Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs
Climate Solutions Lab

Juliette Kayyem ─ Managing Disasters in an Age of Climate Change

Event poster for Juliette Kayyem, Managing Disasters in an Age of Climate Change

Monday, September 20, 2021

5:00pm – 6:30pm

True North Classroom, Stephen Robert Hall, 280 Brook Street

Watson Senior Fellow Dave Polatty will lead a discussion with Juliette Kayyem on the challenges of managing disasters in an age of climate change. They'll cover how better to prepare for the increasing frequency and intensity of hurricanes, cyclones, and typhoons; how disaster management and disaster risk reduction practices can evolve to face increased risks of both heatwave and drought, and precipitation and flooding; and what should be done from a leadership perspective both nationally and internationally to build support and consensus on better preparing for climate change impacts.

Professor Juliette Kayyem has spent the last two decades in both state and federal government managing complex policy initiatives and organizing government responses to major crises. Kayyem serves as the faculty chair of the Homeland Security and Security and Global Health Projects at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government where she teaches in homeland security and crisis management. Previously, she served as President Obama's Assistant Secretary at the Department of Homeland Security and before that as MA Governor Deval Patrick's Homeland Security Advisor managing complex policy initiatives and organizing government responses to major crises.

A CNN national security analyst, Pulitzer Prize finalist, and contributor for The Atlantic and WGBH, Kayyem also advises governors, mayors, and corporations on crisis management, especially during COVID-19 response. Additionally, she is the CEO of Grip Mobility, a technology company that provides security features for the transportation industry. Juliette is the author or editor of six books, including the best-selling book Security Mom; her next book "The Devil Never Sleeps: How to Prepare When Disasters Are No Longer Random and Rare" will be published in 2022 by Public Affairs. Juliette lives in Cambridge, MA, with her husband, Judge David Barron of the First Circuit Court of Appeals and has three children.