Dr. Asha M. George Named to Inaugural ‘Homeland’s Hottest 50’ List by Homeland Security Today
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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ASHA M. GEORGE NAMED TO INAUGURAL ‘HOMELAND’S HOTTEST 50’ LIST
BY HOMELAND SECURITY TODAY FOR HER WORK TO KEEP AMERICA SAFE
Dr. George recognized as a ‘trailblazer’ for her commitment to
defending the Homeland from biological threats
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Sept. 20, 2022) – Dr. Asha M. George, Executive Director of the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense, has been named by Homeland Security Today as one of their Homeland’s Hottest 50 professionals as part of the publication’s efforts to “bring attention and hope to the people burning through challenges and stoking solutions to the Nation’s toughest… threats and vulnerabilities.”
In announcing the recognition, Homeland Security Today Executive Editor Kristina Tanasichuk said, “There are people who day-in, and day-out protect and defend against bad actors on every front and we wanted to honor our mission by recognizing some of the trailblazers moving the mission forward on behalf of all of us.”
In the write-up explaining why Dr. George was selected, Homeland Security Today noted that long before COVID-19 introduced lockdowns and social distancing to Americans’ everyday lexicon, the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense sounded the alarm about the risks of putting pandemics – along with other biological threats such as biological terrorism and warfare – on the back burner. “Dr. George has led the prescient and critical commission … and is a public health security professional whose research and programmatic emphasis has been practical, academic, and political,” the publication wrote.
Editors and advisors to Homeland Security Today selected top leaders advancing critical existing and emerging missions across the broad field of homeland security and building critical partnerships between the federal government, the private sector, and citizenry needed for a prepared and resilient nation.
“Thank you to Homeland Security Today for this recognition and for all they do to help bring attention to these critical issues,” said Dr. George. “I have been truly fortunate to work with a talented and dedicated team at the Commission, under the steadfast leadership of our co-chairs, former Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge and Senator Joe Lieberman. I am proud of the work we have done and remain committed as ever to producing practical and relevant recommendations to defend against biological threats and make our country safer.”
About the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense
The Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense was established in 2014 to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the state of U.S. biodefense efforts, and to issue recommendations to foster change. The Commission’s 2015 report, A National Blueprint for Biodefense: Leadership and Major Reform Needed to Optimize Efforts, identified capability gaps and recommended changes to U.S. policy and law to strengthen national biodefense while optimizing resource investments. In its 2021 report, Biodefense in Crisis: Immediate Action Needed to Address National Vulnerabilities, the Commission described the extent to which the federal government has implemented the Commission’s Blueprint for Biodefense. Other Commission publications have addressed critical needs for an Apollo Program for Biodefense, national biodetection, agrodefense, biodefense budgeting, diagnostics, biodefense of critical infrastructure, contributions by land-grant universities to biodefense, and State, Local, Tribal and Territorial response capabilities. In September 2018, the White House released the National Biodefense Strategy, a top recommendation from the Blueprint, and in September 2021 released the American Pandemic Preparedness Plan, taking up recommendations from the Apollo Program and Athena Agenda reports. The Commission continues to address biodefense challenges and to urge reform. Former Senator Joe Lieberman and Governor Tom Ridge co-chair the Commission. Hudson Institute is the Commission’s fiscal sponsor.