Author Talk | Rising from Ground Zero
Authors of *Rising from Ground Zero* discuss how FDNY firefighters and other emergency responders navigated the organizational, leadership, and management upheaval that followed September 11. Drawing on previously unpublished interviews conducted by the authors, the presentation examines how responders processed change over the ensuing decades and considers lessons in crisis management, leadership under pressure, and organizational transformation.
The speakers are Gregory P. Shea, a senior fellow at the Wharton Center for Leadership and Change Management and at the University of Pennsylvania’s Institute for Implementation Science, as well as an adjunct senior fellow at the Wharton School’s Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics; Paul Brown, a retired New York City Fire captain, educator, and third-generation firefighter with more than 30 years as a first responder; and André Kotzé, founder of AirtimeBA and principal consultant at Teamworks Training and Development, whose background includes mountain rescue, refugee camps, and research into measurable patterns of human behavior. Annie McKee, a University of Pennsylvania adjunct professor and bestselling author specializing in leadership and emotional intelligence, moderates.
When: Monday, November 9, 2026
Showtime: 6:00 P.M.
Tickets: Free
Registration: Registration is required.
Venue: Montgomery Auditorium, Ground Floor, Parkway Central Library
Address: 1901 Vine Street, between 19th and 20th Streets on the Parkway, Philadelphia, PA 19103-1189
Ages: Adult, young adult, and senior
Event type: Author event; speakers and lecture
Department: Social Science and History Department
Lineup: Gregory P. Shea, PhD; Paul Brown; André Kotzé; Annie McKee, PhD, moderator
Subject matter: The September 11 attacks, FDNY responders, crisis management, high-stakes decision-making, leadership, and organizational change
Run time: Not specified.
Accessibility: No event-specific accessibility information is provided.
Contact: Social Science and History Department, 215-686-5396; Parkway Central Library, 215-567-4341
Note: The views expressed by the authors and moderator are their own and do not represent the Free Library of Philadelphia or its employees.