CNREP 2019: Keynote Speakers

Roy E. Wright
“Science Driving Resilience: Stronger Homes, Business and Communities”
Monday, May 20, 2019 8:30 am

President & Chief Executive Officer, Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety

Roy Wright joined IBHS in 2018 with more than 20 years of experience in insurance, risk management, mitigation, and resilience planning. Convinced that the continuing cycle of human suffering that strikes families and communities in the wake of severe weather can be broken, Roy leads a team of scientists and risk communicators who deliver strategies to build safer and stronger homes and businesses. IBHS’ real-world impact enables the insurance industry and affected property owners to prevent avoidable losses. Roy joined IBHS from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) where he served as the Chief Executive of the National Flood Insurance Program, led the agency’s Federal Insurance and Mitigation Administration, and directed the resilience programs addressing earthquake, fire, flood, and wind risks. In these roles, he guided several programs that promote a risk-conscious culture, enable faster disaster recovery, and address long-term vulnerabilities to life, property, and well-being in communities across the United States. Prior to joining FEMA in 2007, Roy worked in public and private sector roles with Coray Gurnitz Strategy Consulting and the U.S. Department of the Interior. A native of California, Roy earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Azusa Pacific University and a Master of Public Administration from The George Washington University.

Pawan G. Patil
“Toward A Blue Economy: Nourishing Nations and Stimulating Sustainable Growth”
Monday, May 20, 2019 12:00 pm

Senior Economist, World Bank, Global Ocean Partnership, the World Bank

Pawan G. Patil, PhD is a development banker, Harvard, Oxford, and London School of Economics trained economist and serial social entrepreneur.  Over 19 years at the World Bank, he has followed his twin passions, co-developing the institution’s multi-billion-dollar portfolio on Oceans and the Blue Economy, and co-creating social enterprises and initiatives in support of adolescent girls and young people.  His work has been featured in dozens of peer reviewed journals and newspapers, including The Economist, Financial Times, New York Times, Huffington Post, and Nature. Dr. Patil is the recipient of several innovation awards in support of ocean-facing developing countries.  He was selected as a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader and served as a member of WEF’s Global Agenda Council for Oceans and the founding boards of Nike Foundation, Youth2Youth, Mobile Movement, and Mapping Ocean Wealth – which was awarded the 2017 Tourism for Tomorrow Innovation Award and WTTC’s annual Global Tourism Summit in Bangkok. He currently lives in the Washington DC area with his wife of over twenty years and two children.

Jim Barnett
“The Mississippi: A River of Change”
Tuesday, May 21, 2019 12:00 pm

Director of the Historic Properties Division with the Mississippi Department of Archives and History (retired)

Jim Barnett is retired Director of the Historic Properties Division with the Mississippi Department of Archives and History. He has written three books and numerous articles for history and archaeology journals. His fiction writing is published by literary journals, including The Carolina Quarterly and the Adirondack Review. Jim is a native of Arkansas and has lived in Natchez, MS since 1981. His latest book is Beyond Control: The Mississippi River’s New Channel to the Gulf of Mexico. Beyond Control reveals the Mississippi as a waterway of change, unnaturally confined by ever-larger levees and control structures. During the great flood of 1973, the Mississippi River nearly changed its course for a shorter and steeper path to the sea. Beyond Control traces the history of this phenomenon, beginning with a major channel shift around 3,000 years ago. Told against the backdrop of the Lower Mississippi River's impending diversion, the book's chapters chronicle historic floods, rising flood crests, a changing strategy for flood protection, and competing interests in the management of the Old River outlet. Beyond Control is both a history and a close look at an inexorable, living process happening now in the twenty-first century.