This series has been made possible through the generous support of the LSU Stephenson Disaster Management Institute and the Irene W. and C.B. Pennington Foundation of Baton Rouge.

“CSIS is fortunate to have an intellectual partner such as the LSU Stephenson Disaster Management Institute to help us examine this complex set of issues,” said John Hamre, president and CEO of CSIS. “There is no other academic institution that is as uniquely positioned to help close the gap between practitioners and academics by forging collaboration that can be applied to the management challenges that face government and emergency professionals.”

“The Stephenson Disaster Management Institute is proud to partner with CSIS for this important event series,” said Lt. Col. Joseph Booth, executive director of the LSU Stephenson Disaster Management Institute. “This type of collaborative discussion is critical to addressing and solving the disaster management problems we will continue to face nationally and globally. Louisiana has served as a living laboratory for the study of disaster management, and it is an honor to share our unique knowledge as part of this dialogue. We are grateful to the Irene W. and C.B. Pennington Foundation for its generosity and support.”

“Too often policy discussions about disaster management and emergency response occur only after the disaster,” said Lori J. Bertman, president and CEO of the Irene W. and C.B. Pennington Foundation. “Our series intends to drive discussion on critical issues in disaster management and emergency response in a proactive manner both in Washington and beyond the Beltway in order to better protect lives and infrastructure before communities are faced with emergency situations.”

The series will provide a forum for government officials, experts, academics, and nongovernmental organizations dealing with disaster management and emergency response to discuss critical issues facing the United States’ ability to address disaster and emergency situations domestically and internationally.

Series events will take place at CSIS in Washington every four to six weeks and will cover such topics as:

— Expanding cooperation between the U.S. government and the private sector;
— Federal, state, and local cooperation in disaster relief;
— Natural disasters and risk management;
— Technology and natural disasters;
— Philanthropy;
— Crisis leadership and communication;
— Supply chain logistics;
— Transatlantic cooperation in disaster relief; and
— The role of the military in disaster relief.