This Week in D.C.: Think Tanks Discuss Software Supply Chain Risks, Data Privacy, China’s Tech Dominance and Bioethics

This week in our nation’s capital, Congress is mostly quiet during the work period, although the House Small Business Committee heads out to Kansas City for a hearing on employee shortages for small businesses outside of notable technology hubs. The Center for Strategic and International Studies kicks off the week with a look at innovations at the Missile Defense Agency. Elsewhere, The Heritage Foundation explores bioethics, New America looks at potential data privacy legislation and The Brookings Institution focuses on China’s tech sector and its threat to American tech dominance.

Monday, October 7 

Center for Strategic and International Studies 

A Vision for the Future of Missile Defense

At 9:30 AM on Monday at CSIS Headquarters, 2nd Floor, 1616 Rhode Island NW, Washington, D.C. 20036.

This event, part of the CSIS Missile Defense Project, will look at the future of America’s missile defense program with viewpoints from Vice Admiral Jon Hill, Director of the Missile Defense Agency. The day’s event starts with a conversation between VADM Hill and Dr. Tom Karako, Director, Missile Defense Project. After a coffee break, the event will reconvene with a discussion with panelists including Sarah Reeves, Vice President of Missile Defense Programs, Lockheed Martin Space; John Schumacher, Vice President, Washington Operations, Aerojet Rocketdyne; Paul Smith, Vice President and Program Director of GMD, Boeing; Dr. Mitch Stevison, Vice President, Raytheon Missile Systems; and Brigadier General Kenn Todorov (U.S. Air Force ret.), Vice President of Missile Defense Systems, Northrop Grumman Corporation. 

New America

Using Tech for Good

At 1:00 PM on Monday at Lohrfink Auditorium, Rafik B. Hariri Building, Georgetown University, 37th and O Sts. NW, Washington, D.C. 20057.

This is the first annual meeting of the Public Interest Technology University Network, a partnership among 21 higher learning academic institutions working to address civics issues in the design and implementation of tech policies. The event will feature a keynote panel discussion on technology, race, and our future with panelists including Ava DuVernay, Filmmaker; Latanya Sweeney, Professor, Harvard University; Darren Walker, President, Ford Foundation; and moderated by Alvaro Bedoya, Director, Center on Privacy and Technology, Georgetown Law Center. After a short break, a bipartisan tech policy conversation will be held with panelists including Noah Joshua Phillips, Commissioner, Federal Trade Commission; Geoffrey Starks, Commissioner, Federal Communications Commission; and moderated by Manoush Zomorodi, Journalist. After closing remarks, the event will also feature a pair of workshops on building multidisciplinary programs at academic institutions and building a career using technical expertise for good.

Tuesday, October 8

House Committee on Small Business 

Silicon Prairie: Tech, Innovation, and a High-Skilled Workforce in the Heartland

At 10:00 AM on Tuesday at Dr. Thomas R. Burke Technical Education Center at Kansas City Community College, 6565 State Ave., Kansas City, KS 66102. 

This House Small Business Committee hearing on the state of the high-tech workforce outside of technology hubs takes place in Kansas City during a week where the House of Representatives is otherwise quiet. The hearing will explore solutions to the employee shortage being experienced by many small business owners across the country. The hearing’s first panel will include David Toland, Secretary, Kansas Department of Commerce; Delía García, Secretary, Kansas Department of Labor; and Thomas Salisbury, Regional Administrator, Region VII, Small Business Administration. The hearing’s second panel will include Neelima Parasker, President and CEO, SnapIT Solutions; Ruben Alonso III, President, AltCap; Tammie Wahaus, CEO, Elias Animal Health; Brad Sandt, President and CEO, Menlo, K12itc, Civic ITC; and Daniel Silva, President and CEO, Kansas City Kansas Chamber of Commerce. 

New America

Enforcing a New Privacy Law

At 12:30 PM on Tuesday at New America, 740 15th St. NW #900, Washington, D.C. 20005.

Congress has been increasingly called upon to address data privacy issues but there is some disagreement over whether lawmakers should increase the existing authority of the Federal Trade Commission, which already enforces some privacy laws, or create a new agency dedicated to preserving data privacy based upon the European regulatory model. A keynote address at this event will be given by David Medine, Former Special Counsel at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and Former Associate Director for Financial Practices at the Federal Trade Commission. A discussion on these issues will be conducted by a panel including Bob Gellman, Privacy and Information Policy Consultant; Elizabeth Banker, Vice President & Associate General Counsel, Internet Association; Yosef Getachew, Media and Democracy Program Director, Common Cause; Blake Bee, Program Counsel, Center for Consumer Protection, National Attorneys General Training & Research Institute, National Association of Attorneys General; and moderated by Dylan Gilbert, Policy Fellow, Public Knowledge.

Wednesday, October 9

The Atlantic Council 

Cyber Risk Wednesday: A Conversation on the Software Supply Chain

At 12:00 PM on Wednesday at the Atlantic Council, 1030 15th St. NW, 12th Floor, Washington, D.C. 20005.

This event, part of the Atlantic Council’s Cyber Risk Wednesday series, will focus on software supply chain security issues, cyber attack proliferation and secure software distribution. Speakers who are confirmed to be at this event include Michael Daly, CTO, Cybersecurity and Special Missions, Raytheon Company Intelligence, Information & Services; Dr. Trey Herr, Director, Cyber Statecraft Initiative, Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, Atlantic Council; and Bobbie Stempfley, Director, CERT, Carnegie Mellon University, and Senior Fellow, Cyber Statecraft Initiative, Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, Atlantic Council. Additional panelists have yet to be announced.

Thursday, October 10 

The Heritage Foundation 

Bioethics: What It Is and Why It Matters

At 12:00 PM on Thursday at Lehrman Auditorium, The Heritage Foundation, 214 Massachusetts Ave. NE, Washington, D.C. 20002.

Science and medical innovations create a host of ethical and moral conundrums surrounding subjects like cloning, reproductive health, stem cell research and gene editing. This event will feature a discussion with a panel including Melissa Moschella, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Philosophy, The Catholic University of America; Jennifer Lahl, R.N., M.A., President, Center for Bioethics and Culture; Tara Sander Lee, Ph.D., Senior Fellow and Director of Life Sciences, Charlotte Lozier Institute; and moderated by Melanie Israel, Research Associate, DeVos Center. 

The Brookings Institution

How China’s Tech Sector is Challenging the World

At 3:30 PM on Thursday at Falk Auditorium, The Brookings Institution, 1775 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington, D.C. 20036

In recent years, Chinese tech industries have shown a tremendous capability for growth and becoming competitive with their U.S. counterparts even as the U.S. has only a limited understanding of the Chinese tech sector as a whole. This event features keynote remarks by Rebecca Fannin, Columnist, Forbes, Special Correspondent, CNBC, Founder, Silicon Dragon Ventures, and author, Tech Titans of China. Introductory remarks will be given by Ryan Hass, The Michael H. Armacost Chair, Fellow, Foreign Policy, Center for East Asia Policy Studies, John L. Thornton China Center.

The Aspen Institute

Aspen Tech Policy Hub Demo Day

At 4:00 PM on Thursday at the Aspen Institute, 2300 N St. NW, Suite 700, Washington, D.C. 20037

This D.C.-area event will feature a look at the project results of Aspen Tech Policy Hub fellows on the West Coast, tech experts invited to a Bay Area in-residence fellowship program focused on developing solutions to various societal problems. Introductory remarks will be given by Dan Porterfield, Aspen Institute President, and a keynote address will be given by Megan Smith, former U.S. Chief Technology Officer.

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