The rise of the American homeland security endeavor under the leadership of the new Department of Homeland Security has been heralded by several major national strategy documents. These documents have served to organize efforts at top levels within the government and industry. However, the national strategy guidance is not getting to many organizations and people at the grass-roots level who can make the most difference in preventing attacks, protecting systems, and recovering from catastrophic events, viz. the general citizenry, private infrastructure owners, and local governments. To better understand grass-roots issues and solutions, James Madison University, in cooperation with the Federal Facilities Council of the National Academy of Sciences, organized a symposium, bringing together a cross-section of federal, state, and local officials as well as industry, academia, and citizenry. Specific symposium objectives included: (1) Illumination of current strategies and efforts and their strengths and shortfalls; (2) Exposition and discussion of new strategies to engage and incentivize organizations and individuals on the frontlines including threat awareness, prevention, protection, and response.