Perth Amboy, New Jersey, Effectively Managed FEMA Grant Funds Awarded for Hurricane Sandy Damages

One community got it right.  BEMA International

The latest DHS OIG report is available on our website. (Report No. 17-21-D) Perth Amboy, New Jersey, Effectively Managed FEMA Grant Funds Awarded for Hurricane Sandy Damages The City of Perth Amboy, New Jersey (City), received an $11.3 million grant award from the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management (New Jersey), a FEMA grantee, for damages resulting from Hurricane Sandy in October 2012. We audited nine projects with net awards totaling $8.1 million. Our audit objective was to determine whether the City accounted for and expended FEMA funds according to Federal requirements. For the projects we reviewed, the City effectively accounted for and expended Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Public Assistance grant funds according to Federal regulations and FEMA guidelines. City officials accounted for disaster expenditures on a project-by-project basis; procured contracts for disaster work appropriately, and maintained adequate documentation to support the costs... READ FULL REPORT

Office of Public Affairs E: dhs-oig.officepublicaffairs@oig.dhs.gov                         OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL l DHS WWW.OIG.DHS.GOV  l TWITTER: @DHSOIG

Mayor Wilda Diaz

Wilda Diaz was re-elected as Mayor of the City of Perth Amboy for a second [four-year] term in November 2012.  She was first sworn-in on July 1, 2008, becoming the first female to hold that office and currently the only elected Latina mayor in the State of New Jersey.

Since her election in 2008, Mayor Diaz has been at the forefront of issues such as expanding programs for our children, youth and families with the use of limited resources, creating an open and honest government, business expansion, job creation and preserving and restoring the City’s history. This includes her efforts placed towards two of the City’s most used historic structures, the Perth Amboy Free Public Library, with nearly $2 million in capital improvements and the redesign plans and preservation of the Perth Amboy Train Station, in 2013.  

Diaz, most importantly has taken an unwavering stance to stabilize the City’s financial condition, as she combats $250 million of inherited debt. Her administration established a Capital Improvement Program and other cost reducing strategies, which as a result has reduced the overall debt by over $50 million and saving a community from near bankruptcy.

Diaz’s aggressive business outreach and promotion of business advocacy has welcomed major corporations to Perth Amboy, such as Vopak, Bunzl, Viridian Partners and Buckeye Partners totaling over a $600 million of investment.

Mayor Diaz is also the first woman elected president and chair of the New Jersey Urban Mayors Association (NJUMA) as of January 2014.  Her two-year term is dedicated to working with state and federal lawmakers and officials to develop appropriate and effective public policy measures that affect all New Jersey cities. 

She also currently serves as the Chairwoman for the Perth Amboy Redevelopment Agency (PARA).

Prior to taking office, Mayor Diaz spent 20 years in the banking industry where she started as a teller at a local bank after graduating from Perth Amboy High School in 1983.  She quickly rose through the ranks and was an assistant vice-president with Banco Popular when she won the mayoral seat in May 2008 and as a result, resigned from that position.

A dedicated community activist, Mayor Diaz chaired the Board of Trustees for the Jewish Renaissance Medical Center, a nonprofit group that provides health care to underserved communities.

She was a driving force behind the Puerto Rican Patriotic Cultural Committee (Comité Cultural PatrióticoPuertorriqueño de Perth Amboy), which sponsors the annual Hall Avenue Puerto Rican festival.

Additionally, she served as a member of the Perth Amboy Merchants Association (PAMA) and has been honored by local organizations such as the Puerto Rican Association for Human Development (PRAHD) and the Jewish Renaissance Foundation (JFR) for her involvement in the community.

Mayor Diaz was named by El Diario La Prensa as “Mujeres Destacadas 2012” (Outstanding Women of 2012) and was featured in Real Simple Magazine as, “The Accidental Politician” among only four female mayors in the nation.

Mayor Wilda Diaz is a life-long resident of Perth Amboy and a graduate of Perth Amboy High School. She and her husband Greg have two adult children, Gregory and Samantha.

Mayor's Office Contact Number: 732.826.7121

2017. Caribbean steps up earthquake risk reduction

Caribbean steps up earthquake risk reduction


At the Caribbean Urban Seismic Risk Forum (from left): Mr. Arturo López-Portillo Contreras, ACS; Mr. Ronald Jackson, CDEMA; Mr. François Anick Joseph, Minister of the Interior and Local Authorities, Haiti, Mr. Fritz Deshommes, State University of Haiti; Mr. Yves Fritz Joseph, National Laboratory of Building and Public Work of Haiti (Photo: UNDP Haiti)
 
By Alexcia Cooke

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, 16 January 2017 – Seven years on from the devastating earthquake in Haiti, countries from across the Caribbean are working hard to reduce the risks posed by seismic threats, as part of their wider drive towards sustainable development.
Read more at: http://www.unisdr.org/archive/51555

2017. Diaspora Challenge Initiative Winners Announced!

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	Diaspora Challenge Initiative Winners Announced! Emmanuel Ronald Bertrand Project: Georgia, US; Higher Education for Rural Development: A mentorship program with Haiti's graduating college students to sup-port the municipalities (local mayors) Steve Chérestal & Didier Jean-Baptiste Project: Florida and P-au-P, Haiti; Countrywide Microfinance: A Web Platform to Provide Nano Loans and to Serve as a Virtual Marketplace Through Harnessing Remittances Jean Conille Project: Dominican Republic; Environment: Transport Energy Ecologically-Friendly Gas Filling Stations for Public Transport Vehicles Michel Dégraff Project: Cambridge, MA: Countrywide Education Inisyativ MIT-Ayiti: Amelyore aksè ak kalite nan ansèyman Syans, Teknoloji, Enjeniri & Matematik (STEM) nan nivo lekòl segondè ak inivèsite ann Ayiti (MIT-Haiti Initiative: Improve STEM teaching in Haiti's secondary schools and colleges) Scheeler Devis Project: New-York, US; Agro-industry: Production of Syrup, Alcohol, Charcoal and Purified Water Paul Obed Dumersaint Project: Port-au-Prince, Haiti; Agriculture,Energy,Environment: Project de développement de la recherche biotechnologique, (2) de gestion de déchets municipaux, (3) de développement de la bioénergie et (4) de valorisation de biomasse végétale en environnement) Nedjeda Jean-Paul Project: Quebec, Canada; Health Care: Création d'un laboratoire d'analyses médicales (Creation of a Medical Test Laboratory) Marc Raphaël Project: California; Solar Energy: Affordable Food Business via Solar-powered Trailers, Plus Internet Hotspots Wisblaude Thermidor & Beverly Malebranche Project: New Haven, CT; Countrywide Agriculture: Fairtrade Business Model Marcel Wah Project: Chisinau, Moldova, and Plainsboro, NJ Countrywide: Agriculture: Bee farming Generate Income From Bee-related Products and Services. Reverse Pollinator Decline. Expand Current Business.

	Register Today for the Opportunity to Hear Their Ideas!

2017. Valuing Black Lives Global Summit Communiqué and Call to Action

“……..The anti-Black narrative is grounded in the lie that everything Black is inferior—Black skin, Black hair, Black culture, and Black values. For more than 500 years, nearly every institution of Western society has—explicitly and/or implicitly—carried the message that everything that comes out of Africa is inferior, including its people.

The anti-Black narrative is the reason why, according to the United Nations (2015), the descendants of the victims of enslavement, people of African ancestry all over the world, are today among the “poorest and most marginalized groups,” who “have limited access to quality education, health services, housing and social security, ... and all too often experience discrimination in their access to justice, and face alarmingly high rates of police violence, together with racial profiling.”..... "

Dear Sisters and Brothers: Happy New Year. We hope this note finds you well. We are delighted to announce the release of the Valuing Black Lives Global Summit Communiqué and Call to Action, available for download here. This is a call to the African Diaspora to change our narrative in order to change our trajectory. Thank you for joining Valuing Black Lives 2016 and contributing to the global exchange of ideas about how we free ourselves from the root causes of the devaluing of Black lives. The 2017 Global Action Task Force has been hard at work planning for a May 2017 launch of the Action: #ImAfricanBornIn____ #WeAreOne, and will be releasing its plan next month. Please share the Communiqué and Call to Action widely, and please join in, and help us spread the word about, the 2017 Global Action. Thank you. We look forward to our continuing collaboration with you in this third year of the International Decade for People of African Descent. Sincerely, Enola Aird, Community Healing Network, Inc. Cheryl Tawede Grills, The Association of Black Psychologists Community Healing Network, Inc., 111 Whalley Avenue , New Haven, CT 06511

Slavery in our own communities. 21st Century Slavery.

Slavery does exist in its' simplistic form.  It exists in our need for shelter, water, food, for emotional and physical comfort, and drug addiction.

During times of disasters.  In the local and international shelters, in the distribution of water & food, in the movement of migrants and refugees from disasters and civil unrest.

Search for events on slavery (human trafficking and sex slavery) in your community.  Awareness is the first step.

           https://www.eventbrite.com/d/usa/human-trafficking/?crt=regular&sort=best
                -Change SEARCH criteria for your region (U.S., Caribbean, Africa, etc.)
                   to your community.

CDS  CEO BEMA International.

HOT FREE Training Opportunity. Managing Emergency Response in the Humanitarian Sector

Managing emergency response in the humanitarian sector — free online course

Join thousands of other humanitarians and become a better manager in humanitarian response. The Humanitarian Leadership Academy is launching its first massive open online course, “Managing in the humanitarian sector.” It will give you the right skills to become a more effective leader and a better manager in humanitarian response. The course, which starts on Jan. 23, 2017, lasts three weeks and only requires four hours of learning each week. You will be able to interact with other humanitarians through interactive forums and reflective learning, and receive a free certificate at the end of the course. The course will be accessible from Jan. 16, 2017, so that you can familiarise yourself with its content. Your career will benefit and it’s a great opportunity to gain the skills and knowledge needed to manage teams in humanitarian contexts — register today!

2017. Volunteer to host InfraGardNCR New Member Orientations.

NEW for 2017: New Member orientations - can you help?

As part of our ongoing effort to ensure you know what InfraGardNCR can do for you, the chapter will host 3 new member orientation meetings throughout 2017.  

New members will be invited to... 

• meet the chapter's leadership 
• see a demonstration of the InfraGard portal
• hear from our FBI Coordinators
• be introduced to the Washington Field Office leadership
• get an overview of chapter programs and initiatives
• be afforded an opportunity to get involved in the chapters SIGs, workgroups, and/or committees
• be provided with helpful resources available to them

Current members will also be welcome to attend.

In order to conduct these meetings, we need your help!  We're looking for hosts to provide the venue.  Venue requirements include internet availability, projector/screen, and seating for 50-100 people.  If you are in a position to host a new member orientation, please contact us!

Webinar. 1/25/2016. National Security. Financial Intelligence & Information Sharing Working Group (FIIS WG)

Jan. 25 event / webinar on financial intelligence - sign up now!

The Financial Intelligence & Information Sharing Working Group (FIIS WG) - part of the American Security Project - is proudly hosting its Annual Winter Symposium on January 25 at Booz Allen in cooperation with the Intelligence & National Security Alliance (INSA) Financial Threats Task Force, InfraGardNCR, and the American Bar Association's Section of International Law. THE EVENT WILL ALSO BE HOSTED VIA WEBINAR / PHONE. Click here for more details and to register!

The agenda includes: 

• MR. CHARLES BRETZ, Director of Payment Risk, FS-ISAC - "The 'Sheltered Harbor' Initiative"
• MR. YAYA FANUSIE, Director of Analysis, Center on Sanctions and Illicit Finance (CSIF), Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) - "Blockchain Technology: Benefits and Risks for National Security"
• MR. BROCK RENSHAW, Threat Intelligence Analyst, Strategic Intelligence Analysis Group, Citigroup - "Sanctions Evasion within Iran's Aviation Sector"
• MS. SARAH LANGFORD, Data Manager, and MS. KIMBERLY HORNIK, VP Compliance and Administration, Integrity Management Services, Inc. (IntegrityM) - "Aberrancies in Home Health Agency Beneficiary Sharing: A Healthcare Fraud Analysis Case"
• MR. SCOTT DUEWEKE, President, The Digital Identities and Payments Association's (IDPAY) - "Banking and ISO 27001 standards"
• MR. SONNY CARPENTER, Associate, BakerHostetler - "International Anti-Corruption Enforcement and Impact on Financial Institutions"
• MR. ADAM DRUCKER, Assistant Section Chief, Counter-Terrorism Division, FBI - "Terrorist Facilitation Networks"
  
  Moderators:
• Ms. Lesley Rockwell, Citigroup and Co-Chair of the FIIS WG
• Ms. Danielle Camner Lindholm, Whitehorse Technologies and Co-Chair of the FIIS WG and the ABA Natl Security Committee; Immediate Past Co-Chair of the ABA Intl AML Committee

For more information, please contact Danielle Lindholm at dcamner@hotmail.com. 

$25,000 Prize. FTC IoT Home Inspector Challenge

FTC launches IoT Challenge

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is hosting a prize competition that challenges the public to create a technical solution ("tool") that consumers can use to guard against security vulnerabilities in software found on the Internet of Things (IoT) devices in their homes.

The tool would, at a minimum, help protect consumers from security vulnerabilities caused by out-of-date software. Contestants have the option of adding features, such as those that would address hard-coded, factory default or easy-to-guess passwords.  The prize for the competition is up to $25,000, with $3,000 available for each honorable mention winner(s). Winners will be announced on or about July 27, 2017.  The deadline for registering and submitting entries is May 22, 2017 at 12:00pm EDT. For full details, click here

2017 Internship Opportunities. Nat. Weather Service.

The National Weather Service (NWS) National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) is accepting applications for its 2017 summer student internship program. NCEP is offering up to 10 paid summer internships targeted towards current undergraduate and graduate students to work in areas that will meet the future needs of the ever-broadening weather-climate-water user community.  Students may be involved in activities that improve understanding of forecasting issues and address critical aspects of operational model development.

Students from the following majors are welcome to apply: math, physics, meteorology, atmospheric and climate science, computer science, engineering, and social science. Each student will collaborate with one or more scientists at our five centers located in College Park, MD: Climate Prediction Center, Environmental Modeling Center, NOAA Central Operations, Ocean Prediction Center, and Weather Prediction Center.

Applications are due February 6, 2017. For more information and to apply: http://www.ncep.noaa.gov/student-internships/

The NCEP Executive Officer, Genene Fisher (genene.fisher@noaa.gov), can also answer any questions you might have.

DHHS Office of Minority Health. FY 2017 Funding Opportunity Announcement

FY 2017 Funding Opportunity Announcement

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health (OMH) administers grant programs to support projects that implement innovative models to improve minority health and reduce health disparities.
OMH has released a new funding opportunity announcement (FOA) for which applications are now being accepted. Applications are due by April 3, 2017 at 5:00 pm ET.
Announcement Number: MP-AIA-17-001

Opportunity Title: American Indian/Alaska Native Health Equity Initiative (AI/AN Health Equity Initiative)
Estimated Funding Level: $2 million per budget period
The Office of Minority Health (OMH) at the United States Department of Health and Human Services announces the availability of Fiscal Year 2017 grant funds for the American Indian/Alaska Native Health Equity Initiative (AI/AN Health Equity Initiative). The purpose of the AI/AN Health Equity Initiative is to support tailoring or developing, and implementing, of evidence-based models and/or promising practices to help address trauma (historical and generational) existing in AI/AN communities through innovative programs.
Learn more about this FOA and how to apply.

Save the date for a technical assistance webinar for interested applicants on February 8, 2017 at 3:00-4:00 pm ET.

Register here: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/1248024142376826115

An additional technical assistance webinar on “Evaluation – Review the Basics” will be held on February 23, 2017 at 3:00-4:30 pm ET.

Register here: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4463287512730060547

Answering the call.     CDS  CEO BEMA International

Presidential Proclamation -- National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month, 2017 NATIONAL SLAVERY AND HUMAN TRAFFICKING PREVENTION MONTH, 2017 - - - - - - - BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA A PROCLAMATION Our Nation wrestled with the issue of slavery in a way that nearly tore us apart -- its fundamental notion in direct contradiction with our founding premise that we are all created equal. The courageous individuals who rejected such cruelty helped us overcome one of the most painful chapters in our history as we worked to realize the promise of equality and justice for all. But today, in too many places around the world -- including right here in the United States -- the injustice of modern slavery and human trafficking still tears at our social fabric. During National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month, we resolve to shine a light on every dark corner where human trafficking still threatens the basic rights and freedoms of others. From factories and brothels to farms and mines, millions of men, women, and children in the United States and around the world are exploited for their bodies and their labor. Whether through violence, deceit, or the promises of a better life, some of the most vulnerable populations among us -- including migrants and refugees fleeing conflict or disaster, homeless LGBT youth, Alaska Native and American Indian women and girls, and children in poverty -- are preyed upon by human traffickers. In order to rid the world of modern slavery we must do everything in our power to combat these violations of human decency. The United States has pursued efforts to address these crimes and lift up individuals who have suffered unspeakable abuse at the hands of traffickers. Through the Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, we have joined with the private sector, faith communities, law enforcement, and advocates to coordinate efforts to prevent trafficking and protect victims. Focusing on an agenda that prioritizes victim services, the rule of law, procurement of supplies, and increasing public awareness, the Task Force has strengthened Federal efforts to end human trafficking. In 2012, I issued an Executive Order to strengthen protections against human trafficking in Federal contracting, and nearly a year ago, I signed legislation that strengthened our ability to prevent products made with forced labor, including child labor, from entering American markets. We must address the consequences of human trafficking and work to tackle its root causes. This past fiscal year, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Justice provided more than $60 million to community-based organizations and task forces to assist human trafficking victims, and since the beginning of my Administration, we have nearly tripled the number of victims connected to services.The Department of Homeland Security has also taken steps to streamline immigration procedures for trafficking victims and ensure their regulations are consistent with existing law. And through new Victims of Crime Act regulations, Federal funds can now be used to help human trafficking victims with their housing. Through the White House Council on Women and Girls, we have worked to address the sexual abuse-to-prison pipeline that disproportionately affects those especially vulnerable to sex trafficking -- including young women and girls of color. And the U.S. Advisory Council on Human Trafficking -- comprised of 11 human trafficking survivors of diverse backgrounds and experiences -- recently released its first set of recommendations for combating human trafficking while keeping survivor perspectives in mind. Every action we take at home, from the clothing we wear to the food we eat, is connected to what happens around the world. As a Nation, we have worked to address the problem of forced labor in our supply chains, and as individuals, we must strive to be conscientious consumers. Working with our friends and allies, we have made this issue an international priority. Just this year we used multilateral fora, including the North American Leaders Summit, the East Asia Summit, and the United Nations, to raise awareness and work with partners around the globe. In addition to urging other countries to develop and expand their anti-trafficking laws and services for victims, we are also stepping up our foreign assistance in this area. Working alongside the international community, we have seen significant increases in trafficking prosecutions and convictions, and we have made great strides in supporting victims. As leaders in the global undertaking to end the exploitation of human beings for profit, we must always remember that our freedom is bound to the freedom of others. This month, let us find inspiration in America's progress toward justice, opportunity, and prosperity for all and reaffirm our pledge to continue fighting for human rights around the world. NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim January 2017 as National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month, culminating in the annual celebration of National Freedom Day on February 1. I call upon businesses, national and community organizations, families, and all Americans to recognize the vital role we must play in ending all forms of slavery and to observe this month with appropriate programs and activities. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-eighth day of December, in the year of our Lord two thousand sixteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-first. BARACK OBAMA *************************************************** Read more: DipNote Post: Confronting Human Traffickers, Helping Those Who Are Victimized