About the Discussion

Schedule
6 pm | Reception with light bites and guided tour of In the Wake
7 pm | Program

About the Panelists
Suzanne Basalla serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the U.S.-Japan Council. From 2010 to 2012, Suzanne served as Senior Advisor to Ambassador Roos in U.S. Embassy Tokyo. In that capacity, she supported the Ambassador on the full portfolio of security, economic, political and cultural issues in the U.S.-Japan relationship. She has been involved in the creation and development of the TOMODACHI Initiative, a public-private partnership established in cooperation with the U.S.-Japan Council. Previous to her Embassy assignment, she was Director for Japan in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Washington, DC (2006-2010) and Country Director for Japan in the Pentagon (2004-2006). She formerly served as an officer in the United States Navy. Basalla received a master's degree in Asian Studies from George Washington University and graduated from the University of Virginia. In 2008, she received the inaugural Ryozo Kato Award for service to the U.S.-Japan Alliance.

Jim Blackburn is a Professor in the Practice of Environmental Engineering at Rice University, teaching courses in sustainable development and environmental law. He is also a practicing environmental lawyer with the BlackburnCarter law firm in Houston and a Rice faculty scholar at the Baker Institute. At Rice, he serves as the co-director of the Severe Storms Prevention, Education and Evacuation from Disaster (SSPEED) Center and as director of the undergraduate minor in energy and water sustainability. He has received various public service awards, including the Barbara C. Jordan Community Advocate Award from Texas Southern University in 2007, the National Conservation Achievement Award from the National Wildlife Federation in 2001, and the Bob Eckhardt Lifetime Achievement Award for coastal preservation efforts from the Texas General Land Office in 1998. In 2003, he was awarded an honorary membership by the American Institute of Architects for legal work associated with urban quality of life issues in Houston. Blackburn received a B.A. in history and a J.D. from The University of Texas at Austin and an M.S. in environmental science from Rice University.

Colonel (Ret.) Christopher Sallese is Coastal Programs Manager at Dannenbaum Engineering Corporation. He spent more than 25 years in the U.S. Army before entering the private sector, including more than three years as the Commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Galveston District. His extensive background and qualifications include leadership and management experience in engineering; emergency management; coastal operations and management; ecosystem restoration and resource sustainability; risk mitigation; strategic planning; interagency operations; and disaster response and recovery. During his military career, he was extensively involved in the planning, programming and execution of federal civil works programs along the Texas Gulf Coast encompassing flood damage reduction, navigation, regulatory activities, water quality, environmental conservation, recreation, emergency response services, and economic vitality.

This program is in support of In the Wake: Japanese Photographers Respond to 3/11, on display at Asia Society Texas Center through January 1, 2017. Through photographs, this exhibition reflects on the powerful role of artists in the journey of recovery from cataclysmic events.

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