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Disaster Risk Management Conference & EXPO 2024:
ALL HANDS ON DECK

Hyatt Regency, Trinidad and Tobago

Date: 3rd-5th June 2024

About

The Conference

Join Us for Three Days of Disaster Risk Management Discussions

Date: 3rd-5th June

Time: 8am - 5pm

At this inaugural Trinidad and Tobago Disaster Risk Management Conference & Expo, we will bring together a range of partners and stakeholders to explore further integration, collaboration and country-level implementation to explore what is getting in the way of building our resilience to hazards and reduce impact to lives and livlihoods, business and communities.

In this Conference:

We will explore barriers to effective risk mitigation
We will review lessons learnt from disaster events and explore how we effectively address the root causes
We will increase awareness and capability in emergency response planning and execution through workshops, training and learning sessions over the 3 days
We will explore the importance of the connection between business resiliency, executive leadership and emergency planning in our private sector including building Supply Chain Resilience and safeguarding your business and operations from cyber threats
We will explore avenues of accessing funding to support building resilience and raise awareness of the importance of governance and accountability frameworks
Improving awareness of existing and new technological advancements in emergency management for data collection, sharing and dissemination

Speakers

Conference Endorsements

About the Conference Endorsements?

The TTDRM Conference is an initiative by PODS Emergency Management Consultancy & Solutions to bring together experts, stakeholders, and individuals who have an interest in disaster risk management and business continuity. Our goal is to provide a platform for learning, networking, and collaboration to build resilience in the face of natural and man-made disasters. READ MORE

Speakers

TTDRM Conference is proud to bring together inspirational speakers from across the globe to share their knowledge and insights on disaster risk management.

SEE MORE SPEAKERS

Speakers

Stacey-Ann Pi Osoria

Managing Director
PODS Emergency Management Consultancy & Solutions
Conference Organiser/Creator

As the founder of PODS Marketing Mix Ltd, Stacey-Ann has for the past 19 years, helped individuals, businesses and government prepare, respond, recover and mitigate against natural and man-made disasters.

Stacey-Ann's business acumen, led PODS to be first-to-market for mobile shelter systems
and globally approved flood barrier systems. PODS is also the current premier provider of
FEMA-certified emergency management training to first response personnel across
government, private sector and NGOs.

With her passion for emergency management and strong belief in giving back to society,
Stacey-Ann founded the Emergency Management Association of Trinidad and Tobago
whose underlying reason for being is to promote the establishment and ongoing strengthening
of a vibrant Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) culture in Trinidad and Tobago.
http://www.podstt.com

The Honourable Pennelope Beckles-Robinson

Minister of Planning and Development

Ms. Pennelope Beckles was elected to the House of Representatives as a Member of the 12th Republican Parliament in August of 2020. Prior to this, she most recently served as the Leader of Opposition Business in the Senate in the 10th Parliament between June 2010 and December 2013.

Ms. Beckles first entered Parliament in 1995 as an Opposition Senator. She then served as the representative for the constituency of Arima between 2000 and 2010. Ms. Beckles held various portfolios, having been Minister of Social Development, Minister of Culture and Tourism, as well as Minister of Public Utilities and the Environment.

A past student of St. Raphael’s Grade School and a graduate of St Joseph’s Convent, San Fernando, Ms. Beckles pursued her tertiary level education at the University of the West Indies, attending both the St. Augustine and Cave Hill campuses where she graduated with honours. She then moved on to the Hugh Wooding Law School where she obtained her L.E.C, Ms. Beckles is attached to the Chambers of Theodore R Guerra, S.C. & Associates.

Not only is Ms. Beckles a resident of Arima, but her deep involvement in two of the area’s community organizations, namely the Arima Foundation for the Advancement of Women and Children and the Santa Rosa Heights Community Group, exemplify her commitment to the future of her community.

Ronald Jackson

Head of Disaster Risk Reduction, Recovery and Resilience Building Team within the Crisis Bureau at the United Nations Development Programme

Mr. Ronald Jackson has over Twenty (23) years of experience in Disaster Risk Reduction, Recovery and Management. He is currently the Head of Disaster Risk Reduction, Recovery and Resilience Building Team within the Crisis Bureau at the United Nations Development Programme. While at UNDP he has led the efforts to strengthen the Programming and Practice Area for Disaster Risk Reduction leading to the articulation of UNDP’s Approach to Risk Informed Development, the Development of the Urban Risk and Resilience Building Initiative and the Preparedness Academy for National and Local Government Actors.

Ronald has served as the Executive Director of the Caribbean Disaster and Emergency Management Agency for seven (7) years where he led the framing of the 2014-2024 Comprehensive Disaster Management Strategy for CARICOM and the Development of the Caribbean Pathway for Resilience in 2018; He was instrumental in establishing the Regions First Caribbean Consortium for Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems in 2019, The Establishment of the Regional Training Centre and the Caribbean Risk Information System in 2018 and 2019 respectively. He has also served as the Director General and Deputy Director General of the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) in Jamaica where he received a Certificate of Commendation from the Caribbean Community for his contribution to the rescue and recovery efforts in the aftermath of the January 2010 Haiti Earthquake.

Mr. Jackson holds a B.Sc. in Urban Planning from the University of Technology and is an Honorary Patron of the School of the Built Environment. He also holds an M.Sc. in Natural Resources Management from the University of the West Indies Mona, and a Master’s Certificate in Monitoring Evaluation and Reporting.

Regina Bakhteeva

Head of Trinidad and Tobago Satellite Office
Caribbean Multi-Country Office United Nations World Food Programme

Regina Bakhteeva assumed the position of the head of Trinidad and Tobago Satellite Office with the UN World Food Programme in the Caribbean region in 2022. In her previous assignment (2017 – 2021), Ms Bakhteeva served with the United Nations in Sudan where she led the emergency pillar of humanitarian response in WFP operations. During 2013 – 2017 Ms Bakhteeva worked with WFP team in Yemen. She started her career with WFP in Rome in external relations department in 2012.

Before moving to the UN, Ms Bakhteeva worked with the Australian Embassy in Moscow as a Research Officer on political and economic issues. A Russian national, Ms Bakhteeva has an academic background in international relations and diplomacy having earned her Master’s degree at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO University) in 2007.

Julie Kay Roberts, CEM, WOSB

President, JK Roberts, LLC

Julie Kay Roberts is a strategic communications and emergency management veteran with two decades of experience in the public and private sector. After a decade of serving in state and federal government positions, Roberts returns to the private sector as President of JK Roberts, LLC, specializing in strategic planning, crisis communication, emergency management, media relations, and risk assessments with continuity planning. JK Roberts, LLC is an SBA designated Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB).
Building on the work from her time in state and federal government building private-public partnership programs, in late 2021, Ms. Roberts co-founded the Private Sector Emergency Management Association (PSEMA). PSEMA is the only national association for business and industry focused on preparing for disasters, providing resources during and after a crisis to aid in response and recovery. PSEMA provides business to business networking opportunities, resources for the business community, and activation of the network to respond when a disaster happens.
Roberts most recently served as the Deputy Chief of Staff and Director of Communications for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) where she developed and implemented the agency’s strategic communication plans for on-going operational programs. Serving as a liaison between NOAA and the Department of Commerce senior leadership, she supported NOAA priorities and travel for senior leadership to NOAA facilities. Ms. Roberts developed a strategy for a public-private function within the Communications Office to build on existing relationships while expanding new partnerships.
Prior to NOAA, Ms. Roberts served as the External Affairs Director for the Florida Division of Emergency Management where she built a robust private-public partnership office. When the 2016 Pulse Nightclub mass shooting occurred the relationships cultivated with the private sector came together to support survivors and victims’ families. The best practices developed during the incident would go on to be used in other mass shooting events.
Ms. Roberts credits her success to the strong women in her life that positively influenced her personal and professionally. She is committed to supporting the next generation of women leaders by serving as an advisor to the Zeta Tau Alpha.
A native of Marshall, Texas, Ms. Roberts holds a Certificate in Emergency Management from the International Association of Emergency Managers. Furthering her professional experience, she completed the Center for Homeland and Domestic Security (CHDS) Executive Leadership Program at the Naval Post Graduate School, the FEMA Executive Leadership Program, and the National Preparedness Leadership Initiative (NPLI) through Harvard Kennedy School Center for Public Service.
Ms. Roberts earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications and Political Science from East Texas Baptist University.