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New York Stock Exchange
New York, New York
Nearly 200 leading policy makers, insurance industry experts, scientists, environmentalists, and members of the media met at the New York Stock Exchange to discuss lessons learned from Superstorm Sandy.
Our New York Recovery & Resilience Leadership Forum covered a number of important issues raised by Superstorm Sandy, including efforts to promote resilience, the benefits of scientifically sound construction and mitigation, the positive impact of endemic coastal ecosystems and ‘natural buffers’, and the role of the private sector in fostering adaptation and sound rebuilding.
Please note: Information as presented below reflects the date of the specific Forum. Subsequent to this, information may have changed.
Former Premier of Bermuda
The Hon. Michael Henry Dunkley, JP, MP, was appointed Premier of Bermuda on May 20, 2014.
Since 1997 he has held several Shadow Ministerial Portfolios in his Parliamentary career as both an MP and a Senator.
Following the December 2012 General Election, he was appointed Deputy Premier and Minister of Public Safety, later named the Ministry of National Security – a portfolio he held until its reassignment on May 13, 2016.
Widely recognized throughout Bermuda as a very successful and astute businessman, Premier Dunkley’s been the Vice President and Chief Executive Officer of Dunkley’s Dairy, a milk processing plant and one of the largest food importers in Bermuda.
He is also President of Dunkley’s Management Holdings Ltd, Vice President of Island Properties Ltd, and former President of the Mid Ocean Club – one of Bermuda’s signature golf courses.
He attended Saltus Grammar School, Trinity College School, and the University of Richmond where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Scholar Athlete Award.
An active sportsman, Premier Dunkley is married to Pamela and they have two daughters.
President and CEO, National Wildlife Federation
Collin O’Mara is the President and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation, America’s largest wildlife conservation organization. Under O’Mara’s leadership, National Wildlife Federation is protecting wildlife ranging from bison to monarch butterflies, ensuring healthy waters and sustainable habitats, advancing environmental education, and connecting people with the great outdoors.
Prior to National Wildlife Federation, O’Mara led Delaware’s Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, where he led numerous regional clean air, clean water, youth recreation, and habitat restoration efforts, and he was a primary architect of the City of San Jose’s Green Vision. O’Mara lives in Delaware and spends every possible moment in nature with his wife Krish and daughter Riley.
Director, Missouri Department of Insurance, Financial Institutions and Professional Registration
Director John M. Huff was appointed director of the Missouri Department of Insurance, Financial Institutions and Professional Registration by Gov. Jay Nixon on Feb. 6, 2009. An attorney, he leads the department that protects consumers through the regulation of professionals and businesses that impact Missourians’ lives daily.
Director Huff was elected by his peers to serve as the 2016 president of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, the national insurance standard-setting organization for the U.S.
In September 2010, he was appointed to the U.S. Financial Stability Oversight Council by the NAIC. Director Huff served two terms on the council and was the initial state insurance regulator appointed. The council was created by the 2010 Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.
Before entering public service, he spent 11 years as an executive with leading insurers and reinsurers, including Swiss Re and GE Insurance Solutions. Director Huff earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Southeast Missouri State University. He earned an MBA at Saint Louis University, and his juris doctor degree from the Washington University School of Law in St. Louis.
President & Chief Executive Officer, Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS)
Julie Rochman joined IBHS in late 2007, with nearly 30 years of public affairs and advocacy experience representing major corporations, research and safety organizations, and issue-based coalitions. She is often quoted by both traditional and digital media outlets on a wide variety of topics.
Under Julie’s leadership, IBHS has become a world-class research and communications organization; significant accomplishments include creation of the unique, $40 million IBHS Research Center in South Carolina.
Prior to IBHS, Julie held senior positions at a leading Washington, D.C.-based strategic communication and advocacy firm; at the American Insurance Association; and at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. She serves on several advisory councils and the National Fire Protection Association Board of Directors – and previously served on Boards for the International Hurricane Research Center, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Highway Loss Data Institute, and Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety.
A native of Omaha, Julie has a BA in International Relations from Tulane University, and a MA in American Government from the University of Virginia. She resides in Tampa.
Senior Policy Advisor
Katherine is a Senior Policy Advisor focused on climate change and insurance at the NYC Mayor¹s Office of Recovery and Resiliency. She previously worked on the Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force under Secretary for Housing and Urban Development, Shaun Donovan, where she also worked on insurance policy. Prior to the Task Force, she worked at the Boston Consulting Group and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. She has an MALD (Masters of Law and Diplomacy) from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, an MBA from Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business and a BA from Stanford.
Senior Advisor, Resilience in the White House Office of Management and Budget
Samantha A. Medlock is Senior Advisor for Resilience in the White House Office of Management and Budget, coordinating across the Executive Office of the President and the administration to reduce the risks and costs of disasters with an emphasis on strengthening standards, leveraging private capital, and prioritizing the needs of vulnerable populations. Ms. Medlock staffed the President’s State, Local, and Tribal Leaders Task Force and launched the Insurance Partnership called for in the President’s Climate Action Plan to reduce economic risk and drive resilience-based codes and standards. She also led the Council on Environmental Quality’s work on Executive Order 13690 and the Federal Flood Risk Management Standard, the first update to US flood policy in nearly 40 years.
Ms. Medlock has more than twenty years of experience in land use and disaster law, and has testified in Congress on flood risk, levee safety, and resilient recovery from disasters. She has provided expert testimony and authored amicus briefs on private property rights and the National Flood Insurance Program. Ms. Medlock is a recipient of the Army Commander’s Award for Public Service in recognition of her service on the National Committee on Levee Safety created by Congress after Hurricane Katrina. In addition to supporting U.S. domestic resilience policy and practice, Ms. Medlock has participated in numerous bi- and multilateral technical exchanges, including with the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment, the UK Environment Agency, and the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction.
Ms. Medlock is a Juris Doctor graduate with honors of Vermont Law School and earned a Bachelor of Science summa cum laude from Texas Woman’s University.
Attendees of the New York Recovery & Resilience Leadership Forum
AeroEdge USA
AIG
Allied World Assurance Company
Alpha Solar Group
Aon
Aon Benfield
Associated Industries of Florida
Association of Bermuda Insurers & Reinsurers (ABIR)
Battery Park City Authority
Bermuda Business Development Agency
Bermuda Tourism Authority
BMS
Cabrillo Coastal
Capitol Counsel
Ceres
Chubb Corporation
Clermont Specialty Managers
Climate Central
Columbia University
Debevoise & Plimpton LLP
Deloitte Services LP
Dept. of Housing and Urban Development
DFS
DLA Piper LLP
Domini Social Investments LLC
Doris Duke Charitable Foundation
Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP
Encourage Capital
Environmental Defense Fund
Evercore Partners Inc.
Federal Reserve Bank of New York
FEMA
General Re Corporation
Georgetown Climate Center
Government of Bermuda
Guy Carpenter & Company, LLC
Hamilton USA
Harte Research Insitute for Gulf of Mexico Studies
Holbom Corporation
IFG Companies
Independent Economics, Strategic Planning & Risk Management
Insurance Information Institute
Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety
International Research Institute for Climate, Columbia University
JLT Re
K&L Gates LLP
Kekst
Kingstone Insurance Company
KPMG
Lloyd’s America, Inc.
Marathon Strategies
Marsh
MetLife
Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Morgan Stanley
Narragansett Bay Insurance Company
National Assn. of Mutual Insurance Companies
National Wildlife Federation
Natural Resources Defense Council
ND-GAIN
New York City Mayor’s Office of Recovery and Resiliency
New York Harbor School
New York Stock Exchange
NOAA
NYC Mayor’s Office of Recovery & Resiliency
Ovation
Philadelphia Insurance Co
Quadel Consulting and Training LLC
R Street Institute
Redmond Capital Management
Renaissance Reinsurance U.S. Inc.
RenaissanceRe
Resource Real Estate, Inc.
Risk Management Solutions, Inc.
RiskEcon Lab @ NYU Courant Institute
Robert Fleming Insurance Brokers
Sasaki Associates
Scenic Hudson
SCOR Re
Sun Valley Institute
Sustainable Insight Capital Management
Swiss Reinsurance America Corp.
Taxpayers for Common Sense
Telesis
Tetra Tech, Inc.
The Hartford
The Natural Resilience Fund, Inc.
The Nature Conservancy
The Rockefeller Foundation
The Union of Concerned Scientists
Tiger Risk
Translatic Reinsurance
Travelers Insurance
Treliant Risk Advisors
University of Connecticut
US Coastal Insurance Company
USDHS
WeatherPredict Consulting Inc.
White House Office of Management and Budget
Willis Re
Willis Re Global
Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP
Wills Towers Watson
XL Catlin
Zurich Insurance Company Ltd.
Zurich North America