Johns Hopkins SAIS to host the "Arctic Security Conference: Hot Spot or Cold Front?" with keynote address from the U.S. Arctic Research Commission Chair on Monday, April 3, 2017
MEDIA ADVISORY
“Arctic Security Conference: Hot Spot or Cold Front?” will be hosted by the Global Security and Conflict Management Club at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS)
The conference will include a keynote address by the chair of the U.S. Arctic Research Commission, and two panels to address a range of Arctic issues, including:
- How can nations pursue their self-interests while managing the immense geographical shifts occurring in the Arctic?
- How will Arctic policy change as new economic opportunities present themselves?
- As the region thaws, what conflict prevention and management infrastructure may be utilized or created to mitigate future conflicts?
- Where are the opportunities for creating climate resilient policy and infrastructure in the region?
AGENDA
Keynote Address, 10:30 -11:00 a.m.
Fran Ulmer
Chair of the U.S. Arctic Research Commission
Security Panel, 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Rear Admiral (retired) David Titley
Director of the Center for Solutions to Weather and Climate Risk at Penn State University
Aaretti Siitonen
First Secretary of the Embassy of Finland
Ambassador Ken Yalowitz
Director of the MA in Conflict Resolution Program at Georgetown University
Retired Judge Alice Hill
Research Fellow at the Hoover Institution
Energy and Environment Panel, 1:30 -3:00 p.m.
Cathleen Kelly
Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress
Inuuteq Holm Olsen
Head of Representation at Greenland Representation
Olafr Røsnes
Energy Counselor at the Embassy of Norway
Time and Date
10:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Monday, April 3, 2017
Location
Johns Hopkins SAIS
Kenney Herter Auditorium
1740 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20036
Register
The event is open to the public and media, with registration. Members of the working press can RSVP through the online registration form. Camera setup will only be permitted from 10:00 – 10:30 a.m.
Media Contacts
Stacy A. Anderson (for inquiries about logistics)
Communications Manager
Johns Hopkins SAIS
202.663.5620 office
202.853.7983 mobile
sande100@jhu.edu
Michael Mauer (for inquiries about the agenda)
Global Security and Conflict Management Club
907.350.3397 mobile
mmauer1@jhu.edu
About the Speakers
Fran Ulmer is chair of the U.S. Arctic Research Commission, where she has served since being appointed by President Barack Obama in March 2011. In June 2010, President Obama appointed her to the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling. From 2007 to 2011, Ulmer was chancellor of Alaska’s largest public university, the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA). Before that, she was a Distinguished Visiting Professor of Public Policy and Director of the Institute of Social and Economic Research at UAA. She is a member of the Global Board of the Nature Conservancy and on the Board of the National Parks Conservation Association.
Retired Judge Alice Hill is a research fellow at the Hoover Institution, where she focuses on building resilience to the destabilizing impacts of climate change. Prior to joining Hoover, Hill served in the Obama administration as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Resilience Policy for the National Security Council. While at the White House, she led the development of national policy regarding national security and climate change, incorporation of climate resilience considerations into international development, Federal efforts in the Arctic, creating the Arctic Executive Steering Committee, building national capabilities for long-term drought resilience, and establishment of national risk management standards for 3 of the most damaging natural hazards. Hill previously served as Senior Counselor to the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and as an ex officio member of the Federal Advisory Committee for the National Climate Assessment. In addition, she led the DHS Task Force responsible for creating the first ever climate adaptation plans for the Department.
Cathleen Kelly is a senior fellow with the Energy and Environment team at the Center for American Progress. She specializes in international and U.S. climate mitigation, preparedness, resilience, and sustainable development policy. Kelly served in the Obama administration at the White House Council on Environmental Quality, where she led a 20-plus-agency task force to develop a national climate resilience strategy. This strategy helped form the basis of the climate-preparedness pillar of President Barack Obama’s Climate Action Plan. Kelly also helped formulate the Obama administration’s positions on international sustainable development and climate policy issues.
Inuuteq Holm Olsen is head of representation at the Greenland Representation. He has spoken at numerous international conferences, universities and think tanks in Europe, the United States, and Canada on issues pertaining to Greenland’s self-determination process and role in international affairs, developments in the Arctic, effects of climate change and security issues. He has been involved in the negotiations and drafting of the chapter on foreign affairs in the Danish-Greenlandic Commission on Self-Government of 2008. He has also served as member of the Danish Defense Commission of 2008 representing Greenland.
Olafr Røsnes is the energy counselor at the Embassy of Norway. Røsnes has spent his career furthering the sustainable development of Norway’s natural resources. He specializes in infrastructure financing in the Arctic, Norway’s sovereign wealth fund, and strengthening the relationship between energy companies and local communities.
Aaretti Siitonen is first secretary at the Embassy of Finland. Siitonen has spent his career working in Finnish foreign policy circles. He specializes in global governance, development, and international organizations while working to further the relationship between Finland and the United States.
Rear Admiral (retired) David Titley is director of the Center for Solutions to Weather and Climate Risk at Penn State University. Dr. Titley is a nationally known expert in the field of climate, the Arctic, and national security, and Founding Director of the Center for Solutions to Weather and Climate Risk at Penn State University. He served as a naval officer for 32 years and rose to the rank of Rear Admiral. Titley’s career included duties as Oceanographer and Navigator of the Navy and Deputy Assistant Chief of Naval Operations for Information Dominance. While serving in the Pentagon, Titley initiated and led the US Navy’s Task Force on Climate Change. After retiring from the Navy, Titley served as the Deputy Undersecretary of Commerce for Operations, the Chief Operating Officer position at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Ambassador Ken Yalowitz is director of the Conflict Resolution Program at Georgetown University. Yalowitz served 36 years as a career diplomat with the U.S. Department of State and twice as a U.S. ambassador: to the Republic of Belarus from 1994 to 1997 and to Georgia from 1998 to 2001. He has won awards for conflict prevention and diplomatic performance. Over the course of his career, Yalowitz has developed a strong interest in the role of global health, anti-corruption, diplomacy, and civil society and the rule of law in conflict prevention. His focus is on multidisciplinary approaches linking theory and practice in conflict resolution in both domestic and international settings.
About Johns Hopkins SAIS
A division of Johns Hopkins University, the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) is a global institution that offers students an international perspective on today's critical issues. For more than 70 years, Johns Hopkins SAIS has produced great leaders, thinkers, and practitioners of international relations. Public leaders and private sector executives alike seek the counsel of the faculty, whose ideas and research inform and shape policy. Johns Hopkins SAIS offers a global perspective across three campus locations: Bologna, Italy; Nanjing, China; and Washington, D.C. The school’s interdisciplinary curriculum is strongly rooted in the study of international economics, international relations, and regional studies, preparing students to address multifaceted challenges in the world today.
For more information, visit sais-jhu.edu or @SAISHopkins
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