Building Resilience and Protecting Critical Infrastructure

While global challenges are addressed by national governments, increasingly subnational actors such as states, communities, and cities have needed to step up to take action when traditional nation-states have not been able to make progress due to political polarization and partisan gridlock. The German-American State Legislator Dialogue will take on the challenge of infrastructure with state legislators from the United States, Canada, and Germany. They will focus on the role state governments can play in addressing common concerns when it comes to building resilience and managing threats to critical infrastructure.

Critical infrastructure forms the backbone of modern, well-functioning societies. Unfortunately, these infrastructures face increasing threats from natural disasters, health crises, as well as physical and cyberattacks on both sides of the Atlantic. While defining critical infrastructure is complex, in general, it refers to the systems, organizations, facilities, assets, services, and networks that are essential to the well-functioning of societies. Subnational governments play a fundamental role in proactively safeguarding the security and functionality of critical infrastructure, as well as in developing guidelines for responding to potential disruptions. As a result, they are often at the forefront of such disasters because they are closer to affected communities and play a key role in emergency response operations. They also play a key role in coordinating with other levels of government and non-governmental organizations to ensure a coordinated and effective response. What are the primary challenges faced by policymakers at the state level in managing threats to critical infrastructure? What mechanisms are in place to quickly react to crises on both sides of the Atlantic, and how can we learn from one another? Join us on September 12 for an engaging discussion with a panel of state legislators from the United States, Canada, and Germany, where we will explore these questions to gain valuable insights into the shared challenges faced on both sides of the Atlantic.

Representative Karianne Lisonbee (R) is the Majority Whip in the Utah House of Representatives. Her legislative efforts have spanned a range of issues, from healthcare and tax reform to educational opportunity and economic development. Representative Lisonbee passed significant legislation protecting victims and making Utah’s communities and schools safer through increasing accountability and transparency in the criminal justice system. Her efforts have been instrumental in advancing Utah’s prosperity. She is serving her 4th term representing District 14. Before her election to the legislature, she served on the Syracuse City Council. Rep. Lisonbee earned a degree in Family Studies from Brigham Young University, where she met Seth, her husband of 31 years. They have six children and six grandchildren. She enjoys singing, reading, and hiking.

Michael Lee (BC United) was elected as the MLA for Vancouver-Langara in 2017 and re-elected in 2020 in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Canada. He currently serves as the Shadow Minister for Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation. Mr. Lee has served as the Official Opposition Critic for Transportation, Infrastructure, and TransLink, the Official Opposition Critic for Justice, and as the Parliamentary Secretary for Affordable Housing. He is a member of the Select Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs, the Select Standing Committee on Legislative Initiatives, and the Select Standing Committee on Parliamentary Reform, Ethical Conduct, Standing Orders, and Private Bills.
Before his election, Mr. Lee was a business lawyer for 20 years and a partner with Lawson Lundell LLP, focusing on mergers & acquisitions, corporate finance, and corporate governance. He acted for energy, mining, forestry, technology companies, and as external counsel to BC Hydro. Before obtaining his law degree at the University of Victoria, he worked as a Special Assistant to the Right Honourable Kim Campbell in Vancouver and Ottawa, Canada. He also holds a BSc in Biology, a BA (Hons) in Political Science, and an MA degree in Political Science with a focus on environmental regulations. Mr. Lee has served as the past Chair of the Board of Directors of Arts Umbrella and Alumni UBC. He has also served as a past Vice-Chair and Board member of Science World British Columbia, SUCCESS, and Leadership Vancouver. Mr. Lee is a past Board member of the YMCA of Greater Vancouver Foundation, the Justice Education Society of BC, Sustainable Cities International, and the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association.

Dr. med. Heide Richter-Airijoki (SPD) is a medical doctor and has a master’s degree in public health from Harvard School of Public Health. In the past, she worked as head of department at the German Federal Centre for Health Education (BZgA) and has done many international assignments for the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ, formerly GTZ). She was head of bilateral technical cooperation programs in the health sector in Bangladesh, India, Burkina Faso, Kenya, and Tanzania. In this capacity, she coordinated support in the areas of health systems strengthening, reproductive health, and health emergency preparedness. Dr. Richter-Airijoki was Principal Advisor on Child Survival and Development for the West and Central African Region for the United Nations children’s organization, UNICEF. She coordinated the National Capacity Building for the Tobacco Free Initiative for the World Health Organization (WHO) and consulted the German federal government on the global strategy for pandemic preparedness. As a technical delegate from Germany, she also consulted the European Commission and the World Bank in areas of program planning and evaluation. Since 2021, Dr. Richter-Airijoki has been a member of the Regional Parliament of Saxony-Anhalt for the constituency of Lutherstadt Wittenberg. She is a member of the Social Democratic (SPD) parliamentary group and the faction’s speaker on Health, Labor, and Integration. She is a deputy member of the committee on Labor, Social Issues, Health, and Gender Equality, as well as a deputy member of the committee on Federal- and European Affairs, Media, and Culture.