Critical Infrastructure that Inspires Confidence and Delivers Results
Williamsburg, Virginia – On Monday November 18, 2024, William & Mary’s Public Policy Program released a summary of findings from “Critical Infrastructure that Inspires Confidence and Delivers Results,” a symposium held in Williamsburg earlier this year. The day-long event brought together 30 policy experts from federal, state, and local governments, individuals in the private and non-profit sector, and academic researchers to discuss the current state of critical infrastructure policy in the U.S. and the challenges and opportunities facing policymakers and community leaders.
The symposium received financial support from the friends of the W&M Public Policy Program, including the program’s Board of Advisors, and also from the Office of the Provost at William & Mary.
Professor Paul Manna, Hyman Professor of Government & Public Policy and then-Director of the Public Policy Program, and Owen Williams, MPP ‘25, convened the collaboration to explore strategies for addressing difficult problems of practice including critical infrastructure governance, federal funding, emerging threats to the homeland, and fostering community trust.
Participants had a wide ranging discussion about critical infrastructure challenges and opportunities particularly the perils of aging infrastructure, siloed policymaking, equity challenges and pervasive threats to the homeland – and strategies for addressing these difficult problems.
“We had grand ambitions when we began planning the symposium more than a year ago and it exceeded our expectations,” Manna said. “Participants universally expressed their enthusiasm for having these discussions, especially because they were able to meet and learn from people from diverse fields who they usually don’t connect with in their daily work.”
Several students, including Master’s in Public Policy candidates and undergraduates, attended the morning and afternoon sessions as observers. In the later discussion rounds, the students were able to share their insights with the policy professionals who attended, which helped to enrich the larger conversation about the complex critical infrastructure issues facing the United States at all levels of government.
"The symposium was a great experience, where William & Mary was able to bring together policy practitioners from different fields, from the federal government to local infrastructure managers, to discuss the pressing needs of our country,” said Owen Williams. “I am so thankful that I was able to contribute to the symposium and the development of the policy report and that MPP students were able to actively participate in the event."
For a full summary of the day’s findings, read the report: “Critical Infrastructure that Inspires Confidence and Delivers Results.”
Individuals participating in the symposium came from the following organizations:
City of Newport News, Virginia
City of Richmond, Virginia
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
FEWSION, Northern Arizona University
Global Research Institute, William & Mary
Hampton Roads Alliance
Hampton Roads Military and Federal Facilities Alliance
Hampton Roads Sanitation District
James City County, Virginia
National Association of Clean Water Agencies
North Carolina Department of Transportation, Board of Transportation
Office of the Secretary of Defense
Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence & Security
State of Washington, Emergency Management Division
U.S. Air Force, Langley AFB
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
U.S. Army War College
U.S. Coast Guard
U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency
U.S. House of Representatives
U.S. Navy, Mid-Atlantic
Virginia Department of Transportation
Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS)
Virginia Sea Grant Program
W&M Public Policy Program
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