Hon. Brian Moran - Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security

BRIAN MORAN
VIrginia Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security

"TECHNOLOGY & PUBLIC SAFETY"

Our July speaker is the Honorable Brian Moran, Virginia's Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security - the first Virginia official to carry the last part of that title. Secretary Moran will tell us about the new role that technology is playing in creating problems and opportunities for public safety officials in Virginia and the US.

The task of providing for the public safety has been affected by technology as much or more than any area of government in recent years. Public safety departments are already facing cybersecurity threats to our personal information, voting machines, and power grids. They have been forced to deal with cybercrime, tracking international terrorists and ransomeware. In the near future, they will be dealing with automated cars, drones, and the Internet of things. 

Secretary Moran was appointed by Governor McAuliffe as the Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security in 2014. He oversees a portfolio of 11 state agencies and serves as the Governor’s Homeland Security Advisor, charged with being the primary liaison to the Department of Homeland Security and the Virginia Fusion Center. Cybersecurity is a major point of emphasis for the Secretary, and his office is also charged with leading the effort to prepare Virginia for the current and future effects of sea level rise and recurrent flooding.

Secretary Moran is a former County Prosecutor of Arlington County and was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in 1996. He has served as Chairman of the Democratic Party of Virginia, and was a candidate in the 2009 gebernatorial primary.

Our July Host 

5050 Ridgedale Parkway

We will be visiting our 35th new venue when we are hosted by SwimRVA at thei$14.6 million, Collegiate School Aquatics Center. The center is home to the 2008 Olympic Trials pool, along with a secondary instructional pool and a therapy pool for seniors. The 54,000 square foot facility is located just off the Chippenham Parkway.

The organization's mission is to provide access to water safety and aquatic fitness to underserved pockets of Richmond. it wants to help change statistics that show 52 percent of Americans and 70 percent of African Americans don’t know how to swim. 

SwimRVA covers the bulk of its nearly $2 million annual budget with non-fundraising revenue, and is one of the few nonprofits to ever grace the ranks of  Richmond.com's RVA 25. finishing 3rd in 2015.