Photo of David KaufmanSpecial EMForum.org Webinar Program
January 26, 2012
Crisis Response and Disaster Resilience 2030
David J. Kaufman
Director, Office of Policy and Program Analysis
Federal Emergency Management Agency

Moderator: Amy Sebring, EMForum.org

Live Meeting Recording
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Summary Transcript
Speaker Biography
Related Links

Announcement

FEMA has released the Crisis Response and Disaster Resilience 2030 report, which includes insights on the future role of emergency and disaster management; strategic needs and gaps the community will have to address; and a look into the emergency management community of 2030. The strategic needs, highlighted in the report, in particular - focused around essential capabilities, innovative models and tools, and dynamic partnerships - are intended to be a catalyst for leadership throughout the emergency management community and to prepare us, and the Nation at large, for whatever challenges and opportunities the future holds.

This report is intended to provide planners and managers with insights that can shape a range of critical decisions, starting today. Such decisions-which can be made in advance of disasters-include improving prioritization of resources and investments, managing new and unfamiliar risks, forging new partnerships, and understanding emerging legal and regulatory hurdles.

The findings and insights presented in this report are the result of an extensive community-wide effort, including more than 800 professionals, members of the academic community, and interested public and private sector stakeholders who have contributed to the Strategic Foresight Initiative (SFI)*.

* Since early 2010, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has coordinated action around the Strategic Foresight Initiative (SFI), a transformative effort, bringing together a cross-section of the emergency management community at all levels of government, non-profits, businesses, and individuals. The SFI initiative seeks to understand the factors driving change in our world and how those changes will impact the emergency and disaster management field over the next 20 years.

Speaker Biography

David J. Kaufman was appointed Director of FEMA's Office of Policy and Program Analysis (OPPA) in September 2009. In this position he is responsible for providing leadership, analysis, coordination, and decision-making support to the FEMA Administrator on a wide range of Agency policies, plans, programs, and key initiatives.

Mr. Kaufman has extensive experience with homeland security and disaster preparedness issues. He has been a member of the faculty at the Naval Postgraduate School’s Center for Homeland Defense and Security, where he has taught in the Center’s graduate and executive level education programs, and has previously served in several senior positions in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and in FEMA.

His previous service included establishing the Office of Preparedness Policy, Planning and Analysis in FEMA's National Preparedness Directorate, where as the Director he led policy and planning efforts for national preparedness; and Acting Director and Deputy Director of the Preparedness Programs Division in the Office for Domestic Preparedness, where he oversaw the day-to-day activities of DHS’ $3 billion portfolio of state, local, and infrastructure preparedness assistance programs.

In 2008, Mr. Kaufman left government service to become Safety and Security Director for CNA, a non-profit think-tank that provides analysis and solutions to challenging problems for all levels of government, where he worked on a range of homeland security issues including community engagement, risk management, and catastrophic planning, and supported the Quadrennial Homeland Security Review.

Mr. Kaufman holds a Master of Public Policy degree from the University of Michigan; a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations, Political Science, and History from the University of Wisconsin-Madison; and is a graduate of the Center for Homeland Defense and Security's Executive Leaders Program.

Related Links

FEMA Strategic Foresight Initiative Website
Crisis Response and Disaster Resilience 2030: Forging Strategic Action in an Age of Uncertainty
SFI IdeaScale
FEMA Blog Posts: