Hattiesburg, MS - Noted security expert Col. Bob Stephan emphasizes that the United States should not let its guard down for one second despite the recent killing of terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden.

Stephan, former assistant secretary of Homeland Security for Infrastructure Protection, will drive that point home as part of his speech to those assembled for the 2011 National Sport Safety and Security Conference & Exhibition Aug. 2-4 in New Orleans.

“The threat environment that special event planners must address grows ever more complex and ever more dangerous,” said Stephan. “The Al Qaeda network continues to operate and probe for weaknesses in our defenses, despite the death of its top leader.”

Stephan, managing director of Dutko Global Risk Management, will join a group of keynote speakers for the second annual conference hosted by the National Center for Spectator Sports Security and Safety (NCS4) at The University of Southern Mississippi. More than 400 security professionals from across the country and approximately 56 vendors are expected to attend the event.

Stephan has also held a variety of key operational and command positions in the joint special operations community during a 24-year Air Force career. During Operation Desert Storm he deployed to Saudi Arabia as a joint battlestaff planner and mission commander supporting Joint Special Operations Task Force strategic inderdiction operations in Iraq.

“Col. Bob Stephan will bring a wealth of emergency preparedness experience to the attendees of the National Conference,” said NCS4 Director Dr. Lou Marciani. “He will focus on the nature of the threats we face today in sports security and illustrate the linkages between sports security and event planning and broader community preparedness in the contest of a multi-threat world in which we live.”

Stephan applauds the work being done at NCS4 and notes that the upcoming National Conference will provide a platform for sharing ideas and protocols in security preparedness.

“The NCS4 event is important in providing a forum for the national exchange of security planning and incident management best practices and benchmarks it represents,” he said. “It also represents an opportunity to explore the application of special security and incident response planning to broader preparedness context in important communities across the United States.”

Established in 2006, the National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security was created to provide an interdisciplinary academic environment to further increase sport security awareness, improve sport security policies and procedures and enhance emergency response through evacuation, recovery operations and crowd management training.

For more information about NCS4 and the national conference call 601.266.6183 or visit www.NCS4.com/conference

About Southern Miss:

The University of Southern Mississippi, founded in 1910, is a comprehensive doctoral and research-extensive university fulfilling its mission of being a leading university in engaging and empowering individuals to transform lives and communities. In a tradition of leadership for student development, Southern Miss is educating a 21st century work force providing intellectual capital, cultural enrichment and innovation to Mississippi and the world.

Southern Miss is located in Hattiesburg, MS, with an additional campus and teaching and research sites on the Mississippi Gulf Coast; further information is found at www.usm.edu

About Noetic Technologies:

Noetic Technologies, Inc. began as an initiative of The University of Southern Mississippi and is geared toward marketing and commercialization of the university’s technology. Since 2004, Noetic has played a vital role in bringing ideas to the marketplace for several high tech startup companies. Noetic’s management team comprises over fifty years of combined experience in market research, product development, process management, and marketing strategies.