Since 9/11, the federal government has communicated with the public about homeland security in confusing and often inconsistent ways, from requests to purchase duct tape to color-coded threat levels. A new administration will offer the opportunity for a change in direction. Rep. Jane Harman, chair of the Intelligence and Terrorism Risk Subcommittee of the House Homeland Security Committee; Frances Fragos Townsend, former Homeland Security Advisor to President George W. Bush; and Jerome Hauer, former Director of the Office of Emergency Management in New York City, will address the critical question of how the public can better be incorporated into the homeland security mission. The Homeland Security Presidential Transition Initiative is a joint project of the Center for American Progress Action Fund and Third Way.