Roundtable Workshops

Roundtable Workshop 8: The Emergency Manager of the FutureM

Workshop Summary

June 13, 2003

The National Academies
Room 100
500 Fifth Street
Washington, DC

AGENDA

Objective: The nation is changing in terms of its demographics, the types of risks it faces, and in many other ways. The emergency manager of the future will have to cope with such changes in order to further effective mitigation, preparedness, and response and recovery efforts throughout the United States. The objective of this workshop is to provide the opportunity forpractitioners, decision-makers, researchers and other stakeholders to discuss and exchange views and perspectives on challenges that emergency managers of tomorrow can expect to face, based on our current knowledge and experience. Expected opportunities for meeting future challenges, including those that can be provided by education, research and technology, will also be considered atthe forum.

8:30 AM Welcome and Introductions
William H. Hooke, DR Chair,American Meteorological Society

8:35 AM Emergency Management Overview and Forum Objectives
Ellis M.Stanley, Sr., CEM, DR Steering Committee,
General Manager, City of Los Angeles Emergency Preparedness Department

8:45 AM Facing New Challenges"A World in Flux: Emergency Management Challenges and Opportunities"
Thomas Drabek, Professor of Sociology, University of Denver (Audio Enabled Presentation)
Dr. Drabek will address the future from the perspective of his forty years of conducting research on emergency management.

9:15 AM Today and Tomorrow: Views of Practitioners and Decision Makers

Moderator: Ellis M. Stanley, Sr., CEM

Moderated discussion with emergency management experts and decision-makers to discuss challenges that future emergency managers will face based on the anticipated vulnerability of the nation to particular types of risks, such as natural,technological and human-induced hazards. The challenges they consider will include resource and institutional problems, and the need for all-hazards planning and interoperability. Possible solutions to such challenges will be discussed in later sessions.

J.R. Thomas, CEM, Director, Franklin Co. Emergency Management Agency, and President, International Association of Emergency Managers (Download Presentation)

Eric Tolbert, Director, Response Division, FEMA, Department of Homeland Security

10:00 AM Questions and Discussion

10:30 AM Break

10:45 AM Higher Education Needs of the Emergency Manager of the Future

Moderator: Lacy Suiter, Naval Postgraduate School
Moderated discussion with experts involved in emergency management studies programs. They will offer their views on how university-based programs can best meet the needs of future emergency managers and decision makers given the challenges they will face this century.

John R. Harrald, Director, Institute for Crisis, Disaster and Risk Management, George Washington University (Download Presentation)

B. Wayne Blanchard,Higher Education Project Manager, Emergency Management Institute, Federal Emergency Management Agency (Presentation)

Brenda Phillips, Professor, Institute for Emergency Preparedness, Jacksonville State University, Alabama (Download Presentation)

11:30 AM Questions and Discussion

12:00 PM Lunch break

1:10 PM Research Needed to Support the Emergency Manager of the Future

Moderator: Ann-Margaret Esnard, DR Member, Cornell University
Moderated discussion with representatives from the research and practice communities to discuss major research that is needed to help advance the field of emergency management and how to transfer the knowledge to end-users once the research results have been obtained.

Dennis Wenger, Program Director, National Science Foundation (Download Presentation)

Michael Lindell, Director, Hazard Reduction and Recovery Center, Texas A&M University (Download Presentation)

John Pine, Professor, Louisiana State University (Download Presentation)

1:55 PM Questions and Discussion

2:15 PM The Role of Technology in Furthering the Effectiveness of Emergency Management

Moderator: Al Wallace, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, New York
Moderated discussion with experts familiar with modern technological tools, such as GIS, that can help meet today and tomorrowbnt challenges. They will discuss the place of such tools for emergency management planning, response and communication and other relevant activities.

Matt Walton, President, E-Team, Inc. (Download Presentation)

John Young, Director, Enterprise Solutions, ESRI (Download Presentation)

3:00 PM Questions and Discussion

3:20 PM Break

3:35 PM The Next Generation

Moderator: David Applegate, DR Member, American Geological Institute
Moderated discussion with emerging experts at the beginning of their careers. They will provide their perspectives regarding tomorrowbities for research and practice in the emergency management field.

Jim Kendra, Research Coordinator, Disaster Research Center, University of Delaware and Assistant Professor, University of North Texas

Ethan Beckcom, Student, Arkansas Tech University (Download Presentation)

Chris Wright, Manager, Emergency Operations, Amgen Inc. (Download Presentation)

4:20 PM Questions and Discussion

4:40 PM Wrap Up: Where have we come from and where are we going?

Moderators: Bill Hooke, DR Chair and Ellis Stanley, Sr., CEM, DR Member

5:30 PM Adjourn