GREENEVILLE — Maj. Gen. Jerry D. Humble, director of the Tennessee Office of Homeland Security, will present a session on “Homeland Security: Present and Future” during ETSU annual Regional Environmental Conference that will focus on “Working Together to Preserve Our Region’s Resources.”
This conference, sponsored by the office of professional development, will be held Wednesday and Thursday, March 5-6, at the General Morgan Inn in downtown Greeneville.
Humble’s break-out session will be at 1 p.m. in a conference meeting room on Thursday, March 6, following the lunchtime keynote address by Betsy Child, the newly appointed commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation.
Humble, a two-star general in the U. S. Marine Corps, retired Jan. 1 after 33 years of active duty and was appointed to his new position by Gov. Phil Bredesen. He most recently served as commanding general of the USMC Recruiting Command in Quantico, Va.
Throughout his career, Humble commanded and led efforts in security and counter-terrorism, and he has commanded at every level, including the Marine division.
The Tennessee Office of Homeland Security is responsible for developing and implementing a comprehensive strategy to secure the state from threats such as terrorist attacks, and its office interacts with the National Office of Homeland Security and coordinates State Homeland Security actions through the Homeland Security Council. The office is a cabinet-level department in the Bredesen administration.
The Regional Environmental Conference is designed for businesses and industries seeking ways to cut energy and waste costs, as well as for city and county officials anticipating changes to environmental legislation. It is also for anyone living or working in this region who is interested in preserving its beauty while “keeping it a great place to live and work.”
Topics include environmental health and safety, waste reduction, recycling, economic and community development, solid waste solutions, watershed groups, common hazardous waste violations, industrial ergonomics, new environmental regulations, air quality, environmental laboratory tests and results, stormwater and sedimentation runoff, homeland security and more.
The keynote speaker on March 5 is American Lung Association President Dr. Anthony DeLucia, who is a professor in the department of surgery at Quillen College of Medicine and an adjunct faculty member in the university’s Department of Environmental Health.
For more information on the conference and registration, or special assistance for those with disabilities, call the office of professional development at 439-8083 or 1-800-222-3878.

Author