Casey Wasserman

Redefining Business as Usual: Finding Opportunity in Disruption

Gillian Tett, Ed Bastian, Janet Napolitano, Casey Wasserman

Executives from Delta Airlines, the University of California, and the sports industry outlined divergent recovery timelines for travel, education, and entertainment, projecting a three-year horizon for aviation full-scale operations and a hybrid academic model for universities. The discussion detailed strict safety protocols including mandatory masking, universal testing, and operational "bubbles" while addressing economic shifts such as reduced business travel and the strategic reallocation of police funding toward education to address systemic inequality. Ultimately, the panelists emphasized that resilience and technological adaptation will drive a cultural shift toward prioritizing health and sustainability, with a forecasted return to 50-80% normalcy within two years contingent on vaccine advancement.