Across the nation, innovative programs are showing exciting progress at building resilient communities. Now is a great time to take stock of these programs at federal, state and local levels. At the ResilientAmerica Roundtable, we strive to help communities build resilience to extreme events, save lives and reduce the social and economic costs of disasters. On June 28-29, the ResilientAmerica Roundtable hosted the State of Resilience Leadership Forum and Community Workshop. This event brought together policymakers and stakeholders at the federal, state and local levels to talk about what works, what doesn’t and what should happen next in this resilience arena.
Watch the webcast!
Leadership Forum
The Leadership Forum was held on June 28 featured three armchair discussions among noted leaders in the resilience movement, each moderated by National Public Radio's Andrea Seabrook. Dr. C. Dan Mote, President, National Academy of Engineering, kicked off the Leadership Forum and Lieutenant General Thomas P. Bostick, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers provided the closing remarks.
Building Resilience at the National Level
Panelists:
- Craig Fugate, Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency
- Michael Berkowitz, President, 100 Resilient Cities at the Rockefeller Foundation
Building Resilience at the Local Level
Panelists:
- Mayor Michael Seibert, Joplin, MO
- Mayor Ben McAdams, Salt Lake County
- County Commissioner Chip LaMarca, Broward County, FL
Private Sector Incentives and Investments in Community Resilience
Panelists:
- Ray Bonilla, Jr., Senior Director, IT Resiliency Management, Kaiser Permanente
- Paul Nicholas, Senior Director, Microsoft Global Security Strategy & Diplomacy
- Lynn Scarlett, Global Managing Director, The Nature Conservancy, discuss private sector incentives and investments in community resilience.
Community Workshop
The Community Workshop on June 29 provided a venue for experts and community representatives from across the nation to share solutions to the most pressing challenges decision makers must overcome to build community resilience, including:
- Documenting what community resilience can look like
- Identifying successful actions to date in building community resilience
- Providing opportunities for peer-to-peer learning among community leaders
- Articulating the big challenges yet to come in advancing resilience
Panel sessions included Engaging with Diverse Populations, Healthy Communities, Building Partnerships and Coalitions, Measuring Resilience, Climate Adaptation and Resilience, and Incentivizing Resilience.