Sean O’Keefe Announced as UGC Keynote Speaker
Will recount his first-hand experiences during Hurricane Katrina and the Columbia disaster

As a continuity planner, you’re expected to think through every type of scenario imaginable and lead each one to the same end result: a return to normal operations in the shortest time possible. Your plans likely take many scenarios into account such as fires, all types of weather, a pandemic outbreak or maybe even an earthquake. As challenging as these situations can be, can you imagine the scenarios that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) must take into account?

Sean O’Keefe was serving his tenure as the 10th Administrator of NASA when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated over Texas just mere minutes before its scheduled landing.

“Strohl’s message has always been about the importance in preparing to face the consequences of any type of event,” said Brian Turley, President of Strohl Systems. “The unimaginable situation O’Keefe faced while at NASA is obviously a unique one, but one that can teach every one of us some very valuable lessons in knowing how to react during any range of disaster, big or small.”

In addition to sharing his experiences at NASA, O’Keefe will also recount his dealings with Hurricane Katrina while residing as the seventh Chancellor of the Louisiana State University and A&M College, a position he still holds today.

Accomplishments and Honors
His nomination by President George W. Bush as NASA Administrator was O’Keefe’s fourth Presidential appointment. While there, his key accomplishments included eliminating a $5 billion cost overrun in the construction of the International Space Station, leading the effort to begin work on President Bush's plan to send humans to the Moon and Mars, and of course, to work through the trauma of the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster and its aftermath.

In 1993, President Bush and Secretary Cheney presented him the Distinguished Public Service Award. He was the 1999 faculty recipient of the Syracuse University Chancellor's Award for Public Service; recipient of the Department of the Navy's Public Service Award in December 2000; and has been awarded five honorary doctorate degrees from several prestigious educational institutions.