Abstract

Major shocks and disruptions are a core reality of the 21st Century. The 2008 global financial crisis, the BP/Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the Fukushima disaster, Hurricane Sandy, Typhoon Yolanda, the Snowden leaks – the headlines are dominated by stories of man-made and natural disasters with far reaching consequences. In an age where the one constant is disruption, it will be the communities, companies, and counties that are best prepared to manage crisis that will outcompete those that cannot. Central to that preparation is crisis communications, which must be managed in the context of faster and more pervasive methods and outlets for transmitting information that social media makes possible. This presentation will outline lessons learned by the presenter from both his service on the operational and policy frontlines, and as a scholar of crises and disasters.

About the Speaker

Dr Stephen Flynn is Professor of Political Science and the Founding Director of the Center for Resilience Studies at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts. Before arriving at Northeastern in the fall of 2011, he served as President of the Center for National Policy and spent a decade as Senior Fellow for National Security Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. In 2008, he served as the lead homeland security policy adviser for the Presidential Transition Team for President Barack Obama. Dr Flynn was an active duty commissioned officer in the U.S. Coast Guard for 20 years, including two tours as commanding officer at sea. He is the author of The Edge of Disaster: Rebuilding a Resilient Nation (Random House, 2007), and America the Vulnerable (HarperCollins 2004). He is the principal for Stephen E. Flynn Associates LLC, which provides independent advisory services on improving enterprise resilience, critical infrastructure protection, and transportation and maritime security.