2022 SecurityNext Speakers

Suzanna Alsayed, Founder, Evolutz and Hilt International Security Inc.

Suzanna Alsayed is an Emergency Management and Security Specialist in Toronto with over eight years of diverse experience in roles within both public and private sectors with expertise in facilitating multi-disciplinary projects involving internal and external stakeholders. In 2020, Suzanna founded Hilt International Security Inc., a holistic security firm that focuses on bridging the gap between Emergency Management and Security. She also founded Evolutz Inc., an independent global brand, design, copy, and website development agency. Evolutz’s mission is to help businesses and professionals within various industries, with a particular specialization and focus vis-à-vis tech and security sectors.

Alsayed was named #2 in 2020 for the IFSEC Global Top Influencers in Security & Fire in the "Commercial Security Association Figures/Academics/Thought Leaders" category. Suzanna is also one of the Top 25 Influencers within the security industry as determined by International Security Journal (2021 and 2022), was selected by Security Systems News Top 40 under 40 (2021), Top 30 under 30 Alumni for York University (2022), and was also awarded the ‘’2021 Emerging Leader award’’ by the Canadian Security magazine.

Candice Aragon, Vice President of Marketing & Events, PSA Network

Candice Aragon is the vice president of marketing and events at the PSA Network. She has 13 years of marketing and public relations experience across a wide array of industries, previously serving as a marketing leader in the financial services industry. She has appeared on national television sharing consumer savings advice and worked on the public relations team at Realtor.com, where she launched the celebrity real estate initiative. She has a master’s degree in Strategic Public Relations from the University of Southern California as well as a bachelor’s degree in Communications and Political Science from California Lutheran University. She currently serves as the President of Cal Lutheran’s Alumni Board of Directors.

Rose “Liz” Bacus, FedGov Project Engineer, Integrated Security Technologies, Inc.

Rose “Liz” Bacus has worked 11 years in the DoD/Federal space: four years active duty in the United States Navy as an Electrician's Mate, and seven years as a Department of Defense Contractor. She obtained her Bachelor of Science in Communication and her Master of Business Administration from the University of Phoenix San Diego Campus. Her experience includes working on and providing engineering support for repair, install, and maintenance work on US Navy integrated shipboard systems; and integrated electronic security systems (ESS) design for DoD shore installations. She is currently a Federal Government Project Engineer with Integrated Security Technologies in Oahu, Hawaii, where she designs ESS and manages Federal Government projects from cradle to grave.

Michael Barnes, Founding Partner, Barnes Associates, Inc.

Michael Barnes founded Barnes Associates in 1986 and directs the firm’s Mergers and Acquisitions activities. He is based in St. Louis, Missouri. Since founding Barnes Associates, Michael has been involved in more than 280 security alarm acquisitions, with an aggregate transaction value in excess of $29 billion. Michael has served on the board of directors of the National Burglar & Fire Alarm Association (now ESA) and the Security Industry Association. He also lectures at numerous events within the security alarm industry on matters relating to acquisitions, the availability of capital and the operating dynamics and performance of alarm companies. Mr. Barnes was the 13th person to be inducted into the Security Alarm Industry Hall of Fame, an honor he received in 2004.

Kathryn Bartunek, Sr. Security Design Manager, Cloud Operations + Innovation (CO+I),Microsoft

Kathryn Bartunek is currently serving as Senior Security Design Manager for Microsoft's Cloud Operations+Innovation Team. In this role, she leads strategies and best practices in Physical and Electronic Security design for Microsoft's Cloud ecosystem, focused on US East Coast and Latin America geographies.

A recognized thought leader in Security and a seasoned practitioner, she has spent over 15 years designing and executing global critical infrastructure projects, delivering Security best practices and innovations across Technology, Process, Planning, Engineering, Estimation, Procurement, Integration and Construction Services functions.

Her proud accomplishments include helping rebuild the World Trade Center Campus in NYC and leading Engineering Project Delivery for a $400M PANYNJ Tunnels, Bridges, and Terminals portfolio in 2019 and 2020.

She was honored as an inaugural SIA Women in Security Forum Power 100 and named a 2020 national Security Industry 40 Under 40.

She is a passionate advocate for Women in Security and continues to be a positive voice for advancing Women's careers and goals in her field. She currently co-leads the Technical Women at Microsoft Action Committee and is a SIA New Products and Solutions Awards Steering Committee Member. She has volunteered in various other forums including as SIA's Women in Security Forum Community Liaison, on the ASIS Chapter 50 Board, on the Engineers Without Borders Corporate Leadership Council, and as a Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship Tech Startup Mentor.

Pierre Bourgeix, Senior Partner, Butchko•ESI

Within the security industry, Bourgeix spent more than 20 years as a global security consultant and innovator, at such industry leaders as ADT, HySecurity, Wallace International, Tyco, and SecureState. Currently, he is the President of ESICONVERGENT LLC, a company dedicated to converged assessments and sourcing for the security industry.

He has had years of experience within the physical and cybersecurity arena and has been involved in developing security governance programs and has been integral in the design of enterprise security systems. His primary expertise is Physical, Cyber Security Governance and he is an SME in video security analytics and integration.

Bourgeix’s path has taken him into the physical security barrier industry, gate control, electronic security, managed services security and finally the cybersecurity arena. He has worked on projects throughout the Middle East and Asia, and has spoken at many conferences such as ISC, manufacturer events, and association meetings globally.

As one of the thought leaders in convergence of IT, OT and Physical Security, he presently is involved in creating security standards for the testing of products, systems, and solutions. He also is in the process of developing a model that will explain the Physical Security Kill chain, which will lead to the need for proper predictive analytics across IT, OT, and Physical Security. Pierre has developed a Converged Security Gap Assessment that can assist companies in developing a proper risk rating across IT, OT and Physical Security. He speaks fluently in English, French, and Arabic.

Benjamin M. Butchko, CEO, Butchko•ESI

Benjamin Butchko is an accomplished senior security engineer and project manager in the field of operations risk analysis, threat assessments, security consulting, system design, and project planning for national and international building projects. Primary efforts involve enterprise projects in critical infrastructure, petrochemical, industrial, medical, corporate, and science research industries. He is a regular presenter on security assessment, strategic planning, design, and deployment.

Butchko’s professional experience includes leading security engineering for ExxonMobil, Senior Member of Technical Staff at Sandia National Laboratories, and running an international risk and security consulting company since 2004. Butchko has developed and executed numerous security strategies, master plans, risk assessments, designs, system commissioning, and operations integrations.

Stephen Caroselli, CEO & Founder, Orion Entrance Control, Inc.

Steve Caroselli drew upon the years of experience he gained in the turnstile and security industry to open Orion Entrance Control, Inc., in 2009. In under a decade, Orion Entrance Control has tripled its workforce, expanded sales to eleven countries, and provides turnstile solutions for some of the biggest names in business. Steve developed Orion Entrance Control to manufacture innovative and customized entrance control lanes that combine quality craftsmanship and innovation in all products. Orion Entrance Control proudly manufactures its products in the USA, in Steve’s home state of New Hampshire. Steve and his team have also adopted a “green initiative” by using recycled steel and other raw materials whenever possible.

Michael Hanlon, Senior Director of Sales, Allied Universal Technology Services

Michael Hanlon is the Sr. Director of Integrated Security Systems for Allied Universal® Technology Services. Mr. Hanlon has spent 30 years developing programs for clients to leverage technology to enhance their business operations and improve their security. Prior to joining Allied Universal, Mr. Hanlon oversaw Managed Services for G4S overseeing Monitored and Managed Services in Burlington, Mass and Jupiter, FL. Prior to G4S, Mr. Hanlon led a startup first-generation Managed Services company specializing in Retail, Industrial and Multifamily Housing. He has experience in managing national teams of consultants, designers and engineers in creating programs for in house Security Operations Center (SOC) and fully outsourced Security Operations Centers as a Service (SOCaaS). Mr. Hanlon oversees the integration of AI, automation, robotics and UAV technology from the sites to Allied Universal’s Monitoring and Response Centers (MaRCs) to improve operations, reduce risk and optimize a connected security program.

Kasia Hanson, Global Director, Edge AI Sales – Safety & Security, Intel Corp.

Hanson, who took over this year as chair of Security Industry Association’s (SIA) Women in Security Forum (WISF), has been with Intel for more than 20 years, and is responsible for partner and end user sales of Intel’s Edge.AI portfolio and partner solutions for the Internet of Things. This includes GTM partnerships, co-marketing and developing sales acceleration strategies to drive revenue growth with Safety and Security & Smart City and Venue partners including OEM’s, ISV’s, VMS and System Integrators.

Hanson joined Intel in 2000 and prior roles included: Platform and Distribution Sales Director - Intel Storage and Memory Division, responsible for growing SSD sales in Distribution and ramping Intel’s new 3D NAND SSD products globally, She also led Intel’s multi-billion dollar PC business with HPI, delivering multiple years of record double digit growth in commercial and consumer PCs. Kasia has deep technology experience across the Channel and Distribution, Multi-National OEMs, Software and cross vertical including Fortune 500, Government, Oil and Gas, Entertainment and Retail.

Jim Henry, Consultant, Butchko•ESI

Jim Henry, an independent consultant, recently joined Butchko•ESI, led by Senior Partner Pierre Bourgeix and CEO Benjamin M. Butchko. Prior to this, he was Executive Vice President of Corporate Development for Securitas Electronic Security, Inc (SES).He joined SES via the acquisition of the Public Safety and Security division of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in June 2018. From December 2010 through June 2018 Jim was Executive Vice President (EVP) for Kratos Public Safety & Security Solutions, Inc. (Kratos PSS), a division of Kratos Security and Defense Solutions (KTOS). Henry’s title of EVP for Kratos PSS was assumed on Dec. 15, 2010 via the acquisition of Henry Bros. Electronics, Inc. (HBE) by Kratos PSS.

From November 2001 through December 15, 2010, he was Chairman and CEO of HBE, headquartered first in Saddle Brook, N.J., and then in Fair Lawn, N.J. HBE was sold to a public company in 1986, reacquired by a team led by Henry in 1989, and grown as a private company until Henry took it public in November of 2001. HBE was originally founded as an electronic repair shop in Paramus, N.J. in 1950 by John (Jim’s father), Hartford and Raymond Henry (the three “Henry Brothers”). Under the ownership of the “Henry Brothers” from 1950 to 1986, HBE grew to have three divisions: Security Systems Integration, Land/Mobile Radio Systems, and Consumer Electronics Sales/Service. Jim Henry joined HBE as an Applications Engineer in June of 1978 after receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of New Hampshire.

Antoinette King, Founder, Credo Cyber Consulting LLC

Antoinette King, PSP, DPPS, SICC, founder of Credo Cyber Consulting LLC, which she launched this year after spending time at Axis Communications as a key account manager with a focus on end user engagements in the NY/NJ region. She has more than 20 years of experience in the security industry, beginning her career as a field technician responsible for the installation, design and implementation of integrated security solutions. During the 17 years leading up to her joining Axis Communications, Antoinette worked for several security integrators as an outside sales account manager designing security solutions and project managing.

King is a Board-Certified Physical Security Professional (PSP). She has an Associate’s Degree in Criminal Justice, Bachelors of Science in Managing Security Systems, and her Master’s Degree in Cybersecurity Policy and Risk Analysis.

Will Knehr, Senior Manager of Information Security and Data Privacy, i-PRO Americas, Inc.

Will Knehr is the Senior Manager of Information Assurance and Data Privacy at i-PRO Americas, Inc. where he works to secure their products and networks. He has been working to secure networks since 2004 when he started his career in Cryptologic Warfare conducting cyber defense missions for the NSA, CMF, DoN, DoD, and DISA – helping to defend, accredit, certify, and provide digital forensics and incident response on the Nation’s most sensitive and secure networks. He also worked for Northrop Grumman supporting special projects for the NSA and DISA building virtualized environments for malware analysis, data brokering, and managing their cybersecurity program.

He has a Master’s Degree in CyberSecurity and another Master’s Degree in Business. He holds many industry leading certifications including CISSP, PMP, CEH, CNDA, CASP, CMMC RP, and many more.

Will has a passion for cybersecurity and has worked for years to impart his passion onto students, teaching ethical hacking for the NSA, Loyola University, Wisconsin University, Pensacola State College, University of Buffalo, Kansas State, and American University.

Geoff Kohl, Sr. Director of Marketing, Security Industry Association (SIA)

Geoff Kohl is the senior director of marketing for the Security Industry Association (SIA). As senior director of marketing, Kohl is responsible for delivering strategic marketing direction to expand the awareness of SIA and its product and service offerings.

He serves as the primary researcher and author for the association's annual trends report, Security Megatrends, and is a regular speaker on trends topics shaping the security industry. In addition, he serves as SIA's conference manager for the Securing New Ground conference, an executive event held annually in New York City which brings together security industry business leaders for two days of sharing insights and open discussions on the industry's future.

Prior to serving SIA and its members, Kohl entered the security industry in 2004, developing an industry information and news portal, where he served as editor-in-chief and associate publisher, and in 2011, he developed a conference event that connected the security industry with law enforcement and other public safety stakeholders on the topics of urban security and integrated security solutions for public safety applications.

Kohl's work experience also includes serving as the chief travel editor for Morris Media Network's Where magazine brand. He provided content strategy and led a global editorial team that was focused on growing the brand's consumer audience, digital reach and overall awareness in the competitive travel media space by producing and promoting highly engaging travel content.

He holds a master's degree from the University of Mississippi and a bachelor's degree from Sewanee: The University of the South.

Min Kyriannis, CEO, Amyna Systems

In January of 2021 Min Kyriannis launched Amyna Systems, a technology start-up company focused on IoT cybersecurity. Prior to that she served as the Head of Cybersecurity and Head of Cybersecurity and Technology Development at Jaros, Baum & Bolles, where she pioneered and developed an industry-leading cybersecurity program for building systems.

Kyriannis has 25-plus years working in industries involved with enterprise and converged systems, information technology, operational technology, cybersecurity, physical security and risk management across the globe. She is a recognized technology leader and has held roles on both the client and consultant side, applying the experience to adopt a holistic view to technology and security across all building systems. She currently assists in developing best practices for a variety of different security programs across different markets.

She was recently ranked as one of the top 20 Cybersecurity Professionals in IFSec’s Global Influencers Security & Fire 2020 and was named SIA’s 2020 Jay Haughn Winner. She currently serves as co-President of Women In International Security – NY Chapter, Chair of SIA’s Cybersecurity Advisory Board and a member of the Advisory Board of SecuritySpecifiers. She also previously served as Vice-Chair of SIA’s New Product Showcase Committee.

Christine Lanning, President, Integrated Security Technologies Inc.

Christine Lanning leads an elite team of system integrators as President of Integrated Security Technologies — a woman-owned, small technology business in Hawaii in business since 1998. IST’s mission “Leading Hawaii to a Safer Place” reflects her history of commitment to the local community and the security industry.

In 2014, she was awarded the ASIS Woman of the Year Award and in 2015 became the first female elected to the Board of Directors for PSA Security Network, North America’s largest electronic security cooperative. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a Master’s Degree in Information Systems. Christine is a champion for culture building and leadership, believing in Ho’ohui (creating connections and building bridges together).

Andrew Lanning, Co-Founder, Integrated Security Technologies Inc. (IST)

Andrew Lanning started his career in the computer and electronics field in 1982 beginning with COBOL, FORTRAN, and ASSEMBLER programming languages. He continued his electronics career as a radar and missile weapons technician in the United States Navy earning a combat action ribbon in 1988 during Operation Praying Mantis in the Persian Gulf. After the Navy, he joined the electronic security industry in 1994 and Co-Founded Integrated Security Technologies with his wife Christine in Honolulu Hawaii, in May of 1998.

Nationally, Andrew serves the security industry through membership on the National Defense Intelligence Sharing and Analysis Center (ND-ISAC) policy working group, as chairman of the InfraGard National Members Alliance (INMA) Electronic Security Industry Cross Sector Council, and as a Board Member of the Security Specifier’s Consult advisory group.

In Hawaii, Andrew serves as the current President and Defense Industrial Base Sector Chief for the InfraGard Hawaii Members Alliance. He also serves on the Board of Directors as treasurer for the National Defense Industry Association Hawaii Chapter. He is a graduate of the Honolulu FBI Citizens Academy, an active member of the Federal Law Enforcement Foundation, and a founding member of The Rotary Club of Hickam Pearl Harbor.

In 2019 Andrew was honored to receive the PSA Security Network President’s Paul Marcus Award for industry leadership as well as the Security Industry Association’s Jay Hauhn Award for industry partnership. In 2020 he received the SIA Women in Security Progress Award for spearheading their nascent scholarship program and in 2021 he was selected as the IFSEC #1 Influencer in Fire and Security among Manufacturers/Vendors/Installers/Integrators.

Andrew double majored in Psychology & Anthropology at University of Hawaii-West Oahu and earned his Master of Communications degree from Hawaii Pacific University in 2011.

John Mack III, Co-Head, Investment Banking, Head of Mergers & Acquisitions, Imperial Capital, LLC

John E. Mack III is Executive Vice President, Co-Head of Investment Banking and Head of Mergers & Acquisitions at Imperial Capital. Based in the Los Angeles office, Mack joined Imperial Capital in 2008 as part of the firm’s acquisition of certain assets of USBX Inc., an investment banking firm focused on mergers and acquisitions. Mack was founder and Chief Executive Officer of USBX. Prior to USBX, he served as the Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board of Directors of Protection One, Inc. (NASDAQ: PONE), then the nation’s second largest provider of life safety and property monitoring services.

Prior to assuming the role of CEO, Mack held the positions of Chief Financial Officer, Chief Strategy Officer and Executive Vice President of Business Development, where he was involved in over 200 acquisitions and oversaw the company’s growth from approximately 30,000 subscribers and $17 million in revenue to more than 1.6 million subscribers, $600 million in revenue and an enterprise value of over $2 billion. Before joining Protection One, Mr. Mack was a Senior Executive Officer with Westec Security, Inc. and prior to Westec he was a Senior Executive Officer with MCM, Inc., dba FAFCO Solar of Northern California. Mr. Mack earned a B.A. from Stanford University and an M.B.A from the University of California at Los Angeles.

Technology Keynote: Travis May, Director, Workforce Innovation & Strategy, Groove Jones

Travis is a Marine Corps veteran, with over two decades of creating, building, and leading programs from physical and cyber security, intelligence, and technology and innovation.

May, is a recognized expert in XR technology and innovation, having led Mastercard’s early development efforts with immersive technologies. He spearheaded the use of Virtual Reality (VR) for training and remote workforce collaboration, seeing marked improvement in staff engagement, knowledge retention, and collaboration, shaping the foundation for XR use throughout the enterprise. His role quickly expanded to emerging technologies, and leading Future of Work and Future of Learning solution development. May's efforts led to national recognition from the Business Journals as a Top 100 Influencers: Rising Stars, Security Systems News 40 Under 40, St. Louis Business Journal 40 Under 40, and multiple team awards for training and workforce innovation

Travis is now leading workforce innovation and strategy initiatives at the esteemed XR studio, Groove Jones, out of Dallas, Texas.

Barbee Mooneyhan, VP of Security, CISO/CPO, Woebot Health

Barbee Mooneyhan is the Chief Information Security and Privacy Officer of Woebot Health, intertwining her passions of helping people and protecting them. While studying Psychology at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, she started her career in IT in 2002. After graduating, she continued her love of technology and making a difference in others’ lives by entering the Healthcare industry in 2006. She’s grown her career in IT from Service, Operations, and Technical Instructional Design, to finding her true passion in Information Security in 2016. Since then, she has built and matured Incident Response, Threat Hunting, Vulnerability Management, Penetration Testing, GRC, and Security Awareness programs. As the President of both the WiCyS Tennessee Affiliate and the WiCyS BISO Affiliate and a mentor with WiCyS and WiTT, she finds fulfillment in sharing her knowledge and experience through allyship, mentorship, and industry education.

Angela J. Osborne, Associate Vice President – Risk & Emergency Management Solutions, Guidepost Solutions LLC

Angela J. Osborne, CPP, PCI, PSP, is the Associate Vice President, Risk & Emergency Management Solutions for Guidepost Solutions in Washington, DC. Her notable clients include WMATA, Cook County, M&T Bank Stadium (Baltimore Ravens), Diageo, and Chicago Public Schools. Osborne previously served as a Senior Analyst at Interos Solutions, supporting the U.S. Department of Commerce, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, and GSA. Prior to Interos, she was a Security Intelligence Analyst based in Abu Dhabi with TAQA, Abu Dhabi National Energy Company, performing risk assessments for global projects, conducting Travel Risk Management, and supporting operations in Iraq. She is a Director on the ASIS Professional Standards Board and Past Co-Chairman for the ASIS International Young Professionals Council, and was a Charter Signatory and Treasurer for the ASIS Abu Dhabi Chapter.

She has presented at ASIS conferences in Chicago, Las Vegas, Dallas, The Hague, and Dubai, as well as ISC West and ASIS Leadership Conferences. In 2019, Angela won the Outstanding Young Professional OSPA. She is the 2020 Karen Marquez Honors recipient for ASIS International’s Women in Security and the ASIS International Young Professional of the Year 2021. Angela holds an MA in Security Studies from Georgetown University and BA in Political Science and International/Global Studies from Millikin University. She is also the 2021 Outstanding Young Alumnus for Millikin University.

Louis Rabenold, Senior Product Manager, JCI Video Solutions/Exacq

Louis Rabenold, Senior Product Manager for JCI Video Solutions/Exacq, has 15-plus years industry experience spanning across multiple integrators and manufactures.

He has held roles like installation technician, project manager, sales engineer, design engineer, support specialist, account manager, product strategy lead, competitive intelligence and now product manager. He has a passion for technology and enjoy learning about new and exciting offerings every day from many different market segments. His role with JCI Security Products today is to help ensure our products are at the forefront of available solutions in the market to help our customers solve problems.

Steve Reinharz, CEO, Artificial Intelligence Technology Solutions, Inc.

Steve Reinharz is the CEO of Artificial Intelligence Technology Solutions, Inc., (OTCPK:AITX) and Founder and CEO of the company’s three wholly-owned subsidiary Robotic Assistance Devices (RAD), RAD-M, developing mobile security solutions, and RAG-G, specializing in software, firmware and engineering solutions for robotics. Reinharz is a seasoned leader in the physical security industry with over 25 years of experience holding various roles across multiple disciplines. Reinharz has led RAD to create and launch a successful line of artificial intelligence-powered solutions specifically developed for the guarding and facility management industries. As of January 2022, the company has over 200 units installed globally, and these devices have logged over 1.5 million paid operating hours in the field.

Reinharz’ experience is multi-faceted in that he started and managed his own security integration company at the age of 24, becoming one of California’s premier systems integrator. Subsequently, he was an integral member of the team that successfully sold an integrator to a global security firm for $42 million and has since held various other security industry roles. Steve regularly speaks and contributes to panels at ISC East and West, plus ASIS.

Reinharz credits his almost two years of work performed with the LAPD as the basis for many of the technological innovations that he has successfully launched. His work with the LAPD was enabled by Captain (III) Charlie Beck who later went on to be LAPD’s Chief for 9 years. The concept of ‘force-multiplication’ has been at the center of his entire career. Specifically using advance artificial intelligence-enabled devices to expand and improve client security and drive overall security costs down.

RAD’s current customers include 2 of the top 5 global firms and 5 of the Fortune 25. Reinharz’ vision has grabbed the attention of Allied Universal as they were his first dealer and are currently his largest dealer. RAD has 25 guarding company dealers and Reinharz is regularly featured on security industry podcasts and other media outlets.

Under Reinharz’ leadership and vision, RAD has become the leader in the delivery of artificial intelligence-based security and facility robots. Some believe that he literally wrote the book on it, the ARS (Autonomous Remote Services) Manifesto with over 4,000 unique downloads. By applying the concepts that he introduces in his ARS Manifesto, RAD clients have been able to augment the duties and functions of existing guarding staff and gain higher levels of situational awareness, all at drastically reduced costs. RAD’s robotic solutions are quickly moving into a variety of industries such as government, transportation, critical infrastructure, education, and healthcare.

Technology Keynote: Steve Van Till, President and CEO, Brivo Inc.

Steve Van Till is the President and CEO of Brivo Inc., a leading worldwide provider of cloud-based access control and Software-as-a-Service solutions for physical security. He has previously served in a variety of senior management roles in high technology companies spanning Web development, healthcare, and satellite communications.

A previous Board Member of the Security Industry Association (SIA), he also currently serves as Chairman of the SIA Standards Committee. He is a frequent author and speaker, as well as the inventor of numerous patents in the fields of physical security and identity management.

Elli Voorhees, Director of Learning and Development (L&D), Security Industry Association (SIA)

Elli Voorhees, PhD, is the Director of Learning and Development (L&D) for the Security Industry Association (SIA). She is responsible for the development and ongoing management of SIA’s expanding portfolio of education and career development programs and initiatives. Her key responsibilities include developing certification and training programs that serve the security industry; overseeing content development and conference program management for the SIA Education@ISC events; and identifying and designing L&D initiatives of strategic value to SIA’s members and their channel partners.

For nearly 10 years, Elli has worked with security industry organizations developing successful methods to effectively mobilize human capital assets and promote organizational L&D strategies that support bottom-line objectives in quality, efficiency, and performance. She serves as a strategic planning partner to various SIA committees and stakeholder groups to identify, assess, and implement learning interventions that address critical knowledge and skills gaps within the security industry. She specializes in assessment-based certification and training program development and is among the inaugural group of learning professionals to earn the Certified Credentialing Professional (ICE-CCP) designation.

Elli received her Ph.D. in human capital development and a master’s degree from the University of Southern (USM) Mississippi. She holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Mississippi.

Aaron Whitaker, Founder/Owner, Preventia Security

Aaron Whitaker is the founder of Preventia Security, based out of Columbia, Tenn., with offices across the southeast. With a background in sales, entrepreneurship and the service industry, Aaron saw an opportunity to excel in the security industry.

Through organic growth and acquisitions, Preventia now serves over 17,000 monitored customers, has over 75 full time employees and offers the full range of systems integrations solutions in middle Tennessee. Aaron is a Nashville native who completed a business degree at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, has owned several businesses and is an active member of the Nashville Entrepreneur Organization Chapter. He currently lives in Franklin, Tenn. with his wife and two children. Preventia Security was the Brivo Southeast Partner of the Year in 2020, Resideo Premier Dealer of the Year in 2021 along with many other awards over the years.