Homeland Security Conference: Biographies of Participants Print Page Dr. Joseph Barbera, M.D. Associate Professor of Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Co-Director, Institute for Crisis, Disaster, and Risk Management (ICDRM) Associate Professor of Engineering Management Clinical Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine Department of Emergency Medicine of George Washington University Washington, D.C. Topic: Emergency Response & Consequence Management Joseph A. Barbera, M.D. is Co-Director of the George Washington University Institute for Crisis, Disaster, and Risk Management. Dr. Barbera is an Associate Professor of Engineering and Clinical Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at The George Washington University. He is residency trained in emergency medicine and family medicine and has been involved in disaster response and emergency management since 1986. He has participated in responses to hurricanes, the Oklahoma City Bombing, mine disasters, earthquakes (Baguio City Philippines, Northridge California, Tou-Liu Taiwan), and biological terrorism threats. He has been the lead medical consultant for the Federal Emergency Management Agency in the development of the National Urban Search & Rescue Response System, and has provided extensive consultation to the U.S. Public Health Service and the Veterans Administration in the development of the National Disaster Medical System. He is a medical officer for the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance International Search & Rescue Program, and has conducted national and international educational programs on medical response to collapsed-structure incidents. As chair of the emergency preparedness committee for the George Washington University Hospital, Dr. Barbera oversaw implementation of a mass patient decontamination and treatment facility and, at the request of the U.S. Public Health Service, is developing a national hospital preparedness model for chemical terrorism. As founder and chair of the District of Columbia Hospital Association (DCHA) Emergency Preparedness Committee, Dr. Barbera led the implementation of a comprehensive Hospital Mutual Aid System for Washington, D.C. The DCHA forum has been instrumental in regional emergency planning and in coordinating disaster response exercises, including the medical participation in the federal Domestic Preparedness Program's regional chemical and biological terrorism exercises. Dr. Barbera provides emergency management and medical preparedness consultation to the U.S. Capitol Office of the Attending Physician, including contingency planning for the Presidential Inauguration and State of the Union Addresses. He participated in medical contingency planning and established the on-site medical capability for the recent NATO 50th Anniversary Summit in Washington, D.C. Dr. Barbera has provided emergency management expertise to multiple other organizations, including the White House Medical Staff, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, and the Washington D.C. Veterans Administration Medical Center. He is a national and international lecturer on emergency management and medical contingency planning subjects. Mr. Robert M. Blitzer Associate Director Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) McLean, VA Topic: Domestic Intelligence Robert M. Blitzer is Associate Director of SAIC's Center for Counterterrorism Technology and Analysis (CCTA). Blitzer is responsible for helping lead SAIC's efforts to assist federal, state and local authorities respond to the increased threat of domestic and international terrorism. Blitzer came to SAIC from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) where he was chief of the Domestic Terrorism/Counterterrorism Planning Section (DTCPS), National Security Division (NSD), at FBI Headquarters. In this role, he focused on criminal and intelligence investigations aimed at countering domestic terrorism. A significant aspect of his duties involved domestic preparedness operations aimed at preventing and, when necessary, responding to the use of weapons of mass destruction against the nation's population and critical infrastructure. At the FBI, Blitzer was responsible for the domestic first responder training initiative and the foreign training initiative at the International Law Enforcement Academy at Budapest, Hungary. Additionally, he has expertise in counter proliferation and was directly involved in both the cyber and physical infrastructure protection. >From 1993 to 1996, Blitzer served as chief of the Radical Fundamentalist Unit, Counterterrorism and Middle East Section at FBI Headquarters. As the leader of this unit, he was responsible for overall national coordination, oversight and direction of all criminal and intelligence operations against the international terrorists who bombed the World Trade Center and who attempted to conduct a wave of bombings in and around New York City in early 1993. Blitzer was honored with the 1995 Attorney General's Distinguished Service Award and the Central Intelligence Agency's 1995 National Intelligence Medal of Achievement in connection with this assignment. Earlier in his career, Blitzer held various FBI and headquarters positions in which he investigated and managed issues related to violent crime, organized crime, property crime, white-collar crime, counterintelligence and counterterrorism. Mr. Joel Feldschuh Chairman & CEO Ganden Security Services Solutions (GS-3) Arlington, VA Topic: Air Transportation Security Considered an international expert in the field of aviation security, Brigadier General Joel Feldschuh serves concurrently as the CEO of Ganden Technologies and the CEO and Chairman of GS-3, a leading international security services solutions firm. With offices in Tel Aviv and Virginia, GS-3 provides risk assessment, crisis management, training, recovery planning, and advanced technology solutions to airports, airlines, corporations, energy plants and public facilities worldwide. Prior to forming GS-3, Mr. Feldschuh served as the President and CEO of El Al Airlines where he was instrumental in leveraging security as a method to increase customer service, satisfaction and profitability. In addition to the aviation industry, Mr. Feldschuh has lead several major corporations in the automotive, software and real estate industries. Before entering the private sector, Brigadier General Feldschuh served for twenty-six years in the Israeli Air Force holding key positions including Chief of the Intelligence Division, where he advised the U.S. and Israeli Air Forces during the 1991 Gulf War, and served as Chief of Personnel and Administration and as a fighter pilot. He holds a B.A. in Economics from Haifa University (Israel) and an MBA from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Mr. Feldschuh has been the recipient of numerous awards in the air travel and service sectors and is a widely sought after source on matters of national, corporate and aviation security. Dr. Paula D. Gordon Director of Special Projects, Research Program in Social and Organizational Learning George Washington University Washington, D.C. Topic: Infrastructure Protection Paula Gordon is a Fellow with the Research Program in Social and Organizational Learning at the George Washington University. She is also an independent consultant and contractor, a policy strategist, writer, speaker, and a researcher. She has taught as a Faculty Associate or Adjunct Professor at a wide range of universities, including Johns Hopkins U Copyright © Lexington Institute. All rights reserved. |