NASEC 2010 Speakers
Keynote Address
The Honorable Shirley Ann Jackson, Ph.D., is President of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, in Troy, New York. She has held senior leadership positions in government, industry, research, and academe. A theoretical physicist, she was chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (1995-1999). Currently she serves on the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, appointed by President Obama in 2009. Her research and policy focus includes energy security and the national capacity for innovation, including addressing the "Quiet Crisis" of looming gaps in the science, technology, and engineering workforce and reduced support for basic research. She is a Vice Chairman of the Council on Competitiveness and co-chaired its Energy Security, Innovation and Sustainability initiative. She is past President (2004)and Chairman of the Board (2005) of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, a member of the National Academy of Engineering, the American Philosophical Society, and a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Physical Society, and AAAS. She serves on the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution, and on the Board of the Council on Foreign Relations. She is a member of the Board of Directors of global companies including IBM and FedEx. Calling her a "national treasure," the National Science Board selected her as its 2007 Vannevar Bush Award recipient for "a lifetime of achievements in scientific research, education, and senior statesman-like contributions to public policy." Dr. Jackson holds a S.B. in physics and a Ph.D. in theoretical elementary particle physics, both from M.I.T.
Featured Keynote Speaker
ADM Thad Allen, USCG (ret.) retired in June 2010 as the 23rd Commandant of the United States Coast Guard. On May 1, 2010, President Barack Obama selected Admiral Allen to serve as the National Incident Commander (NIC) for the unified response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico - a position he held concurrently while finishing his tenure as Commandant of the Coast Guard. As the NIC, Allen was charged with oversight of all response efforts to cease the flow of oil and mitigate the effects of the worst oil disaster in U.S. history. Working closely with the federal on-scene coordinator, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the U.S. Departments of Homeland Security, Defense, Interior, Commerce, and Health and Human Services, he sought to bring a global unity of effort to response endeavors. Allen was also in charge of coordinating with various state and local entities, as well as directing the efforts of BP, the responsible party in the spill. Prior to his assignment as Commandant, Allen served as Coast Guard Chief of Staff. During his tenure in that position, in 2005, he was designated Principal Federal Official for the U.S. government’s response and recovery operations in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita throughout the Gulf Coast region. His numerous awards and decorations include the Homeland Security Distinguished Service Medal with gold star, the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the Coast Guard Distinguished Service Medal with two gold stars, and the Legion of Merit.
Speaker - Forrestal Lecture
CAPT James Lovell, Jr., USN(ret.) is a former NASA astronaut and a retired captain in the United States Navy. He is most famous as the commander of the Apollo 13 mission, which suffered a critical failure en route to the Moon but was brought back safely to Earth by the efforts of the crew and mission control. Captain Lovell was also the command module pilot of Apollo 8, the first Apollo mission to enter lunar orbit. A recipient of many awards, he is notably a recipient of the Congressional Space Medal of Honor and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Harkening back to the incredible early days of space exploration and the Apollo program, Captain Lovell applies the “time when we did bold things in space to achieve leadership” to present goals and ambitions, proving that even during challenging times, innovation and new heights of leadership can be attained.
