Please enjoy this episode of The Gate 15 Interview podcast on Anchor, Spotify, Apple, Google, as well as other locations accessible via the Anchor link or almost anywhere you listen to your favorite podcasts.
In this episode of The Gate 15 Interview, Andy Jabbour speaks with William (Bill) Flynn, the president of Garda Risk Management LLC, specializing in homeland and national security policy and operations with a focus on critical infrastructure security and resilience. Bill is a highly-sought after homeland security expert and is also a partner in The Power of Preparedness (TPOP) an e-learning company that goes beyond stand-up training to provide strategy and tactics to mitigate workplace violence and active assailant threats. He also serves on the board of the Faith-Based Information Sharing & Analysis Organization (FB-ISAO). Bill has served as a Senior Fellow at the George Washington University Center for Cyber & Homeland Security and was among the original leaders at DHS, where he served in a number of key leadership positions and including as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Office of Infrastructure Protection (since renamed within what is today, CISA), where he led the coordinated national effort to reduce risk to our nation’s critical infrastructure. Read Bill’s complete bio below.
- Follow Bill on LinkedIn!
- Follow The Power of Preparedness on LinkedIn!
- Follow The Power of Preparedness on Twitter! @TPOPtraining
In the discussion we address:
- Bill’s career of public service including time in the U.S. Navy, with the NYPD, and at DHS
- Bill’s ongoing work leading Garda Risk Management and with The Power of Preparedness
- Threats, hostile events, behavioral indicators and preparedness
- Executive security and organizational risk and mitigation
- Creating a culture of security, the cost of preparedness vs. the costs of recovery, and the “three C’s”
- The Yankees ⚾️, national monuments and icons, and much more!
A few references mentioned in or relevant to our discussion include:
- The Power of Preparedness: Online Training for Active Shooter Preparedness & Verbal De-Escalation; Customized for Your Industry or Organization
- The Gate 15 Hostile Events Preparedness Series (HEPS) and The Power of Preparedness (TPOP)
- Faith-Based ISAO & TPOP
- Get the White Paper! The Hostile Event Attack Cycle (HEAC), 2021 Update. Developed by David Pounder and Andy Jabbour, Gate 15, with an introduction by Rob Yandow. Access the complete post and download the Gate 15 White Paper on The Hostile Event Attack Cycle (HEAC), 2021 Update, here.
- NCTC, FBI & DHS: U.S. Violent Extremist Mobilization Indicators 2021
- Critical Infrastructure Threat Information Sharing Framework ; A Reference Guide for the Critical Infrastructure Community, October 2016, RE-ISAC use case (see image, above)
- PERSPECTIVE: Mass Shootings Are a Homeland Security Risk; Change starts with an accounting that what has been done – much of it laudable – has not been sufficient to the challenge. (Bill Flynn and Bob Kolasky, in Homeland Security Today, 11 June 2022) and also available on the TPOP website here.
- The crisis after the crisis: What grocers can expect after an active shooter incident. Food retail managers should be prepared to handle external communication and support for victims and their families in the aftermath of violence, writes security expert William Flynn. (Grocery Dive, 22 March 2022)
- International Association of Venue Managers (IAVM)
- FMI – The Food Industry Association
- The Restaurant Loss Prevention & Security Association (RLPSA)
- Homeland Security – Office for Bombing Prevention (OBP)
- Homeland Security – Protective Security Advisor (PSA) Program
- Homeland Security – Regional Resiliency Assessment Program (RRAP)
- On Executive Security, Bill and Andy discussed outspoken leaders and Andy shared comments made by Whole Foods CEO, John Mackey in this recent interview: Whole Foods’ John Mackey (Reason, 10 Aug 2022)
- Gate 15 resources pages
- Faith-Based Information Sharing & Analysis Organization Advisory Board
Complete Bio: William F. Flynn, complete bio: William Flynn is the president of Garda Risk Management LLC specializing in homeland and national security policy and operations with a focus on critical infrastructure security and resilience. Mr. Flynn is also a partner in The Power of Preparedness (TPOP) an e-learning company that goes beyond stand-up training to provide strategy and tactics to mitigate workplace violence and active assailant threats. He also serves on the board of the Faith-Based Information Sharing & Analysis Organization.
Mr. Flynn served as a Senior Fellow at the George Washington University Center for Cyber & Homeland Security. He was among the original leaders at DHS and served as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Office of Infrastructure Protection, where he led the coordinated national effort to reduce risk to our nation’s critical infrastructure.
As a member of the Senior Executive Service, he developed several of the foundational and highly successful DHS programs in support of federal, state, local and the private sector, including the Protective Security Advisor program, Regional Resiliency Assessment Program, and the Multi-Jurisdiction Improvised Explosive Device Security Planning program that brought together regional partners, in exercise scenarios, to identify capabilities, gaps, and opportunities for mutual aid. He was the DHS lead for the operational planning and coordination of the federal government’s CBRNE support for the new World Trade Center complex. He participated in the assessment and planning of high-risk major events such as Super Bowls, UN General Assembly and the DNC/RNC National Conventions. He supported Federal Coordinators and local first responders during real-time crisis situations like Hurricane Katrina and the Boston Marathon Bombing.
Mr. Flynn played a key leadership role as a member of the Homeland Security Intelligence Council, C-IED Executive Steering Committee, Counterterrorism Advisory Board, Fusion Center Executive Steering Committee, co-chair of the International Critical Infrastructure Working Group, and co-chair of the Special Events Working Group. In November 2012, he was nominated by the Secretary of Homeland Security and selected to chair a North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s (NATO) committee responsible for coordinating and monitoring national and NATO arrangements for civil emergencies, crisis management and critical infrastructure protection.
Mr. Flynn joined the federal government after 24 years with the NYC Police Department. On September 11, 2001, he responded to the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center where he oversaw the collection and custody of recovered evidence and property, the biometric identification of recovered victims and the deployment of emergency response equipment.
Mr. Flynn is also a retired Captain with over 35 years of active and reserve service in the United States Navy, with deployments to the Middle East and Southwest Asia. He holds a BA degree in Criminal Justice from St. John’s University and a graduate degree in Organizational Psychology from Columbia University. Among his numerous military and civilian awards are the Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Medal, Joint Services Achievement Medal, Navy & Marine Corps Commendation Medal, Director of National Intelligence Meritorious Unit Citation, and the Senior Executive Service Presidential Meritorious Rank Award which honors career executives for sustained extraordinary accomplishments.
Please enjoy this episode of The Gate 15 Interview podcast on Anchor, Spotify, Apple, Google, as well as other locations accessible via the Anchor link or almost anywhere you listen to your favorite podcasts.
The Gate 15 Interview is a monthly interview between Gate 15’s founder and Managing Director, Andy Jabbour and guests from throughout the homeland security risk management community addressing a wide range of all-hazards topics and issues. Read more about Gate 15’s full podcast menu at our Podcast page. You can subscribe and enjoy all the Gate 15 Podcasts on Anchor, Apple, Spotify, Google, as well as other locations accessible from the Anchor link. Week-to-week, you can hear and learn more about our all-hazards threats, risks, mitigation and other issues impacting homeland security risk management from our team as well as our regular and special guests. The full podcast menu includes:
- The Risk Roundtable, is a recurring monthly discussion among our team and occasional guests as we explore the all-hazards threats and risks impacting the United States and internationally.
- The Cybersecurity Evangelist, with Jennifer Lyn Walker, is a cybersecurity-focused discussion with Jen and invited guests.
- Nerd Out! Security Panel Discussion, moderated by Dave Pounder, focuses on physical security topics including terrorism, extremism, hostile events, and other pertinent topics.
- The Gate 15 Interview, is a monthly interview between Gate 15’s founder and Managing Director, Andy Jabbour and guests from throughout the homeland security risk management community addressing a wide range of all-hazards topics and issues.
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