deputy Director of the Port Department of The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey; the Nation’s third largest port. She is responsible for managing the day-to-day administrative and operations functions of the Port, including facility management, infrastructure, planning, environmental sustainability, port efficiency, business development, finance, and human resources. She was named to the position in April 2019 after serving four and a half years as Port’s Assistant Director, Strategy and Innovation. She is the architect and coordinator of the Port’s Council on Port Performance; the first forum of its kind in the nation that was established as a framework for port constituents to identify challenges to port efficiency and service reliability and develop recommended solutions. Prior to that, Ms. Rooney was the General Manager, Port Security for the Port Authority for 13 years. Assuming this post in the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 tragedy, she is a recognized world leader in maritime security and emergency management issues. A 28-year veteran in the maritime industry, she is a graduate of the State University of New York Maritime College with a Masters in International Transportation and a Bachelors in Marine Transportation with qualifications as a Third Mate. Ms. Rooney holds several professional certifications and is an Accredited Marine Port Executive from the International Association of Maritime and Port Executives.
Nathaniel “Sam” Ruda, Director, Port Department, Port Authority of NY & NJ
Bio: Sam Ruda was appointed Director of the Port Authority’s Port Division on April 15, 2019. Sam joined the Port Authority of NY & NJ as the Assistant Director, Port Business Development, in August of 2015. In that role, Sam had oversight for the retention and growth of the Port’s maritime business segments: auto, bulk, containers, and cruise.
Additionally, this role had oversight of the Port’s marine property and leasing division. In December of 2016, Sam was named Deputy Director with additional responsibilities covering port performance initiatives and innovation. In October of 2018, Sam was named Acting Port Director.
Prior to joining the Port Authority of NY & NJ, Sam was Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) for the Port of Portland (Oregon). In this role, Sam had responsibility for the maritime and aviation business activity in addition to the Port’s industrial real estate portfolio. From 2003 to February of 2012, Sam was the Director of Marine and Industrial Development at the Port of Portland.
Born and raised in New Jersey, Sam began his career as a management trainee with the global container carrier Sea-Land Service. He has also held sales and management positions with American President Lines and NYK Line. From 1997-2001 Sam was Coordinating Manager for NYK’s North American Liner division based in Tokyo, Japan and later had responsibility for North Asia Marketing and Pricing based in Hong Kong, PRC.
Prior to joining the Port of Portland, Sam was Director of Global Transportation for Nike Inc, overseeing international logistics for the Beaverton, Oregon based athletic footwear and apparel company.
Sam holds a bachelor’s degree in economics (1985) from Rutgers University.
Capt. Phil Thorne, USCG (Ret), USCG District 17 Arctic Program Specialist
Bio: As the Alaska regional Coast Guard Arctic Program Specialist, CAPT (Ret) Thorne coordinates Coast Guard activities across the Arctic domain, advances Coast Guard strategic planning on Arctic-related issues and advises senior leadership, staff and field units on international and domestic Arctic matters. Prior to his role as the Arctic Program Specialist, CAPT Thorne served in numerous leadership roles in the USCG Alaska Region, including Sector Commandor, Chief of Response, Chief, Response Enforcement Branch, and Chief, Response Department.
Gabriel A. Weaver, Information Trust Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Bio: Gabriel A. Weaver is a Research Scientist at the Information Trust Institute at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Currently Weaver’s research focuses on ways to analyze cross-organizational, inter-infrastructure risk as modern information systems are increasingly used to control and monitor critical infrastructures including the bulk electric and maritime transportation systems. As the Herman M. Dieckamp Inaugural Fellow, his research has focused on better ways to assess the resilience of critical infrastructure systems with a particular focus on the Maritime Transportation System (MTS). Weaver holds a Ph.D in Computer Science from Dartmouth College; his dissertation was Security-Policy Analysis with eXtended Unix Tools and advised by Professor Sean Smith. He also holds a B.A. in Classics and Mathematics from the College of the Holy Cross.
Henry H. Willis, Homeland Security Operational Analysis Center (HSOAC)
Bio: Henry H. Willis is director of the Homeland Security Operational Analysis Center (HSOAC) Strategy, Policy, and Operations Program; a senior policy researcher at the RAND Corporation; and a professor of policy analysis at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. He is a recognized expert in homeland security risk management. Recent work analyzes terrorism warning indicators; border security efforts; critical infrastructure resilience; and national preparedness to chemical, biological, nuclear, and radiological attacks.
Willis is an active contributor to policy research, having served as the risk management research theme leader at the DHS Center for Risk and Economic Analysis of Terrorist Events at the University of Southern California and as a principal investigator at the DHS National Center for Border Security and Immigration at the University of Arizona. Through his work he testified before Congress; served on several committees of the National Academy of Sciences; advised government agencies across the United States, Europe, Australia, and the United Arab Emirates; and published dozens of journal articles, reports, and op-eds on applying risk analysis to homeland security policy. Willis is the treasurer of the Society for Risk Analysis and has served on the editorial board of the international journal Risk Analysis.
His work in homeland security policy evolved from his work on program evaluation at the White House Office of Management and Budget and infrastructure design as a water and wastewater engineer. He earned his Ph.D. in engineering and public policy at Carnegie Mellon University.
Dr. Kim Young-McLear, CISA and USCG
Bio: Dr. Kimberly Young-McLear is a scholar, engineer, cyber professional, and educator who is unreservedly committed to human resilience. She has been a homeland security professional since 2003, serving on active duty in the U.S. Coast Guard. In that time she has been assigned to numerous technical positions including in Cyber, Marine Safety, Naval/Industrial Engineering, and Academia. Earlier in her career, she also served as Special Assistant to the Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) where she provided direct support to a Deputy Cabinet Secretary for the development of DHS policy, mission planning, and execution for 240K employees.
Leave a comment