As the global community continues to grapple with the coronavirus (COVID-19), the Atlantic Council is open for business. Our business, meetings, and events, however, are occurring virtually. For more information, please read an update from our President and CEO.
The COVID–19 pandemic continues to change our world. The current crisis presents new challenges not just of scope, but of speed. Each day matters, each minute. And who better than the global technology hubs to address the need for speed in defeating coronavirus and accelerating economic recovery? The tech industry not only understands rapid change and disruption, it thrives on it.
Technology communities are starting to step up. Apple and Google announced development of a new “contact tracing” service using cell phones; Facebook and Intel have created multi-million dollar funds to support COVID-related tech innovation, and Twitter’s Jack Dorsey has pledged $1 billion, almost a quarter of his personal wealth; Facebook, Google and YouTube are posting public health information related to “coronavirus” searches; Tesla is making ventilators. All encouraging, but not enough and both world leaders and the public must be ever mindful of unintended ripple effects tied to these initiatives. There are values baked-in to each of these initiatives, whether Tech Communities intend for them or not, and in our rush for solutions world leaders and the public must also be mindful of these values and what they mean both for the short-term response to and longer-term recovery from this pandemic.
On Wednesday, April 22 at 11 a.m. EDT (8 a.m. PST), the Atlantic Council in partnership with WEBIT Virtual will convene an expert panel to explore the Coronavirus Crisis, Tech Innovation, and associated Geopolitical Impact to include what tech innovators and world leaders can do re: the long-term global recovery. Join the Atlantic Council’s GeoTech Center for a one-hour candid, incisive and insightful discussion.
Speakers
Vint Cerf
Vice President and Chief Internet Evangelist, Google
Vinton G. Cerf is vice president and Chief Internet Evangelist for Google. He contributes to global policy development and continued spread of the Internet. Widely known as one of the “Fathers of the Internet,” Cerf is the co-designer of the TCP/IP protocols and the architecture of the Internet. He has served in executive positions at MCI, the Corporation for National Research Initiatives and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and on the faculty of Stanford University.
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Susan M. Gordon
Former Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence
The Honorable Susan (Sue) M. Gordon served as Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) until August 15, 2019. With nearly three decades of experience in the IC, Ms. Gordon has served in a variety of leadership roles spanning numerous intelligence organizations and disciplines. Most recently, Ms. Gordon served as the Deputy Director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) from 2015 to 2017. In this role, she helped the director lead the agency and manage the National System of Geospatial Intelligence. She drove NGA’s transformation to meet the challenges of a 21st century intelligence agency. She also championed agile governance, recruitment and retention of a diverse workforce, and expansion of geospatial intelligence services to the open marketplace. She is known for her commitment to diversity and inclusion and, to the women and men of the IC.
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Melissa Flagg
Senior Fellow, Center for Security and Emerging Technology
Dr. Melissa Flagg is a Senior Fellow at the Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET) at Georgetown University. Previously she served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research, responsible for policy and oversight Defense Department science and technology programs including basic research through advanced technology development and the DoD laboratory enterprise. She has worked at the State Department, the Office of Naval Research, the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, and the Army Research Laboratory. She also ran her own consulting business and was the Chief Technology Officer of a small consumer start-up. Melissa has served on numerous boards including the National Academy of Sciences Air Force Studies Board and the Department of Commerce Emerging Technology Research Advisory Committee; she is on the Board of Humanity 2050 and a full trustee with the DC Chapter of the Awesome Foundation. She holds a Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Chemistry and a B.S. in Pharmacy.
Terry Halvorsen
CIO / EVP, IT & Mobile Communication B2G Business, Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd
Mr. Terry Halvorsen started with Samsung electronics on April first of this 2017 as an Executive Vice President in the Business to Government group. He has since been appointed as the Chief Information Officer and Executive Vice President IT and Mobile Business to Business group Samsung Electronics. Prior to ioining Samsung Electronics, he served as the Department of Defense Chief Information Officer from 2014 to 2017. As DoD CIO, Mr. Halvorsen was the principal advisor to the Secretary of Defense for information Management / Information Technology and Information Assurance as well as non-intelligence space systems; critical satellite communications, navigation, and timing programs; spectrum; and telecommunications. He provided strategy, leadership, and guidance to create a unified information management and technology vision for the Department and to ensure the delivery of information technology-based capabilities required to support the broad set of Department missions.
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The GeoTech Center champions positive paths forward that societies can pursue to ensure new technologies and data empower people, prosperity, and peace.