Former Governor of Pennsylvania and First Secretary of Homeland Security
During the most challenging time in recent American history, the Honorable Tom Ridge was entrusted with the task of protecting the nation as the first secretary of Homeland Security. In his time serving as the country’s primary liaison in the international fight against terrorism, Ridge captained the newly created agency under incredible time and security constraints, integrating thousands of personnel, coordinating nearly two dozen agencies and establishing a culture of innovation that continues to keep America secure. A decorated Vietnam veteran, former congressman, and governor of Pennsylvania, Tom Ridge draws from every aspect of his remarkable career to enlighten audiences on the state of the globe and what the future means for the free market. From the professional to the personal, Ridge offers organizations and individuals the key strategies for mission success and how to establish the vision to get there.
Strategist and Visionary. Ridge is currently the president and CEO of Ridge Global. As the company’s chief executive, he leads a team of international experts that help businesses and governments address a range of needs throughout their organizations, including risk management, global trade security, emergency preparedness and response, strategic growth, infrastructure protection, technology integration, crisis management, and other issues that encompass a diverse portfolio.
Ridge is also the author of the memoir, The Test of Our Times: America Under Siege and How We Can Be Safe Again, a book that gives a close-up account of the days immediately following the attacks of September 11, 2001, and what security issues still require America's action and attention.
Before the events of September 11th, Tom Ridge was twice elected governor of Pennsylvania. He served as the state’s 43rd governor from 1995 to 2001. Known for his commitment to high standards and results, Ridge delivered on his promise to make Pennsylvania “a leader among states and a competitor among nations.” Ridge's aggressive technology strategy helped fuel the state's advances in economic development, education, health care and the environment.
More About Tom Ridge. Born in a working-class family in Pittsburgh’s Steel Valley, Ridge eventually earned a scholarship to Harvard. After his first year at The Dickinson School of Law, he was drafted into the Army, where he served as an infantry staff sergeant in Vietnam, earning the Bronze Star for Valor, the Combat Infantry Badge and the Cross of Gallantry. After returning home, he earned his law degree, later becoming one of the first Vietnam veterans elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, where he served six terms. Ridge serves on the boards of the Institute for Defense Analyses, the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress and other private and public entities, and since 2005, has served as chairman of the National Organization on Disability. Secretary Ridge continues to contribute to matters concerning our nation’s veterans and, along with Gen. Tommy Franks (Ret.), serves as national co-chairman of the Flight 93 National Memorial Fundraising Campaign.
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America the Product and Its Brand: U.S. Global Engagement in the 21st Century. The Honorable Tom Ridge has grown from a young sergeant in the battlefields of Vietnam to one of the world’s pre-eminent statesman. As a leading participant on the world stage, Ridge’s foreign policy credentials yield a unique insight into the role that all democracies bring to the international table and the increasing importance of the American brand to our engagement with the rest of the world. How do we uphold our Constitution, our values, our credibility in an ever-changing threat environment? In this presentation, Ridge opens the door to a commanding discussion of America’s strengths and challenges in security, diplomacy and economic viability as the United States and the Western world continue to confront formidable foreign policy issues in the 21st Century.
Leadership in Times of Crisis. One of the world’s most visible leaders, Tom Ridge understands the kind of leadership that is required to drive people and organizations closer toward their goals. Drawing from a remarkable career, Ridge shares lessons from his varied experiences in Vietnam, the U.S. Congress, the Pennsylvania statehouse, the U.S. Cabinet, and as CEO of his own international company. He shares insights from his tenure managing the nation’s response and recovery following the worst attack on American soil. In a substantive discussion, Ridge describes how to create teams that communicate clearly and quickly, and appropriately serve missions that will undoubtedly confront change, crisis and growth. He presents an inspiring perspective that can benefit individuals and organizations and propel both toward a more accomplished, strategic, and focused future.
Managing Risk Before It Manages You. The inextricable link between security and prosperity in a progressively interdependent world has generated enormous business, political, and economic benefits but also consequent challenges. As the interdependence grows, so grows the vulnerability. Terrorism, natural disasters, criminal acts, vendor issues, accidents, and geopolitical influences can have debilitating effects on economies, putting issues like supply chain security, cross-border collaborations, and security investment at the forefront of every proactive business and government agenda. Secretary Ridge shares his views of today’s risk-centric environment and how to minimize those risks in favor of greater resiliency and security across the globe.
Energy at the Intersection: Meeting the National Goals of Security and Prosperity. With a career defined by three decades of goal-setting successes, Ridge addresses the various ideas on the energy debate. America’s energy futures lays squarely at a crossroads, awaiting resolution of a national energy plan that protects the environment, spurs the economy, and offers a final good riddance to dependence on foreign oil. Though the crossroads is abundant with challenge, the 43rd governor of Pennsylvania and first secretary of Homeland Security provides a seasoned view of what an all-in national energy plan can do to improve national security and advance America’s competiveness in the global economy.
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