Keynote Speaker: Michael German, Fellow, Liberty & National Security
Former Special Agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigation

Michael German is a fellow with the Brennan Center for Justice’s Liberty & National Security Program, which seeks to ensure that the U.S. government respects human rights and fundamental freedoms in conducting the fight against terrorism. A former special agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, his work focuses on law enforcement and intelligence oversight and reform. Prior to joining the Brennan Center, German served as the policy counsel for national security and privacy for the American Civil Liberties Union’s Washington legislative office.

German is the author of Disrupt, Discredit, and Divide: How the New FBI Damages Democracy. The book chronicles how the FBI transformed itself after the 9/11 attacks from a law enforcement agency famous for prosecuting organized crime and corruption to arguably the most secretive domestic intelligence agency the country has ever seen. A 16-year veteran of federal law enforcement, German served as an FBI special agent, where he specialized in domestic terrorism and covert operations. He left the FBI in 2004 after reporting continuing deficiencies in FBI counterterrorism operations to Congress. German served as an adjunct professor of law enforcement and terrorism at National Defense University. He joined the ACLU’s Washington legislative office in 2006 and the Brennan Center in 2014. His first book, Thinking Like a Terrorist: Insights of a Former FBI Undercover Agent, was published in 2007.

Panel Discussion: Coastal Resilience, Restoration and Adaptation

Chip Kline, Chairman of Louisiana’s Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, and Troy Hartley, Director of Virginia Sea Grant, will join Business Facilities Editor in Chief Jack Rogers for an inside look at the latest state and regional strategic plans for coastal resilience. The panel will focus on how these climate-change mitigation strategies will impact economic development and site selection.

Chip Kline, Chairman of Louisiana’s Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority

Chip Kline has served as Chairman of the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) Board and the Director of Coastal Activities for the State of Louisiana since 2018. Kline oversees policy initiatives related to Louisiana’s coastal program and manages the day-to-day operations of the Governor’s Office of Coastal Activities. In this position, he is responsible for integrating the functions of all state agencies as they relate to coastal protection and has been integral in advancing the objectives of the State’s Coastal Master Plan in Louisiana and Washington, D.C.

Troy Hartley, Director, Virginia Sea Grant

Dr. Troy Hartley is director of Virginia Sea Grant (VASG) and a research professor of Marine Science & Policy at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science and the William & Mary Public Policy Program. Troy lives in Williamsburg, Virginia, and has over 20 years of experience in coastal, marine, and natural resource policy and management. He is a public policy scholar and his research considers collaborative governance networks and processes, stakeholder attitudes, perceptions and opinions, and change management in communities, particularly in coastal, marine and fisheries contexts.