Jamie Gorelick, Partner, WilmerHale
Fireworks in DC

I N D E P E N D E N C E   D A Y   2 0 1 0 
One of the most enduring myths about Independence Day is that Congress signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.  The myth had become so firmly established that, decades after the event and nearing the end of their lives, even the elderly Thomas Jefferson and John Adams had come to believe that they and the other delegates had signed the Declaration on the fourth.  Most delegates actually signed the Declaration on August 2, 1776.  In a remarkable series of coincidences, both John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, two founding fathers of the United States and the only two men who signed the Declaration of Independence to become president, died on the same day: July 4, 1826, which was the United States' 50th anniversary.
 
Now that we've cleared THAT up...(thanks Wikipedia!).. on to the news!
 
N E W S
Upcoming events.... mark your calendars!
JULY 16 Dr. Tara O'Toole, Undersecretary of the Science & Technology Directorate, U.S. Department of Homeland Security
AUGUST 21 WHS family BBQ (See below for latest special events!)
SEPTEMBER 10  Millicent West, Director, District of Columbia Department of Homeland Security & Emergency Management 
SEPTEMBER 14  Quarterly Happy Hour at McCormick & Schmick's in Crystal City
 
WHS has launched an EVENTS committee!
Chaired by Mitzi Mead of Accela Consulting, the group currently consists of Amy Scheuer of Booz Allen Hamilton, Christina Hamann of Ingenium and Lynda Burroughs of Mantech.  These ladies have engaged to help add value to our events and enrich your experience.  If you want to help WHS and love to plan a good party....let us know!  We need all hands on deck!
 

S P O N S O R S H I P
Welcome & Thank you to CACI for becoming WHS' first Homeland Security Silver Sponsor! 
 
Our gracious sponsors are the source and foundation for our free membership and free events.  If you can pursuade your company to support an event you help propel the entire organization forward!  Give us a call to learn more about sponsorship!
 
J O B S  &  O T H E R  M E M B E R  N E W S 
PLEASE...let us know where you are and where you're going!  Email your news to [email protected] 
 
 
Kristina Tanasichuk
President & Founder
 
P.S. WHS will not use your email or facebook membership for marketing outside events.  We only mail our newsletter and invitations and reminders for our activities.  Members are welcome to include their events in our newsletter, just email them to us at [email protected]
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Dr. Tara O'Toole, Undersecretary S&T, U.S. DHS July 16
RSVP
Roxana Bacon, Chief Counsel, USCIS 
Join us for lunch with
Dr. Tara O'Toole
Undersecretary
Science & Technology Directorate
U.S. Department of Homeland Security 
WHEN:  July 16; 11:00 - 12:30  Mark your calendar!
WHERE:  Roosevelt Conference Room
1920 N Street NW
Washington, DC  20036
 LIMITED SPACE AVAILABLE RSVP ASAP
 
 
Dr. O'Toole represents the best of the best -- join us to hear about the S&T Directorate, its future direction and priorities at this important discussion in July.
 
BACKGROUND
Dr. O'Toole was confirmed on November 4, 2009 as the Under Secretary for Science and Technology at the Department of Homeland Security.
From 2003 to Nov 2009, Dr. O'Toole was the CEO and Director of the Center for Biosecurity at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), and Professor of Medicine and of Public Health at the University of Pittsburgh. The Center for Biosecurity of UPMC is an independent organization dedicated to improving the country's resilience to major biological threats.
 
Dr. O'Toole is internationally known for her work on biosecurity and on health and safety issues related to the US nuclear weapons complex. Her publications in the biodefense field include articles on the response to anthrax, smallpox, and plague biological attacks; containment of contagious disease epidemics; biodefense research and development strategies; and hospital preparedness. She is Coeditor-in-Chief of the journal Biosecurity and Bioterrorism: Biodefense Strategy, Practice, and Science. She was a principal author and producer of Dark Winter, an influential exercise conducted in June 2001 to alert national leaders to the dangers of bioterrorist attacks. She was also a principal writer and producer of Atlantic Storm, an international ministerial-level biosecurity exercise held in January 2005. Prior to founding the UPMC Center in 2003, Dr. O'Toole was one of the original members of the Johns Hopkins Center for Civilian Biodefense Strategies and served as its Director from 2001 to 2003.  Read more here.
 

Special thanks to our sponsors & supporters:
 
Silver Sponsor of WHS:
 
Thank you to CACI for their sponsorship of WHS 
Thanks Nancy!
 
Nancy Peters, Vice President, CACI
 
 
 
  
 Luncheon Supporters
 
Ellen Howe, Director, L-3 Security & Detection Systems
WHS Summer BBQ  August 21
 
 
1st Annual WHS Family BBQ!!
Come one, Come all!
Join WHS for Our BBQ Extravaganza
August 21 with your family and friends for a pig-roast extravaganza with live music, games and a massive capture the flag adventure for the kids!  Volunteers are needed to help plan and organize so if you're in the mood to plan some summer fun, let us know!
RSVP to help   RSVP to attend  Know a great Mixologist?  A Great Band?  Another fun activity for the BBQ?  Do you have a cool technology or some "chachki" for our goody bags?  Pitch in and let us know!
 
WHEN:  August 21, 2010; 1:00pm - 7:00pm
WHERE:  10614 Samaga Drive, Oakton, VA 22124
 
CONFIRMED!!!
 
BBQ PHD Don ScottBBQ PHD Don Scott of the USCG!!
Don joins us after serving 20 years active duty in the CG as a Boatswains Mate.  On the side, he had one hot hobby!  He ran "Smoke and Spice BBQ" in Deale, Maryland after learning the smokin trade from BBQ master in Texas.
We're honored to have Don dress our pig for the dance and cook up some savory, spicy, smoky fabulousness for our annual BBQ!  Don Served at Coast Guard Cutter Drummond, Port Canaveral FL.; CGC Manitou, Miami Beach, FL.; CG Station Curtis Bay, MD; Coast Guard Recruiting Office Newark, NJ; Coast Guard Recruiting Command Arlington, VA and we are honored to have him!
 
FOR THE ADULTS:
 
Live Band * Pig Roast * Badminton * Summer Libations
2:00 - 2:30pm -- Tips for Great Summer BBQ from Master Chef Don Scott
Get our your smoke and BBQ grill in time for some sweet and spicy advice from Scott on how to make the best ribs, pork and beef north of Texas!
2:45 - 3:15pm -- Custom Gun Demo from Delta Firearms
Learn how to Duracoat your firearm -- the crew from Delta Firearms will show us how to make a hot pink weapon but there are many other colors to choose from!  Learn some firearm facts and some options on how to build and customize your weapon.
3:30 - 4:00pm -- Summer Drinks with the Marvelous Mixologist!
Sophisticated jello shots, delicious summer concoctions, learn a few new tricks for your next dinner party or just dinner! 
 
FOR THE KIDS:
Ages 0-4:  Kiddie pool, two playgrounds
Ages 5+:  Squirt gun Capture the Flag
 
SPONSORSHIPS AVAILABLE!
Beach tote bag or Beach towel
:  your logo and recognition all year as a sponsor and supporter of WHS
Activity sponsor:  your name in lights as we entertain our guests
BBQ sponsor:  don't want to pick one thing but want to support the cause?  Join us as a BBQ sponsor!
CHACHKI:  have some fun useful chachkis to include in our gift bag?  Let us include you to make our BBQ the best, most memorable event for the homeland security community.
 Millicent  West, DC OHS/EMA   September 10 
RSVP
Millicent West
SEPTEMBER is National Preparedness Month!
Join us for lunch with
Millicent West
Director, District of Columbia Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Management
WHEN:  September 10, 2010;  11:30am - 1:00pm
WHERE:  TBA
Can you sponsor or host?  Let us know.
Join us early for National Preparedness Month with a conversation with Millicent West about the Preparednes efforts in the District of Columbia.  Responsible for one of the highest risk targets in the country, Ms. West has initiatied and oversees many innovative programs designed to make the city more prepared long-term. 
 
Ms. West worked closely with the Emergency Management Agency to provide critical volunteer and shelter management support as the District of Columbia "stood up" a shelter for evacuees in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.  Additionally, in response to the need for a comprehensive, DC-centric emergency preparedness message and curriculum for the District's children and youth, the emergency preparedness superhero "Commander Ready", developed under her leadership as a complement to the American Red Cross's "Masters of Disaster" and the Department of Homeland Security's "Ready Kids".  That curriculum, rolled out in the 2007/2008 school year, and continues even now to be introduced to students in elementary schools throughout the District.
 

 
Quarterly Happy Hour -- SEPTEMBER 14
RSVP
Jamie Gorelick, Partner, WilmerHaleSeptember Happy Hour McCormick & Schmick
September 14, 2010
5:00pm - 7:00pm
McCormick & Schmick Crystal City 
2010 Crystal Drive
Arlington, VA 22202 
Book of the Month:  The Atlantic Magazine on Terrorism

The Atlantic

Known as a hard-hitting, perceptive assessment of all types of issues, this month's book of the month is not a book...it's a series of articles in The Atlantic magazine.  Next month, we'll feature Bernard Lewis' What Went Wrong but as an introduction to Lewis and some other thinkers focused on terrorism, please read through this important issue on the Hard Questions facing the nation.
CONTENTS:  The Hard Questions (Click on The Atlantic to read)
The first war of the twenty-first century demands unsentimental thinking about many subjects. Here are five: 

A New Grand Strategy by Benjamin Schwarz and Christopher Layne
What Went Wrong? by Bernard Lewis
The Gospel According to Osama bin Laden by Reuel Marc Gerecht
A Nasty Business by Bruce Hoffman
The Futility of "Homeland Defense" by David Carr
WHS University:  Paper of the Month
 
GAO on SBIWe all want to be better and smarter at our jobs and in our understanding of terrorism, its origins and the latest information on how we may stop it.  WHS will offer papers and documents from think tanks, universities, research facilities and other organizations to help you on your journey to be the best.  The feature this month is:
News
DCAF logo 
WHS Included in DCAF Study of Female Associations
Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of the Armed Forces (DCAF) to map female staff associations in the security sector (military, police, corrections, judiciary, legal, national security, private security etc.) globally, and then to analyze a select group of those associations as agents of change.  Findings are intended to be a resource for persons and groups interested in obtaining a clearer picture of existing female security sector staff associations, establishing female staff associations, and/or looking for promising practices in meeting needs of female staff and supporting and enhancing the role of women in the security sector.
 
WHS was interviewed and selected as one of the organizations to be included in this study.  The Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF) is one of the world's leading institutions in the areas of security sector reform (SSR) and security sector governance (SSG).  DCAF provides in-country advisory support and practical assistance programmes7, develops and promotes appropriate democratic norms at the international and national levels, advocates good practices and conducts policy-related research to make recommendations to ensure effective democratic governance of the security sector.  To learn more about the DCAF, click on their logo. 
 
  Women in Homeland Security made front page news on GSN's JUNE print magazine.  Click to your left to read the article!
 
Featured Members include:  Nancy Peters, CACI; Kimberly Purlia, ASRC Management Services; Christina Hamann, Ingenium; Lynn Ann Casey, arcAspicio; Kim Nguyen, State Dept.; Sarah Foster, USCG; Doris Reeve, NCI; Alissa Knight, WHS' Chair of Asymmetrical Warfare; and sponsors ASRC Management Services, arcAspicio, Hassett & Willis and DSCI, Inc.
 
 
 
JOB Seeker of the Month:  Regan Miller  An Opportunity to Put Your Mentoring in Action!
 Regan Miller
Hello WHS!
 
I earned my associates in Homeland Security and Disaster Preparedness from Onondaga Community College. The program was amazing and after doing a table top drill I knew this was the field I wanted to be my career. I am currently at SUNY Oneonta pursuing my bachelors in Criminal Justice. My teachers have always told me to get my foot into every door and opportunity I can and that is exactly what I have been doing. My first internship was at the Herkimer County 911 Center working on a mitigation plan for Herkimer County with a teacher from Onondaga Community College. I also worked at the American Red Cross doing odd jobs around the office and learning about their disaster response. I am currently interning at the NYS Preparedness Training Center working on their needs assessment and helping to clean up their data base. I would really love to be doing something along the lines of pre-planning for natural disasters. I have also been interested in jobs that involve being a research analyst assistant. Anything along the emergency management line is something I have always been interested in but I am completely open to any job opportunity.I am also certified in ICS 100, 200, 300, 400, 700, and 800. Working for Homeland Security has been a dream of mine for almost four years now and any information or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.   To become a mentor or simply do an informational interview with Regan please contact us.
NEWS about the Honor Your RSVP Club
 
 
Honor Your RSVP Club
 
Thank you to all of you who have joined and  HONOR your RSVP!  Because of all of you WHS does not have to charge for its events.  Keep your RSVP's and your "presence" coming!
 
Honor your RSVP ClubUnfortunately we have a number of folks who RSVP and do NOT honor their commitment.  Because of that we will no longer accept facebook RSVPs!  We hate to have to implement this but there are simply too many no shows from those who RSVP using facebook.  Please contact [email protected] to RSVP for any event.  Thanks!
 
Make it a Great Week!   
Flash back to School House Rock -- click on the photo for their version of the story of our nation's Declaration of Independence!   
School house rock 
 

 

Kristina Tanasichuk

Founder & President, WHS
[email protected]