Tom Ridge

The inextricable link between security and prosperity in a progressively interdependent world has generated enormous business, political and economic benefits but also consequent challenges. As the interdependence grows, so grows the vulnerability. Terrorism, natural disasters, criminal acts, vendor issues, accidents and geopolitical influences can have debilitating effects on economies and thus have put issues such as supply chain security, cross-border collaborations and security investment at the forefront of every proactive business and government agenda. Secretary Ridge will share his views of today’s risk-centric environment and how to minimize those risks in favor of greater resiliency and security across the globe.

The digital sun never sets. It will only get hotter. Every day, through the internet of everything, we generate more data and share more information about ourselves with other individuals, corporations and government. How much access should government have to this information to protect you from criminals, predators and terrorists? Are Rights to privacy and security exclusive to one another? Join Tom Ridge, America’s First Secretary of Homeland Security, for this timely discussion about the critical choices we face when technology, civil liberties and security collide.

Secretary Tom Ridge is available to speak on other issues pertinent to his experience, including intergovernmental relationships, innovation in education, the value of public service, restoring civil discourse to the political arena, cyber security, and the safeguarding of civil liberties and Constitutional principles in a new security environment.

Organizations today face increasing cyber threats from nation states, lone actors, and organized crime, targeting trade secrets, proprietary information, reputations, critical infrastructure, and financial systems. These cyber attacks can be as disruptive and consequential as physical attacks, potentially crippling unprepared organizations. Tom Ridge, the first secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and a renowned security expert, will discuss how to integrate cyber security into core business functions, protect globally interdependent systems, and understand the rules of engagement for world leaders. Attendees will learn about evolving cyber security strategies, future cyber attack trends, and effective navigation methods.

Governor Ridge has grown from a young sergeant in the battlefields of Vietnam to one of the world’s pre-eminent statesman. As a leading participant on the world stage, Ridge’s foreign policy credentials yield a unique insight into the role that all democracies bring to the international table and the increasing importance of the American brand to our engagement with the rest of the world. How do we uphold our Constitution, our values, our credibility in an ever-changing threat environment? In This presentation, Ridge opens the door to a commanding discussion of America’s strengths and challenges in security, diplomacy and economic viability as the United States and the Western world continue to confront formidable foreign policy issues in the 21st Century.

One of the world’s most visible leaders, Tom Ridge understands the kind of leadership that is required to drive people and organizations closer toward their goals. Drawing from a remarkable career, Ridge shares lessons from his varied experiences in Vietnam, the U.S. Congress, the Pennsylvania statehouse, the U.S. Cabinet and as CEO of his own international company. He shares insights from his tenure managing the nation’s response and recovery following the worst attack on American soil. In a substantive discussion, this consummate leader describes how to create teams that communicate clearly and quickly, and appropriately serve missions that will undoubtedly confront change, crisis and growth. He presents an inspiring perspective that can benefit individuals and organizations and propel both toward a more accomplished, strategic and focused future.

With a career defined by three decades of goal-setting successes, Ridge addresses the battlefield of ideas on the energy debate and plants a flag of urgency. America’s energy futures lays squarely at a crossroads, awaiting resolution of a national energy plan that protects the environment, spurs the economy and offers a final good riddance to dependence on foreign oil. Though the crossroads is abundant with challenge, the 43rd governor of Pennsylvania and first secretary of Homeland Security provides a seasoned view of what an all-in national energy plan can do to improve national security and advance America’s competiveness in the global economy.