For Immediate Release:  February 19, 2014

Media Contact:  Mary Simms, mary.simms@fema.dhs.gov

FEMA, Arizona Host Leadership Conference to Discuss Emerging Trends in Emergency Management, Collaborate with Public, Private Sector before Next Disaster
Microsoft, Verizon, Facebook to Attend along with Many More

Phoenix, Ariz., — The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in concert with the Arizona Division of Emergency Management (ADEM) will today host its third annual FEMA Region 9 Public-Private Sector Leadership Conference in Phoenix, Ariz. The theme of this year’s symposium is “Perception vs. Reality.” 

“Engaging with partners to share thoughts and tactics on how to improve government and private sector collaboration benefits community preparedness while also protecting economic resilience,” said Nancy Ward, Regional Administrator for FEMA Region 9.  “The ability to initiate and strengthen linkages to the often untapped resources of the ‘Whole of Community’ is of paramount importance.”

The Public-Private Sector Leadership Conference affords representatives of the public, private and nonprofit sectors the opportunity to network, share best practices, and generally learn and benefit from the emergency management experiences of the “Whole Community.” Administrator Ward and ADEM Director Wendy Smith-Reeve will deliver this year’s keynote addresses.

“Events like this conference are an important outreach to our present and future partners,” said Director Smith-Reeve. “We want to inspire the public, private and nonprofit sectors to actively engage in Whole Community emergency management.”

“Whole Community” is an approach to emergency management that reinforces the fact that FEMA is only one part of our nation’s emergency management team; that we must leverage all of the resources of our collective team in preparing for, protecting against, responding to, recovering from and mitigating against all hazards; and that collectively we must meet the needs of the entire community in each of these areas. This larger collective emergency management team includes, not only FEMA and its Federal partners, but also local, tribal, state and territorial partners; non-governmental organizations like faith-based and non-profit groups and private sector industry; to individuals, families and communities, who continue to be the nation’s most important assets as first responders during a disaster.

Today’s conference aims to improve public and private sector capabilities to integrate, collaborate and work together.  Another primary goal is to provide a networking framework in order to develop relationships prior to a crisis throughout Region 9. 

The event is being held today, Feb. 19, 2014 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Allen Readiness Center, 5636 E. McDowell Rd, Phoenix, Arizona, 85008. 

For those unable to attend the conference in person, Cisco WebEx will webcast the event at  https://fedgov.webex.com/fedgov/onstage/g.php?t=a&d=994177562. The password to attend the event is: welcome. 

To view the agenda and additional event details please visit:  http://goo.gl/NuyCz6.  The event hashtag is #PPP2014AZ.

Follow FEMA online at www.twitter.com/femaregion9. 

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