IOSC 2011 Guest Speakers

Michael Specter has been a staff writer at The New Yorker since 1998. His most recent book, “Denialism: How Irrational Thinking Hinders Scientific Progress, Harms the Planet, and Threatens Our Lives,” was published on October 29, 2009.  Specter writes often about science, technology, and public health. Since joining the magazine, he has written several articles about the world’s diminishing freshwater resources, synthetic biology and the debate over the meaning of our carbon footprint.

Michael Specter's truthful, rigorously researched, and often politically incorrect views are the perfect antidote to the widespread rebellion against scientific thought and the products of scientific inquiry, such as the new wonder drugs, the new vaccines that are being refused by the public, as well as the genetically engineered foods that many are boycotting.

Please see Mr. Specter's detailed biography by clicking this link (210KB PDF file).

Michael J. Utsler, Chief Operating Officer, BP Gulf Coast Restoration Organization (GCRO) - Mike has worked in the upstream oil and gas industry for 30+ years and is currently BP's Chief Operating Officer for the BP-Gulf Coast Restoration Organization and is BP's lead representative in the Unified Area Command for the Deepwater Horizon Response located in New Orleans. He has been an integral part of BP's response to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill since April of 2010.

Mike graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a BS in Petroleum Engineering in 1978. Mike started his career with Amoco in a series of drilling, completions, production, facilities and reservoir engineering roles across the western United States from 1977 to 1984.

Following the merger of BP and Amoco in 1998, Mike held positions responsible for the Gulf of Mexico Shelf integration. He moved to the UK in 2001 to manage the Southern North Sea and Central North Sea operations. Mike was appointed BP's North Sea Technical Director until his transfer to Anchorage, Alaska as Senior Vice President for BP's Greater Prudhoe Bay Operations in December of 2006. He served in that role until being called in April, 2010 to lead the response efforts in the Deepwater Horizon event.

Please see Mr. Ulster's detailed biography by clicking this link (19KB PDF file).

On May 1, 2010, President Barack Obama selected Admiral Thad Allen to serve as the
National Incident Commander (NIC) for the unified response to the Deepwater Horizon oil
spill, a position he held concurrently while finishing his tenure as the Commandant of the
Coast Guard.

In this position, Allen was charged with oversight of all ongoing response efforts to cease
the flow of oil and mitigate the effects of the worst oil disaster in U.S. history. Working
closely with the federal on-scene coordinator, Environmental Protection Agency and
organizations including the Departments of Homeland Security, Defense, Interior,
Commerce and Health and Human Services, he sought to bring a global unity of effort to
response endeavors. As the government's accountable party, Allen was also in charge of
coordinating with various federal, state and local organizations and directing the efforts of
BP, the responsible party in the spill.

In May 2010, Allen completed his duties as the 23rd commandant of the USCG, the most
senior post in that service. Continuing to serve his nation as the national incident
commander in lieu of retiring at that time, he officially retired from active duty service on
June 30th, 2010 after 39 years of service.

Please see Admiral Allen's detailed biography by clicking this link (72KB PDF file)

Juliette N. Kayyem has spent nearly fifteen years in counterterrorism, homeland security and emergency management arena, serving in key positions in and out of government. She most recently served for President Obama as Assistant Secretary for Intergovernmental Affairs (IGA) at the Department of Homeland Security.

As Assistant Secretary, Ms. Kayyem was responsible for coordinated and consistent planning between the Department and all of its state, local , tribal and territorial (SLTT) partners on issues as varied as immigration, intelligence sharing, military affairs, border security, and the response to operational events such as H1N1, the Haiti earthquake and the BP oil spill.

In the immediate aftermath of the BP oil spill, Ms. Kayyem was tasked to direct interagency and intergovernmental affairs for the National Incident Command, overseeing a diverse interagency and interdisciplinary staff for the White House and DHS to address unprecedented issues in the response, including public safety, public engagement, environmental remediation and legal compliance.

For her work, she received the Coast Guard's highest civilian honor.

Please see Ms. Kayyem's detailed biography by clicking this link (49KB PDF file).