Pepperdine University launches ‘Real Issues, Real Experts, Real Time’ with panel discussion ‘Unraveling the Mystery of the Chinese Balloon’

February 9, 2023 – Malibu, CA – Pepperdine University president Jim Gash will launch “Real Issues, Real Experts, Real Time” Thursday, February 16, at 6 PM PDT with a panel discussion on the national security implications of the recent Chinese balloon incident.

“Real Issues, Real Experts, Real Time” engages the Pepperdine community in conversations with subject-matter experts about timely issues as they unfold. At each session, invited experts will discuss the complexities of critical, contemporary issues to create an environment of civil discourse in a nonpartisan manner. The meeting will include a Q&A with a moderated question form for audience participation.

On February 16, President Gash will discuss the national security and foreign relations implications of the Chinese balloon incident with national security experts Kristen Edwards Marquardt, General John Teichert and Josh Steinman.

“At Pepperdine, we pride ourselves in preparing our students with real-life, hands-on experience,” said Gash. “This new series will give our student body and surrounding community another opportunity to learn from real experts in real time as the nation and the world conduct important analysis and make weighty decisions.”

WHAT:     Real Issues, Real Experts, Real Time: “Unraveling the Mystery of the Chinese Balloon”
WHEN:    Thursday, February 16, 6 PM–7:30 PM PDT
WHERE:   Pepperdine University via Zoom
WHO:       Panel discussion moderated by President Jim Gash featuring:

Kristen Edwards Marquardt
Kristen Edwards Marquardt's extensive global experience includes leading, guiding and advising organizations in the areas of national security, risk, cybersecurity and global information security. Marquardt served as the chief cyber strategist for Bank of America, where she created their GIS strategy within 90 days of her appointment. Marquardt also served as the intelligence advisor to the secretary of Homeland Security, as a senior professional staffer on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and as an intelligence officer at the CIA.

General John Teichert 
General Teichert retired as the assistant deputy undersecretary of the Air Force, International Affairs, responsible for worldwide international engagement on behalf of the US Air Force and US Space Force while leading the services’ entire security cooperation portfolio. Prior to that, General Teichert was the senior defense official and defense attaché to Iraq, leading on the front lines of whole-of-government national security strategy and policy in the most challenging of circumstances. 

Joshua Steinman
Joshua Steinman is the cofounder of Galvanick, a cloud-native analysis platform that helps companies secure their industrial operations and minimize cyber risk. Steinman is a military veteran who served in the U.S. Navy as an officer for nearly a decade and later as a reserve officer. For four years, he served on the National Security Council as former deputy assistant to the president for national security affairs and senior director for cyber security.

This event is open to the public. Interested parties can register here.

About Pepperdine University
Founded in 1937, Pepperdine University is an independent, Christian university located 30 miles west of Downtown Los Angeles in scenic Malibu, California. The University enrolls approximately 10,300 students across its flagship liberal arts school, Seaver College; the Caruso School of Law; the Graziadio Business School; the Graduate School of Education and Psychology; and the School of Public Policy. Pepperdine is committed to the highest standards of academic excellence and Christian values, where students are strengthened for lives of purpose, service, and leadership. Follow Pepperdine on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

 

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