A meeting of LA County business leaders and disaster response & recovery professionals, highlighting how the private sector can be prepared for the potential disasters we face in Southern California. Meet key leaders at the local, state and federal level who focus on how to ensure full economic recovery for our community when a disaster strikes.

Developing Public-Private Partnerships for Small Business and Community Resilience in the Los Angeles Area

A Working Conference of the Coalition for Southern California Resilience

September 13, 2019

Location: Manhattan Public Library, 1320 Highland Ave, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266

8:30AM Registration

9:00AM Welcome/Opening

• Kevin McGowan, Director, Office of Emergency Management, LA County
• Jess Tirado, Senior Vice President, Wells Fargo
• Stephen Jordan, CEO, Institute for Sustainable Development

9:15AM Presentation: Lessons Learned About Small Business Resilience

• Ken Oplinger, Senior Advisor, Institute for Sustainable Development and former President/CEO, The Chamber of Commerce of the Santa Barbara Region

9:30AM Round Table Discussion: Take-Aways and Solutions for Promoting Small Business and Community Resilience in the Los Angeles Metro Area

• Michael Cummings, FEMA Region IX Private Sector Liaison
• Abby Browning, Chief, Private Sector and NGO Coordination - California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services
• Andrea Nunn, Senior Vice President, Corporate and Member Relations, Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce
• Ben Raju, Los Angeles District Deputy Director, Small Business Administration
• Lillian Conroe, Small Business Specialist, California Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development

10:45AM Break

11:00AM Short Presentations

• “When the Unthinkable Becomes Thinkable; Lessons Learned and Affirmed” experiences in community healing from the October 2017 Las Vegas incident Clark Dumont, former Chief Communications Officer, MGM International
• Building Up a Culture of Resilience Monika Stoeffl, Executive Director, California Resiliency Alliance
• Business Preparedness Ideas and Tools Lawren Markle, Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation
• A Checklist of Legal Issues to Take into Consideration for Small Business Resilience Maureen Gorsen, Alston & Bird
• Anticipating Earthquakes and Other Future Risks Katherine Kendrick, US Geological Survey*

12:15PM Networking Lunch

• Featured Speakers: Gary Gero, Chief Sustainability Officer, Los Angeles County

12:45PM Facilitated Group Discussions

How Do We Work Together to Manage Future Risks? Identifying key issues and solutions for promoting public-private partnerships for small business and community resilience in southern California

1:45PM Report out and Next Steps

2:15PM Conclusion

*Invited