| Home > Events > Public as an Asset, Not a Problem, 2003 > Panel Discussion Moderated Roundtable Discussion How to Lead a Community During Times of Trouble 
Moderator Biography Tara J. O'Toole, MD, MPH Tara J. O'Toole, MD, MPH, is currently the Director of the Johns Hopkins University Center for Civilian Biodefense Strategies and a member of the faculty of the School of Hygiene and Public Health. The Center, sponsored by the Hopkins Schools of Public Health and Medicine, is dedicated to informing policy decisions and promoting practices that would help prevent the use of biological weapons. She is a member of the Defense Science Board summer panel on biodefense technologies, the National Academy of Engineering Committee on Combating Terrorism; the National Academy of Sciences Working Group on Biological Weapons; and the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Steering Group on public health response to WMD events, among other advisory and consultative positions related to bioterrorism preparedness. From 1993 to 1997, Dr. O'Toole served as Assistant Secretary of Energy for Environment Safety and Health. As Assistant Secretary, Dr. O'Toole was the principal advisor to the Secretary of Energy on matters pertaining to protecting the environment and worker and public health from DOE operations. During her tenure, Dr. O'Toole conducted four major "Vulnerability Studies" that identified major safety and environmental hazards at the nation's nuclear weapons complex and focused resources on the most serious threats; established the Department's first nuclear safety rules and professional enforcement office; and led a multi-agency, multimillion dollar task force that oversaw the government's investigations into human radiation experiments conducted during the Cold War. From 1989-1993, Dr. O'Toole was a Senior Analyst at the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) where she directed and participated in studies of health impacts on workers and the public due to environmental pollution resulting from nuclear weapons production, among other projects. She has served as a consultant to industry and government in matters related to occupational and environmental health, worker participation in workplace safety protection, and organizational change. Dr. O'Toole is a Board-certified internist and occupational medicine physician with clinical experience in academic settings and community health centers. She received her Bachelors degree from Vassar College, her MD from the George Washington University and a Master of Public Health degree from Johns Hopkins University. She completed a residency in internal medicine at Yale, and a fellowship in occupational and environmental medicine at Johns Hopkins University. [return to top] Panelist Biographies Georges Benjamin, MD, FACP Georges C. Benjamin, MD, FACP, a nationally renowned leader in public health, assumed leadership of the American Public Health Association (APHA) in December 2002. APHA is the largest and oldest public health association in the world. He is a former secretary of health for Maryland, chief of emergency medicine at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center and commissioner for public health for the District of Columbia. Dr. Benjamin is a seasoned professional, with a proven record in administrative medicine, health policy development and clinical care at the local, state and national level. An expert in emergency medicine, Dr. Benjamin is an active participant in the national debate on how best to protect the American people against the risks of bioterrorism. A graduate of the Illinois Institute of Technology and the University of Illinois College of Medicine, Dr. Benjamin is board certified in Internal Medicine and is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians. He is a past president of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) and has served on several national advisory groups. His most recent appointment is to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service's Advisory Committee on Public Health Preparedness. [return to top] Edward Clarke In 1975, Mr. Clarke received his Bachelor of Science degree in Administration of Justice from American University, and began his law enforcement career with the Montgomery County Department of Police in 1976. During his distinguished career, Mr. Clarke served in a variety of key assignments and has been a recipient of numerous awards, commendations, and community recognitions. Mr. Clarke is the only officer to have ever received two Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce Police/ Fire Rescue Service Awards in one year. In May 2000, Mr. Clarke received special recognition as the National Law Enforcement Officer Memorial Fund Officer of the Month for his distinguished exemplary service and devotion to duty. During his law enforcement career, Mr. Clarke served as a patrol officer, special assignment team officer, youth division detective, and district detective, and was promoted to sergeant, lieutenant, captain, and then district commander. Captain Clarke's final assignment came on February 13, 2000, when he transferred to the Police Academy as Director. Mr. Clarke retired from the Montgomery County Department of Police on June 30, 2000, and accepted employment with Montgomery County Public Schools as the director of the Department of School Safety and Security. As the director of the Department of School and Safety and Security, Mr. Clarke is responsible for providing a safe and secure learning and working environment for 140,000 students and 20,000 employees. Under Mr. Clarke's leadership, MCPS has developed and implemented a comprehensive schoolwide emergency response plan to be implemented in the event of an emergency/crisis. Also, Mr. Clarke served as the MCPS liaison to the Montgomery County Department of Police and the Montgomery County Government during the recent sniper incident. Mr. Clarke holds a Masters of Public Administration from American University. He resides in Olney with his wife and two children. [return to top] Tom Day Thomas G. Day was named Vice President, Engineering in February 2001. In this role, Day, an 18-year postal veteran, reports to the Senior Vice President, Operations, and oversees all engineering and development efforts focused on internal processes, building and equipment maintenance programs and policies, as well as the Postal Service's award-winning environmental program. These include directing all engineering and acquisition support functions, including the design and development of new automation, material handling systems, and vehicles. The October 2001 Anthrax attack proved to be the greatest professional challenge of Day's career. He and engineering staff developed immediate, short-term and long-term technical responses to the Anthrax attack. The resulting Emergency Preparedness Plan, submitted to Congress in March 2002, has been praised for its comprehensive approach to the problem of bio-terrorism in the mail. For these efforts, Day was personally recognized with a Board of Governors award at the 2002 National Executive Conference. Day is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering. He is a third-generation postal employee, entering the Postal Service in 1984 as a management associate in the Northeast Region, following five years of service as an officer in the U.S. Army. He represented the Postal Service as a Sloan Fellow at Stanford University's Graduate School of Business, where he earned a Master of Science degree in Management. In addition to his degree in engineering, Day brings solid operational experience to this assignment. Over the course of his 18-year postal career, he served in a variety of assignments in delivery, distribution and logistics operations. He most recently served as district manager, Southeast New England District.
He and his wife Young have two sons and reside in Vienna, Virginia. [return to top] Margaret Hamburg, MD NTI is a charitable organization working to reduce the global threats from nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons. Dr. Hamburg is in charge of the biological program area. Before taking on her current position, Dr. Hamburg was the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, serving as principal policy advisor to the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Her responsibilities included policy formulation and analysis, the development and review of regulations and/or legislation, budget analysis, strategic planning, and the conduct and coordination of policy research and program evaluation. Prior to this, she served for almost six years as the Commissioner of Health for the City of New York. As chief health officer in the nation's largest city, Dr. Hamburg's many accomplishments included: the design and implementation of an internationally recognized tuberculosis control program that produced dramatic declines in tuberculosis cases; the development of initiatives that raised childhood immunization rates to record levels; and the creation of the first public health bioterrorism preparedness program in the nation. She completed her internship and residency in Internal Medicine at the New York Hospital/Cornell University Medical Center and is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine. She is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Medical School. She currently serves on the Harvard College Board of Overseers. She has been elected to membership in the Institute of Medicine, the New York Academy of Medicine, the Council on Foreign Relations, and is a Fellow of the American Association of the Advancement of Science and the American College of Physicians. [return to top] Ronald J. Norick BIRTH DATE AND PLACE:
August 5, 1941, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma FAMILY:
Married to Margaret A. (Kandy) Norick. Two adult children and two granddaughters. EDUCATION:
B.S. Degree in Management, Oklahoma City University PUBLIC OFFICE:
Three term Mayor of Oklahoma City, April, 1987 - April, 1998. BUSINESS:
Controlling Manager of Norick Investment Company, LLC. Norick Investment Company manages the financial holdings of 23 family members representing three generations of Norick's. Part owner of L & R Motorsports, a NASCAR racing team. Principal of McAuliffe Norick Advertising Agency. CIVIC ORGANIZATIONS:
Trustee or Board Member Position of Oklahoma City University, Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce, YMCA of Greater Oklahoma City, The State Fair of Oklahoma, Oklahoma City Community Foundation, Oklahoma City Riverfront Redevelopment Authority, Oklahoma Industries Authority, Oklahoma City National Memorial Foundation. BUSINESS ORGANIZATIONS: Board of Director Position of Sport Haley, Inc., Oklahoma Medical Holdings, Ltd., BancFirst [return to top] Sally Quinn Biography currently unavailable [return to top] Ivan C. A. Walks, MD Dr. Ivan C.A. Walks is the CEO of Ivan Walks and Associates a consulting firm that specializes in the policy and practice of Health, Human Services and Education with a commitment to proactive health security and a focus on the specific opportunities and challenges of urban communities. The Ivan Walks and Associates partner/client list ranges from the Fortune 500 to the local not-for profit. Dr. Walks is a featured presenter and keynote speaker at scientific meetings and Government, Education and Health Policy conferences throughout the country and abroad as well as a sought after commencement speaker. He is an Adjunct Associate Professor of Health Services Management and Leadership at The George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services and has been recognized as a "Public Health Hero" by the American Public Health Association. As the Chief Health Officer of the District of Columbia, Ivan Walks became a fixture in many households in the United States and throughout the world during the anthrax attack on Washington. As the operational commander of one of the largest public health interventions ever seen in the United States, Dr. Walks delivered "real time" updates on television and radio. Since the attack, Dr. Walks' expertise in preparing for and responding to a bioterror attack has been nationally recognized. He has become a national resource on bioterrorism and other public health threats at numerous conferences and official meetings on Homeland Security. Dr. Walks was confirmed as the Chief Health Officer of the District of Columbia and the Director of the Department of Health in 1999. He envisioned and has overseen a dramatic transformation of the Department of Health, one of the District's largest agencies with 1400 employees and a $1.3 billion budget. During his tenure, Dr. Walks re-engineered a failing public hospital into the DC Healthcare Alliance: a collaboration between private hospitals, community clinics and the government serving the uninsured and underinsured. In establishing health policy for the District of Columbia, Dr. Walks was instrumental in developing proactive community partnerships, initiatives in both men's and women's health and interventions that have resulted in unprecedented improvements in the District's health indicators. Under his leadership, infant mortality in Washington, DC was reduced by more than twenty percent to its lowest rate in the District's history. And through an unprecedented partnership with the District of Columbia Public Schools, ensured that for the first time, that all District public school children have up to date immunizations. As a neuropsychiatrist who has worked for many years on a national mental health agenda, Dr. Walks is one of America's leading mental health professionals. He received his medical degree from the University of California at Davis School of Medicine and is a graduate of the Neuropsychiatric Institute at the University of California at Los Angeles. He completed the UCLA two-year fellowship in Transcultural Psychiatry and the Senior Primary Care Policy Fellowship in the Public Health Service of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. He also completed the Leadership for State Health Officials training program at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Dr. Walks was a member of the SAMSHA federal workgroup that created the Consensus Cultural Competence Standards and Guidelines and the Cultural Competence Performance Measures. As a member of the American Psychiatric Association Board of Trustees, Dr. Walks was selected to represent American Psychiatry at the historic Delegation of International Psychiatric Leaders invited to an audience with Pope John Paul II. Dr. Walks served as a Los Angeles County Mental Health Commissioner and later as Medical Director for Managed Care for the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health, where he oversaw the successful transition of the Department to a managed care model of operation. During the Clinton Administration, Dr. Walks helped plan and participated as a facilitator for The White House Conference on Mental Health. Presently, Dr. Walks serves on the board of the National Mental Health Awareness Campaign. This campaign has partnered with MTV, the Ad Council, Channel One, the Motion Picture Association of America and others to fight the stigma against mental health. The White House, the United States Congress, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the California State Legislature, the California Department of Education and others have recognized Dr. Walks' contributions to public health policy. He is the recipient of the prestigious Leadership Washington Founder's Award for Leadership and Community Service. He has also been a contributor on numerous broadcasts, including the Today Show, Good Morning America, the CBS Morning Show, numerous CNN broadcasts, NPR's "All Things Considered" and "Talk of the Nation." During the anthrax crisis, ABC's "Nightline" featured Dr. Walks in a "day-in-the-life" segment. He appeared as a medical expert on the Oprah Winfrey Show where he addressed the public's concerns about the dangers of Anthrax. Dr. Walks has testified before several U.S. Senate and House Committees and been profiled in The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, Sister-to-Sister magazine and many other publications. He continues to be a frequent contributor to local and national news organizations. Dr. Walks is married to Dr. Dawn Walks and they have three children. [return to top] Peter Sandman, PhD Creator of the "Hazard + Outrage" formula for risk communication, Peter M. Sandman is the preeminent risk communication speaker and consultant in the United States today, and has also worked extensively in Europe, Australia, and elsewhere. His unique and effective approach to managing risk controversies has made him much in demand for other sorts of reputation management as well. Dr. Sandman has helped his clients through a wide range of public controversies that threatened corporate or government reputation - from oil spills to labormanagement battles; from E. coli contamination to the siting of hazardous waste facilities. He also works on the "other side" of risk issues, helping activists arouse concern about serious hazards, for example, and helping companies persuade employees to take safety rules seriously. Whatever their perspective, his clients and seminar participants learn the dynamics of "outrage": how to reduce it, how to prevent it, how to provoke it. A Rutgers University professor since 1977, Dr. Sandman founded the Environmental Communication Research Program (ECRP) at Rutgers in 1986, and was its Director until 1992. During that time, ECRP published over 80 articles and books on various aspects of risk communication. Now a full-time consultant, Dr. Sandman retains his academic affiliations as Professor of Human Ecology at Rutgers and as Professor of Environmental and Community Medicine at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. He received his Ph.D in Communication from Stanford University in 1971. "The normal state of humankind vis-à-vis risk is apathy," Dr. Sandman argues. "Whenever people are overly concerned about a risk, there has to be a reason - and by far the most common reason is outrage. I spend some of my time helping activists mobilize outrage about serious risks ... and the rest of it helping industry and government reduce the outrage about not-so-serious risks." Dr. Sandman¹s sense of humor, his sense of realism, and his ability to help people understand all sides of risk controversies make him much in demand for both jobs. [return to top] |
