Agenda

All sessions are now available in the virtual platform on-demand

8:00 AM – 9:00 AM CST
Ballroom of Americas Foyer
Welcome Breakfast
Enjoy a cup of coffee and a light breakfast with fellow attendees while you prepare for a day full of content revolved around response during a pandemic. It will feel good to reunite with colleagues and friends you’ve been missing this year! 

9:00 AM – 10:30 AM CST
Ballroom of Americas
Establishing a Command Post in Real Events – Virtually, In-Person, or Hybrid
Now available on-demand
Running a command post virtually and/or having virtual components is actually not a new phenomenon. Some instances have necessitated hosting participants in separate locations and connecting them virtually. Fast forward to a COVID world and running commands posts virtually has become a requirement. Panelists in this session will focus on the process of setting up a virtual or hybrid command post in real events.

Session Chair: Alfred Sly, Emergency Preparedness & Response Advisor, ExxonMobil Corporation
Moderator: Michael Baccigalopi, Oil Spill Advisor, bp Gulf of Mexico

PANELISTS

• Capt. Jason Smith, Commander, U.S. Coast Guard Sector Corpus Christi
• Pat Marshall, Preparedness and Prevention Coordinator, Texas General Land Office
• Allyson Purcell, Emergency Response Specialist, Phillips 66
• Alfred Sly, Emergency Preparedness & Response Advisor, ExxonMobil Corporation
• Dustin White, Response Manager and Company Safety Officer, The Response Group

10:30 AM – 11:00 AM CST
Ballroom of Americas Foyer
Networking Break
Continue your discussions from the morning’s sessions, refuel with a hot cup of coffee, and connect with tabletop sponsors before diving back into sessions.

Sponsored by:

11:00 AM –12:00 PM CST
Ballroom of Americas
Establishing Field Facilities in a Real Event
Now available on-demand
During real events field response activities still need to be executed well. Key activities like operational briefings, wildlife response, and oil spill clean-up require some face to face interaction to be successful. The panelists in this session will share and discuss real event case studies and what they have experienced and learned in our current COVID environment.

Session Chair/Moderator: Allyson Purcell, Emergency Response Specialist, Phillips 66

PANELISTS:

• Rhonda Murgatroyd, Managing Director, Wildlife Response Services, LLC
• Scott Skelton, MS, CIH, Senior IH/ER Consultant, CTEH, LLC
• Mike Walker, VP Gulf Region, Marine Spill Response Corporation
• Alfred Sly, Emergency Preparedness & Response Advisor, ExxonMobil Corporation

12:00 PM – 1:00 PM CST
Ballroom of Americas
Lunch
Have a bite to eat alongside your peers and use this time to fill your bellies and brains with important takeaways from the morning sessions.   
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1:00 PM – 2:30 PM CST
Ballroom of Americas
Conducting Virtual Exercises
Now available on-demand
This session will focus on what systems have been used to date to run a variety of exercise scenarios using virtual tools. The presenters will share their experiences on what worked well and what needed improvement, including the most effective techniques for engaging participants. Panelists will elaborate on the future possibilities for a virtual exercise and how to design a valuable training opportunity for IMT members. This session will also include agency expectations for virtual exercises.

Session Chair: Art Powers, Emergency Preparedness & Response Advisor, ExxonMobil Corporation
Moderator: Barbara Parker, EM Science and Advocacy Manager – PTS Emergency Management, Shell

PANELISTS:

• Jennifer Crouch, Principal CEM & Security – GOM, BHP
• Melissa Simpson, Oil Spill Advisor, bp GoM
• Chris Harder, HSE Officer, Marine Well Containment
• Dustin White, Response Manager and Company Safety Officer, The Response Group
• Gary Petrae, Senior Preparedness Analyst, Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE)

2:30 PM – 3:00 PM CST
Ballroom of Americas Foyer
Networking Break

Sponsored by:

Enjoy a sweet treat before wrapping up the day’s agenda. Take some time to expand upon the topics discussed prior to participating in the final sessions and visit with tabletop sponsors.

3:00 PM – 4:00 PM CST
Ballroom of Americas
Sharing of COVID Guidance – Upstream, Downstream, and Midstream
Now available on-demand
The events of 2020 have forced operators to update and rewrite guidance documents practically on the fly in response to constantly changing health environments. This panel will provide an opportunity to discuss what everyone has done to keep their platforms and/or refineries running. Further, this will allow some best practices to surface that can be applied towards the future.

Session Chair: Jennifer Crouch, Principal CEM & Security – GOM, BHP Billiton
Moderator: Mike Drieu, GOM CEM Manager, Occidental Petroleum

PANELISTS:

• Sofia Lamon, HSE Director, Gulf of Mexico, Occidental Petroleum Corporation
• Justin Abshire, Head of SRT, COVID Sustained Response Team, BHP
• Shawn Essert, Emergency Response Manager, Shell Exploration & Production Company
• Pablo Sanchez-Soria Ph.D., CIH, Project Toxicologist, CTEH, LLC

4:15 PM – 5:00 PM CST
Ballroom of Americas
Joint Information Center (JIC) – How Would You Run a Media Event in a Virtual Setting?
Now available on-demand
Running media events can be tricky unto themselves, but how would you run it if it was in a virtual setting? The panelists in this session will explore important topics relative to facilitating and managing a media event in a virtual setting, as well as equipment to use.

Session Chair: Paul Galloway, GOM Emergency Management Team Leader, Chevron USA Inc.
Moderator: Michael Baccigalopi, bp Gulf of Mexico

PANELISTS:

• William Salvin, President, Signal Bridge
• Kimberly Nahas, Sr. Publicist, GeoControl Systems, Inc.
• Megan Baldino, Director, External Communications, bp America
• Andy Kendrick, Jetty Software Senior Manager, Senior Consultant, The Response Group
• Lt. John Edwards, Public Affairs Officer, U.S. Coast Guard 8th District

5:00 PM – 6:30 PM CST
Ballroom of Americas Foyer
Industry Appreciation Reception
Hang back and wait for Houston traffic to die down while debriefing from the day’s valuable information exchange. Enjoy what is left of this in-person experience with a drink and some refreshments before heading home – you earned it!

Sponsored by: