Protecting the World’s Water Supply: Climate Change, Sustainability, and Water

World Trade Center Institute (WTCI) presents:

"Protecting the World’s Water Supply – Part 3: Climate Change, Sustainability, and Water"

According to the United Nations, by 2050 1.6 billion people will be at risk of floods and 3.2 billion people are projected to live in severely water scarce areas. This poses a major threat for individuals, businesses, industries, economies, and entire countries. At this session, we will hear from experts from a leading environmental firm, global company, and a Maryland government agency, who are working to solve and mitigate water challenges and related effects of climate change. Our panel will discuss innovations in flood resiliency and water quality improvement in Maryland and beyond.

Featuring:

Mark Bryer
Chesapeake Bay Program Director
The Nature Conservancy

As director of TNC’s Chesapeake Bay program, Mark coordinates our efforts across six states and Washington, D.C., focusing on both policy and conservation projects to improve water quality, support abundant fisheries and enhance and restore critical habitats in North America’s largest estuary.

Through Mark’s leadership, the Bay program has contributed to the completion of the largest oyster restoration project in the world at Harris Creek, established alliances with agribusinesses to improve water quality and crop production, and worked to create a novel water management policy for the Susquehanna, the largest river on the east coast of the United States.

Toni McCrory
Senior Director of U.S. Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) Compliance
Walmart

Toni McCrory is a Senior Director with Walmart’s U.S. Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) Compliance organization, focusing on environmental compliance. She oversees all water and automotive compliance programs for over 5200 U.S. facilities. In this role, Toni has developed, implemented and refined national programs by generating innovative compliance solutions for performance-based contract management, predictive analytics for asset management, and digital transformation. Additionally, she is currently leading the Walmart Global Water Center of Excellence, focused on building relationships across markets to raise awareness of best practices and strengthen Walmart’s environmental compliance programs globally. Prior to her role with EH&S Compliance, Toni led Walmart’s global sustainability efforts focused on sustainable fisheries and sustainable chemistry.

Toni is a native of Northwest Arkansas where she earned a B.S. in Biological and Agricultural Engineering at the University of Arkansas and a Masters of Business Administration at John Brown University. In 2017, she received the College of Engineering Early Career Alumni Award from the University of Arkansas. She resides in Fayetteville with her firefighting husband and two young daughters.

JaLeesa Tate
State Hazard Mitigation Officer
MEMA

JaLeesa Tate is the State Hazard Mitigation Officer (SHMO) and Branch Manager for the Maryland Emergency Management Agency (MEMA). In this role, her primary focus is to identify and implement risk reduction strategies and policies. JaLeesa accomplishes this through fostering relationships with stakeholders and administering FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Assistance grant programs for the state.

Prior to joining MEMA, JaLeesa served as the Coastal Resources Planner for Baltimore City and Environmental Planner for Wicomico County – City of Salisbury. In these roles, she focused on water quality improvement and environmental land use at the local level in urban and rural communities.

She currently serves as Co-Chair of the Mitigation Committee for the Maryland Association of Floodplain and Stormwater Managers, Chair of the SHMO Subcommittee for the National Emergency Management Association, and is a member of FEMA’s External Stakeholders Working Group. JaLeesa studied Geography and Geosciences and is a Certified Floodplain Manager by the Association of State Floodplain Managers.

Bruce McIndoe
President
McIndoe Risk Advisory

Bruce is a recognized leader, author, and speaker in the areas of risk management, technology, and intelligence. As a founder of WorldAware (recently acquired by GardaWorld), a leading provider of global intelligence, he has been the industry driver in creating and putting into practice the concept of Integrated Risk Management protecting people, sites, supply chain and information assets for global organizations.

Prior to founding WorldAware in 1999, Bruce worked with a number of government agencies including NSA/CIA, DoD and NASA. During this time, he developed systems for the intelligence community and space exploration. He has also served as a lead architect on intelligence programs for the US government.

Bruce received a BS in Physics from Allegheny College, and holds a MS in Computer Science from Johns Hopkins University. He is an adjunct professor at University of Maryland University College (UMUC) where he teaches in the Criminal Justice division covering intelligence, security management and cyber security courses.

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Questions?

Contact the World Trade Center Institute, Baltimore at 410-576-0022