Public and private sector risks and preparedness for catastrophic events, and avenues for collaboration in connection with critical infrastructure, will be the focus of an NYU Wagner forum featuring officials from the Department of Homeland Security -- Tuesday, April 5, at 3 p.m.

orum Will Examine Shared Public & Private Sector Risks to Critical Infrastructure

The public and private sectors share many common risks. Natural hazards, cyber-threats, might be more effectively addressed on a collaborative public/private basis. Additionally, interdependencies between the public and private sectors are heightened by technology, globalization, shared services and customers. Yet historically there has been a significant cultural divide between the public and private sectors – each perceiving the other from different perspectives. Furthermore, clear legal and political impediments often exist to public – private collaboration. Nonetheless, successful public-private partnerships have increasingly taken hold in a number of instances. What are the lessons to be learned? What are the key principles to be adopted most especially in the arena of critical infrastructure?

This subject will be the focus of a forum that will be held on Tuesday, April, 5, at the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service (295 Lafayette Street, at the corner of Houston Street, 2nd Floor, New York, N.Y.). The event begins at 3:00 p.m. and is open to the press and public.

Speakers will include:

Douglas Smith, Assistant Secretary for the Private Sector, U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Todd M. Keil, Assistant Secretary for Infrastructure Protection, U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Respondents will include:

Carl Weisbrod, Partner, HR&A, a leading policy, economic development and planning consulting firms.

John Gershman, Associate Professor of Public Service, NYU Wagner & Associate Director, NYU Global MPH Program.

Rae Zimmerman, Professor of Planning and Public Administration & Director, Institute for Civil Infrastructure Systems, NYU Wagner.

Moderator: 
William G. Raisch, Director of the International Center for Enterprise Preparedness at NYU.


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Robert Polner
Robert Polner
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