Tampa Bay Safety and Risk Mitigation Summit

Following immediately on the heels of the Tampa Steel Conference, Port Tampa Bay and Tampa International Airport co-hosted the fourth annual Tampa Bay Safety & Risk Mitigation Summit, February 1, showcasing the complex makeup of safety and security opportunities faced daily by a wide range of agencies and industries in the Tampa Bay area. Local, state and federal representatives from law enforcement and the military, as well as safety and operations professionals from a cross section of industries, were on hand to participate in presentations and panel discussions in an open forum setting.

                To open up the summit, representing port President and CEO Paul Anderson, in his absence, were Ed Miyagishima, Vice President of Communications, and Joe Lopano, CEO, Tampa International Airport, co-presenters of the event, along with sponsors The Mosaic Company, Savage and Mutualink.  Among a robust roster of presenters, the summit featured presentations by the Honorable Bryan Koon, director of the Florida Department of Emergency Management, who was introduced by Col. Chad Chronister, of the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office; the Honorable Deborah Hersman, president of the National Safety Council and former chairwoman of the National Transportation Safety Board, who was introduced by John Tiliacos, vice president of operations, Tampa International Airport.

                Moderated by John Esposito, corporate director for health and safety, Ports America, the program’s first panel, “Transportation Safety by Air, Land and Sea,” included remarks and discussions including Lloyd Tillman, director of operations, Tampa International Airport; Amber Elias, business continuity-crisis management lead, Florida Uber; and Jim Marks, vice president of Safety, CSX rail. The following presentation, titled “National Prevention Policy,” was delivered by Rear Admiral Paul Thomas, assistant commandant for prevention policy, who was introduced by Captain Holly Najarian, Captain of the Port, U.S. Coast Guard-Sector St. Petersburg. The following session, “Mitigating Risk,” was moderated by Mark Dubina, the port’s vice president of security, who was introduced by Chief Tom Forward, of Tampa Fire Rescue.  The panel included Greg Mertz, assistant federal security director-Tampa Bay, Transportation Safety Administration; Don Carter, SMS business partner-safety and security, Southwest Airlines; and James Privatera, deputy chief of police, St. Petersburg Police Department.

                An engaging keynote address was delivered by Col. Mark Tillman (Ret.), former pilot of Air Force One and commander of the Presidential Airlift Group, detailing his exciting career and involvement in the terrorist events of September 11, 2001, when he was in command of Air Force One with President George W. Bush onboard.

                Following this presentation, Ken Washington, chief information officer, Port Tampa Bay, moderated the panel “Hacked or Attacked-Lessons in Cyber Security.” The panelists included Michael Stephens, general counsel/vice president, information technology, Tampa International Airport; Donnie Mayo, chief information officer, Ports America; and Andrew Morrill, CIO, Valley National Bank.

During a networking luncheon presentation, the next dynamic speaker was Gen. Barry McCaffrey (Ret.), former director of National Drug Policy and commander-in-chief, U.S. Southern Command. The final panel discussions on “Interoperability & Crisis Communications” was moderated by Ron Brooks, founder and principal, Brooks Bawden LLC. Panelists were Paul Sireci, director of public safety, Tampa International Airport; Harry Costello, chairman, H+K Strategies; Col. Patrick Miller, commander, 6th MSG; and Capt. Charley Diaz, captain, USCG (Ret.).

                The closing session was a revealing, interactive active shooter demonstration by Magnus, a security and risk consultant firm in Broward County, Florida.

                “Port Tampa Bay is proud to co-present this important and meaningful summit to discuss serious safety and security topics that are relevant to all citizens. It is gratifying to see how this event has grown in the last few years and has gained the respect of the community, drawing together the best minds in the business—local, state and federal—to discuss and share best practices for all of us in a comprehensive range of scenarios,” Paul Anderson, port president and CEO, said.