As our keynote speaker at the 2011 ISN Annual Users Conference, Dr. Robert Gates shares his perspective on key events in America’s history. He speaks about terrorist attacks and the ongoing overseas conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, and provides insight on the strengths and weaknesses of other powerful countries. He shares stories from his time at the Pentagon and the White House, where he served under both Republican and Democratic presidents. His message is realistic but encouraging, reminding the audience that although the United States has made mistakes in the past, it is a nation with the ability to overcome obstacles.
Gates has been a first-hand actor in major international events for over forty years. As an intelligence professional in the Central Intelligence Agency, Gates went on to serve under several U.S. presidents in various national security roles. He also served on the National Security Council and as the Director of Central Intelligence, and in 2002, he became the president of Texas A&M University. In 2006, President George W. Bush asked him to step in as Secretary of Defense, where he remained until July 1, 2011, under President Barack Obama. He has recently been named as the twenty-fourth chancellor of the College of William and Mary. Dr. Gates will follow in the footsteps of other distinguished chancellors, such as George Washington and Henry Kissinger, and most recently Sandra Day O’Connor.
Sources:
http://www.wm.edu/about/administration/chancellor/index.php
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/179603-obama-congratulates-gates-appointment-as-chancellor-at-college-of-william-a-mary
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/g/robert_m_gates/index.html
Welcome to the 2011 ISN Annual Users Conference. At this conference we will be previewing ISN 10.0, the latest version of ISNetworld, scheduled to be released December 2011. We look forward to providing this more intuitive and user-friendly version of ISNetworld to you and your company. These updates have been made to ensure all subscribers can easily navigate the system, while also maximizing the additional benefits included in an ISNetworld subscription. 
At the ISN Annual Users Conference, Doug Slitor, Acting Chief of the Office of Offshore Regulatory Programs, is presenting the new regulations and best practices for offshore operators and contractors as previously set forth by BOEMRE. BOEMRE, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement, was reorganized on October 1 into two separate entities: the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE). Mr. Slitor explains the function and scope of these new bureaus’ work.
Welcome to ISN’s 2011 Annual Users Conference. The ISN Annual Users Conference is an opportunity for Owner Clients, contractors, and other industry entities to come together and discuss best practices in contactor health, safety, and procurement. Owner Clients are sharing information on how their company uses ISNetworld to track and manage contractor compliance in industry breakout sessions. As every Owner Clients grades and use the system differently, each discusses the criteria to grade their contractors and the most important items in prequalification.
