May 15-16, 2017, New York, New York
This program explored physical and financial resilience and infrastructure investment tools that communities need to ensure reliable and well-managed systems. Through the prism of what challenges communities will face in the future, experts from Main Street to Wall Street discussed the most dependable and current financing resources utilities need to help their communities flourish. Water sector leaders and experts from across the infrastructure financing world walked away from this program with innovative ideas on how best to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow.
View the Invest4Resilience Program | View the Invest4Resilence Presentations*
Keynote Speakers: Lykke Leonardsen, Program Director Green City Solutions – City of Copenhagen
Daniel A. Zarrilli, PE, Senior Director, Climate Policy and Programs, and Chief Resilience Officer, NYC Office of the Mayor
Watch Daniel Zarrilli’s thought-provoking keynote address? Follow the link below to view the full and unedited video on Facebook.
Panel 1: Physical Resilience – Managing Risk
Great Water Cities are more resilient because they manage risk. Planning for physical resilience encompasses investments in the management of risk to existing assets as well as envisioning their future investment needs. Infrastructure maintenance and upgrades require great resources, partnerships, and expertise – Great Water Cities invest in innovation, research, and entrepreneurship as tools for managing risk. Panelists will discuss how they have managed the risks to their physical assets and how they see and plan on addressing future risks.
Moderator: Robin A. Barnes, Executive Vice President & COO, Greater New Orleans, Inc.
Panelists: Anthony Maracic, PE, NYC DEP, Bureau of Wastewater Treatment, Director Asset Management and Capital Projects
Traci J. Minamide, P.E., B.C.E.E., Chief Operating Officer, City of Los Angeles, LA Sanitation.
Alex Kaplan, Senior Vice President, Global Partnerships, Senior Client Manager, Swiss Re.
Lynette Cardoch, Ph.D., National Director, Coastal Resiliency at HDR Inc.
Panel 2: Financial Resilience – From Wall Street to Main Streets
Great Water Cities invest in financial resilience because it is the basis of a sustainable future. Wall Street and Main Street, partnering together, increase resilience and strengthens investments that support growing communities. In the United States and around the world, communities’ leaders, investors and stakeholders have combined forces to build resilient financial mechanisms and products that innovate and grow, making the future brighter and more secure. Speakers in this panel will explore how solid financial planning and investment together with innovative thinking can help Great Water Cities achieve their financial goals.
Moderator: Sabrina M. Ty, President & CEO, New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation
Panelists: Dean Fuleihan, Director, Office of Management and Budget, Board Member, Municipal Water Finance Authority, New York City
Tim Williams, Managing Director, Public Power & Utilities, RBC Capital Markets
Neil J. Flanagan, Managing Director, Public Finance, Jefferies, LLC
Thomas Liu, Managing Director, Water and Wastewater/SRF Group, Bank of America Merrill Lynch
Panel 3: Workforce Resilience – Building the Team of the Future
Great Water Cities invest in workforce resilience by building the team of the future. Communities are investing in identifying what the team of the future will look like – comfortable with technology and innovation, adaptive, cross-trained, and engaged in their community. Resilient communities are investing in institutional elements that strengthen their workforce and plans for the team of the future, making sure they will address their needs. This panel will bring together leaders who are investing in a team of the future and workforce who will reflect their increasingly resilient investments.
Moderator: Michael J. Garland, P.E., Director of Environmental Services, Monroe County, NY
Panelists: Rudolph S. Chow, Director, Department of Public Works, City of Baltimore, MD
Harlan L. Kelly, Jr., General Manager, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission.
Diana Jones Ritter, Deputy Commissioner, Bureau of Organizational Development, NYC Department of Environmental Protection.
Case Study and Discussion: Insurance Defection
Should communities facing flood risk stop paying insurance and start resilient transformation?
This Case Study session will examine quantifiable examples of how flood risk-prone communities can approach physical resiliency at a neighborhood scale, through an evaluation of the current NFIP insurance program and other financing mechanisms. The examples will illustrate and compare the present value of various recovery-based financing against debt service on different phases of resilient capital projects. This session will be interactive to allow for a dialogue with the Presenters.
Presenter: Peter Glus, P.E., B.C.E.E., City Executive for NYC and Director of North American Big Urban Clients, Arcadis.
Case Study and Discussion: Financial Resilience
This Case Study session will focus on how to increase financial resilience by accounting for the full lifecycle of assets through alternative project delivery models. This highly-interactive session will examine specific projects and provide the opportunity to dialogue with the Presenters.
Presenters: Andrew D. Sawyers, Ph.D., Director, Office of Waste Water Management, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Michael Patella, Senior Policy Advisor, Water Infrastructure and Resiliency Finance Center, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
*These slides are copyright protected and any use of them must be approved by WEF and the creator of the slide being used.
