Structurally Sound - Institute for Homeland Security

The phrase "insider threat" calls to mind high-profile conflicts, like corporate sabotage or international espionage. Those definitely count - but garden variety accidents do, too. This week, we've got part two of our conversation with Dave Pezzutti, a senior official for insider threats and counterintelligence at Lockheed Martin.

International supply chains are critical to any business - and disruptions vary from subtle to very high profile. This week, we've got part one of our chat with Dave Pezzutti, a senior official for insider threats and counterintelligence at Lockheed Martin, about evolving supply chain risks, artificial intelligence and resiliency.

Everyone in healthcare knows training is important. How do you quantify or measure that training, though - and make it engaging? This week, we chat about pernicious bugs and mass casualty incident training exercises with Kara Marshall, the program manager for institutional preparedness at UTMB's Special Pathogens Excellence in Clinical Treatment, Readiness & Education Program (SPECTRE).

Sooner or later, a disaster will strike your business. Business continuity plans are common but they're uniquely critical in healthcare, where natural crises or cyberattacks could complicate or compromise patient care. This week, we explore those challenges with Adam Lee, the director of emergency management and organizational resilience for the Memorial Hermann Health System, and Lisa Spivey, senior project manager for disaster preparedness and business continuity at the Harris Health system.

What does job training look like in the age of artificial intelligence? What about education? This week, we replay a panel discussion from our recent "AI at the Crossroads: Impacts at the Nexus of Critical Infrastructure, Security & the Future of Work," a webinar exploring AI as emerging critical infrastructure. This panel, on workforce training and development, offered an engaging conversation about necessary traditional skillsets needed to balance out and manage generative AI - even for entry level jobs.

You'll hear from Dr. Shengjie "Tony" Yao, an assistant professor of media and communication at Sam Houston State; Carrie Welch, the launch director for the Center for the Creator Economy at Syracuse University; Bryce Allen, the principal consultant for Agravic Solutions; Jason Nichols, the CEO of HydrosphereIQ Consulting; and Dr. Ryan Randa, a professor of Criminal Justice and Criminology and deputy director of research at the Institute for Homeland Security.

School is finally back in session - from college all the way to preschool - and my daughter's long-awaited new favorite movie is in theaters. "Paw Patrol 3: The Dino Movie" presents an offbeat opportunity to talk about kid-friendly portrayals of critical infrastructure protection and careers, and how grown-up portrayals of the same jobs on "NCIS" and "CSI" shape expectations and perceptions among adults. This week, we're joined by one of our new IHS Project Managers, Erik Peterson, along with media and communication faculty Dr. Judy Clemens-Smuckers and Dr. Brandon West.

Every actor is within six degrees of separation from Kevin Bacon. We can measure and chart that professional network - and we can do it with Mexican drug cartels and critical infrastructure assets. This week, we chat with Dr. Nathan Jones, professor and chair of the Security Studies department at Sam, and Braell Dotson, an enterprising recent graduate who coded a plugin to open-source software used by law enforcement to measure and track criminal networks.

The trucking industry faces myriad modern challenges. Some are conventional, but plenty of others are emerging and evolving quickly. This week, we're podcasting a keynote address from our transportation symposium earlier this summer. John Contestabile, the director of public safety solutions at Skyline Technology Solutions, explores that changing threat landscape and how it affects risk management and prudent planning.

Trucking and transportation are all about logistics - and risk management. How can you run lean while keeping your eyes on the road? This week, we're revisiting a panel from our livestreamed transportation symposium in May with John Suarez from the Institute for Homeland Security and Angelica Garcia and Daniel Sandoval from Cocoon Consulting and Logistics Services.

In a crisis, knowing who to call is critical - and when to call for backup. This week, we unpack a crisis management and tabletop hurricane exercise down in the Valley with Catherine Martin-Trujillo, the emergency preparedness coordinator for the Brownsville Public Utilities Board, and explore big takeaways for emergency exercises and preparation.