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Indian River State College to Host Cybersecurity Symposium on December 1

Indian River State College to Host Cybersecurity Symposium on December 1

November 4, 2022 Jon Pine

FORT PIERCE—Indian River State College (IRSC) will host an cybersecurity symposium on December 1 for local and regional emergency management and public safety leaders to sharpen their response to potential online attacks that could shut down power and water supplies for an extended period of time. The symposium will be held at the Treasure Coast Public Safety Training Complex, 4600 Kirby Loop Road, Fort Pierce.

Cybersecurity Symposium Speakers

Craig Fugate, left, former Administrator of FEMA, and Lieutenant General Reynold Hoover (retired, U.S. Army) are the featured speakers at the cybersecurity symposium.


Leading the discussions are internationally recognized authorities in homeland security, including Lieutenant General Reynold Hoover, who served as Deputy Commander of the United States Northern Command from 2016-2018; and Craig Fugate, who served as the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) from 2009-2017 under President Barack Obama. Fugate serves as a Strategic Consultant for IRSC in the area of emergency management and is the conference catalyst and architect.

“As an emergency manager I can tell you that we can forecast and plan for hurricanes, but cyber threats, which have been steadily increasing, have no season, and there is no warning,” said Fugate. “This symposium focuses on what public safety officials need to know to be prepared for these types of threats.”

The event begins with a sign-in at 8:30 a.m., followed by continental breakfast and welcome introductions. At 9:30 a.m., Lieutenant General Hoover will address world threats, cybersecurity relevance, what to expect from a cybersecurity attack, and how to manage the consequences of an attack. Hoover served as the Deputy Commander of the U.S. Northern Command and Vice Commander of the U.S. Element, North American Aerospace Defense Command at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado. His duties included assisting in anticipating, preparing and responding to threats against North America. He also provided oversight of U.S. Northern Command’s Defense Support to Civil Authorities.

At 10:30 a.m., a representative of the Federal Bureau of Investigation will speak about the impact of cybersecurity on public safety organizations, planning priorities, challenges for continuity of government and operations, and the role of the FBI in cybersecurity response.

Afternoon activities resume at 12:30 p.m., with a segment about the Florida Division of Emergency Management agencies that deal with Emergency Support Function 20 (ESF20), cybersecurity. Those agencies include Florida Digital Service, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Florida Department of Military Affairs, and the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity.

At 1:15 p.m., a spokesperson for InfraGard will speak about how that service partners with the FBI to connect owners and operators of critical infrastructure with the FBI to provide education, information sharing, networking and workshops on emerging technologies and threats. At 2 p.m., IRSC Faculty and Staff will discuss various resources the College has to support organizations with cybersecurity training, seminars and workshops.

At 2:45 p.m., a panel will take questions from attendees, followed by wrap-up comments from Craig Fugate. Fugate is a published author on risk mitigation and disaster response for extreme weather events and climate change and a sought-after guest lecturer on defense support and disaster response.

Personnel from local and regional first responder agencies and municipalities are encouraged to attend. The symposium costs $75 for the first attendee from an agency or organization and $50 for each additional attendee from the same agency or organization.

To register, visit https://tcpublicsafetytraining.gosignmeup.com/public/Course/browse?courseid=20763

For additional information, contact Joan Rivera at 772-462-7965 or email jorivera@irsc.edu.

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