ProfNet Experts Available on National Security, Educational Technology, More

NEW YORK, Aug. 13, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Below are experts from the ProfNet network that are available to discuss timely issues in your coverage area. If you are interested in interviewing any of the experts, please contact them via the contact information at the end of the listing. To receive these updates by email, send a note to [email protected] with the industries you cover, and we'll add you to the appropriate edition. 

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EXPERT ALERTS

• Cybersecurity Protects Our Way of Life
• GM Battling Ignition-Switch Plaintiffs
• Fast Food Must Shore up Late-Night Security
• 'Docs v. Glocks' Law Faces Further Challenges
• Benefits, Challenges and Developments in Edtech Space

MEDIA JOBS

• Reporter - Tech Times (NY)
• Sports Editor - The Daily Independent (CA)
• Managing Editor - POLITICO (VA)

OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES

• Journalism and the Web@25
• Adding Humor to Your Writing
• Grammar Hammer: Everyday vs. Every Day

EXPERT ALERTS:

Cybersecurity Protects Our Way of Life
Jeffrey Wells
Executive Director of Cyber Development
Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development
"Cybersecurity is not just national security. It's not just espionage. It's economic stability. It's individual privacy. And it really is protecting the global way of life and doing business as usual here in the U.S."
Maryland is the epicenter for cybersecurity. Other states including Virginia, Michigan and Delaware are patterning initiatives after Maryland's. However, Maryland is the first state to provide cyber-specific investment tax credits and security-related tax incentives. Maryland is also home to a unique concentration of assets that attract talent such as the National Security Agency (NSA), the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IAPRA), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the headquarters of U.S. Cyber Command, the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) and intelligence and communications responsibilities at Fort Meade and at Aberdeen Proving Ground. Maryland's military installations have an estimated impact of $18 billion on the state's economy.
Jeffrey Wells was appointed executive director of cyber development in the Maryland Department of Business & Economic Development (DBED) in September 2013. Prior to his appointment, he was managing partner and founder of i2 -- Innovation Intelligence, LLC, a consultancy focused on sustainable growth strategies in emerging markets. In 2007, Wells established the social business and anti-poverty enterprise Khalakom, which focused on developing a new generation of entrepreneurs in extreme emerging markets via the affordable sale of mobile communications products. Prior to that, he was Chief of Operations and Lead Analyst for the innovation arm of Nokia, Innovent. He has also founded several non-profits, including the Connected Warrior Foundation, to improve the quality of life for wounded veterans. He is available to discuss cybersecurity, cyberdevelopment, technology transfer, IT security, hackers, cybercommercialization, hiring veterans.
ProfNet Profile: http://www.profnetconnect.com/jeffreywells
Website: http://business.maryland.gov
Media Contact: Andrew Ratner, [email protected]

GM Battling Ignition-Switch Plaintiffs
John DeGroote
Attorney-Mediator
John DeGroote Services, LLC in Dallas
"Auto manufacturing powerhouse General Motors is seeking protection from scores of plaintiffs and potential plaintiffs who claim they were injured or suffered economic losses based on the ignition-switch defect that has led GM to recall more than 2.5 million vehicles so far. GM says it is exempt from the lawsuits based on bankruptcy protections secured prior to its 2009 sale to a government-backed entity in Chapter 11 proceedings. But both GM and the plaintiffs should focus on the end game. No matter what the parties' legal positions may be, both sides have interests that a courtroom can't give them. GM's Ken Feinberg-driven compensation fund is a great start, and the key going forward will be whether both sides can step away from their legal arguments long enough to find a reasonable solution for the claims that remain."
Media Contact: Bruce Vincent, [email protected]

Fast Food Must Shore up Late-Night Security
Chris Hamilton
Attorney
Standly Hamilton, LLP in Dallas
"Businesses that rely on late-night revenue must focus on customer safety. Convenience stores learned ways to protect customers in the 1970s after adopting extended hours and experiencing the late-night crime that exists practically everywhere. The fast-food industry has been operating under extended hours since the mid-2000s, but many still don't have proper security to protect customers."
Hamilton represented the families of two Texas teens who died after a late-night altercation at a McDonald's, securing a $27 million jury verdict against the restaurant.
Media Contact: Bruce Vincent, [email protected]

'Docs v. Glocks' Law Faces Further Challenges
David M. Walsh IV
Health Care Appellate Lawyer
Chamblee, Ryan, Kershaw & Anderson, P.C. in Dallas
"Recently, the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals voted 2-1 to overturn a federal judge's ruling that Florida's 'Docs v. Glocks' law that stops doctors from asking patients about gun ownership impinged upon health care providers' rights to free speech and likely will face further court scrutiny. Proponents of the law say it preserves patient privacy and curbs abuse of physician-patient confidentiality. When screening patients, many physicians ask about gun ownership, smoking, eating habits, and other variables. Lawyers representing doctors argue that banning such questions infringes upon doctors' First Amendment rights by threatening them with heavy fines and the loss of their medical licenses if they ask those questions. This case poses interesting constitutional questions and physicians' attorneys have promised to appeal it further."
Media Contact: Dave Moore, [email protected]

Benefits, Challenges and Developments in Edtech Space
Jen Shoop
Chief Innovation Officer
Moneythink
"Educational technologies are not a silver bullet, and purely digital solutions can be a challenging proposition, especially for the underserved markets many of these solutions are intended to meet. Implementation and learner support should always be kept front of mind."
Shoop is an expert on education technology, digital courseware, product design and development for underserved populations, curriculum design and educational impact measurement, e-learning, and the issue of educational access. She has written published many blog posts on educational technology, product design, and piloting edtech solutions among low-income youth on the Moneythink blog (http://moneythink.org/blog/). She has collaborated with giants in the industry, such as IDEO.org and Causelabs. She is available to share thoughts on the benefits, challenges, and developments in the edtech space.
Website: http://moneythink.org
Media Contact: Kristen Faiferlick, [email protected]

MEDIA JOBS:

Following are links to job listings for staff and freelance writers, editors and producers. You can view these and more job listings on our Job Board: https://prnmedia.prnewswire.com/community/jobs/

• Reporter - Tech Times (NY)
• Sports Editor - The Daily Independent (CA)
• Managing Editor - POLITICO (VA)

See more listings here.

OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES:

Following are links to other news and resources we think you might find useful. If you have an item you think other reporters would be interested in and would like us to include in a future alert, please drop us a line at [email protected]

• JOURNALISM AND THE WEB@25. It's hard to believe that the World Wide Web has been around for a quarter century. Many industries have been impacted in the 25 years since the birth of the Web, and the media industry is surely no exception. On July 29 we heart from an all-star media panel of experts at Poynter's "Journalism and the Web@25" event. The panelists provided their insight into the past, present and future of media. Check out our recap: http://prn.to/1k9EjKY
• ADDING HUMOR TO YOUR WRITING. On Tuesday, Aug. 5, we hosted a Twitter Q&A with Michele "Wojo" Wojciechowski on how to inject humor into your writing. If you missed the chat, you can read a recap of it here: http://prn.to/1qWGboZ
• GRAMMAR HAMMER: EVERYDAY VS. EVERY DAY: In her latest Grammar Hammer column, Cathy Spicer explains the difference between "everyday" and "every day": prn.to/1o6MZ4V

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