'20 under 40' 2013 - Anjanette Brennan

Anjanette Brennan, 34
Service program representative, RFI Communications & Security Systems
San Jose, Calif.

How did you get into the security industry?

I was working at the Westin Hotel at the San Francisco Airport and I wanted a career change. When I saw an ad for a position at Mosler [Safe Company], I went in for an interview, then a second interview and got my first admin job there. Thirteen years later I'm still in the industry, and this is my third job in security. There's a lot more to the industry than people think, and that's kind of why I stuck with security. There's always more to learn within this industry.

Who or what in the industry has inspired you most in your security career?

Laura Armour, the senior manager of service operations at RFI, has been my mentor for the past 13 years, and this is actually our third job working together in this industry. She's really inspired me to become successful with every role I've played in the industry. She also encouraged me to join ASIS, which has inspired my career as well. Now when I travel to events, I'm seeing people I already know. That's not just helpful from a networking standpoint, but also because it's a great way to get leads.

What can be done to boost the ranks of young people in the industry?

Providing the proper education is key. Some sort of mentorship or apprenticeship program that covers the different roles and different types of security systems we work with could be a good measure. The key is providing new recruits with the right education and tools to make them successful, so I think No. 1 on that list is providing good mentorship. There are not only different types of security systems we work with in this industry, but so many different roles people play. It can be really quite complex.