Security Systems News welcomes “40 under 40” Class of 2020

YARMOUTH, Maine—Security Systems News is excited to bring you this year's “40 under 40” class of 2020, made up of a diverse and talented group of young professionals representing the next generation of leaders in security.

This year’s “40 under 40” class is an incredible mix of security consultants (13 winners) — added for the first time in 2019 — system integrators, security dealers and monitoring professionals (17 winners), and end users (10 winners). This year’s class also includes 13 women, up from only 7 last year, which not only reflects the increase in the number and quality of nominations we received for women this year, but also reflects the changing culture and dynamic within our industry.

SSN is also excited to be teaming up with the Security Industry Association’s Women in Security Forum again this year for our Women in Security series. This follows more than 10 years of highlighting women in our Women in Security December issue, which has now expanded with the SIA partnership, as we both celebrate their accomplishments in every issue for 2021!

Another interesting trend is the continued increase in security professionals with cybersecurity and IT know-how — to go with their physical and electronic security chops — changing the face, both literally and figuratively, of security as we know it. Many in this year’s class are helping to guide their companies during these challenging times, while leveraging new technologies and best practices, and striving to grow professionally. 

“The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the security profession,” noted Class of 2020 “40 under 40” winner Scott Brinkman, senior manager, corporate security, Exact Sciences. “Security teams have had to adapt to the new normal of having fewer company employees working on-site and more working from home. Processes have had to evolve (employee badging, facility access control, for example) and security is now taking a greater role in ensuring COVID-19 requirements and restrictions from local health authorities and the company are adhered to. Security has also taken the lead in the evaluation, implementation, and monitoring of employee health screening and thermal temperature technologies.”

Fellow Class of 2020 alumni Ryan T Searles, a senior consultant at the IMEG Corp., added that staying on top on new trends and technology “helps us do our jobs better — it’s a full force multiplier. As new and different threats emerge in the future, we must change what we’re doing as security professionals to adapt and protect the clients and organizations we work for, whether that’s cyber, physical, or something else entirely.”

With everything going digital these days, Class of 2020 winner Amanda Goethe, assistant project manager, Miller Electric Company, said, “The brick and mortar of traditional security work will continue to dwindle. Bodies will be replaced by cameras and video intercoms will be remotely managed. The innovation in the industry will continue to drive the market towards more remote management and less of the ‘traditional security model.’”

Fellow Class of 2020 winner, Timothy Minor, founder and president, T.A.Minor & Associates, agreed: “The industry moving forward will take a more technology-based approach with less actual guards and more analysts sifting through the information that they are getting. This is causing a communication disconnect with the IT (cybersecurity) and security departments as they must work together to combat the future issues that face companies. The bad guys are using both physical and technology- based attacks, taking advantage of the fact that cyber- and physical-security professionals’ communications are so intrinsically different than each other. In the future I see a more combined approach from the cyber side and the physical side to help combat issues with companies as one unit instead of two competing units.”

The entire Class of 2020 will be honored at SecurityNext virtual conference on Feb. 24, so please register here. Several from the Class of 2020 will be speaking on panels so be sure to check out the education program for more. 

And without further ado, here are the SSN “40 under 40” Class of 2020 winners, who will be profiled in each issue of SSN in 2021:

SYSTEM INTEGRATORS, SECURITY DEALERS AND MONITORING PROS:

Leif Boren, senior manager, dealer services, AvantGuard Monitoring
Abraham Canales, director of installation service and support, 3sixty Integrated
April Chastain, director of operations, Owen Security Solutions
Daniel Clark, senior account manager, Rapid Response Monitoring
Jack Doyle, director of business development, Doyle Security
Tiffany Galarza, director of telecommunications, ADT
Amanda Goethe, PMP, assistant project manager, Miller Electric Company
Jennifer Hall, director, service dispatch, Securitas Electronic Security
Megan Hubbard, dealer relations and compliance manager, Alarm Capital Alliance
Jessica Lambert, director, monitoring operations, General Monitoring Services
Erin Macauley, WeSuite applications coordinator, Allied Universal
Zach McDougall, operations manager, Palmetto Security Systems
Zack Morris, director - Commercial Careers Programs, ADT Commercial
Jeremy Reich, general counsel, Unlimited Technology, Inc.
Kathryn Schultz, marketing & sales coordinator, United Central Control
Eric Scrivana, operations project manager, COPS Monitoring
Joshua A. Williams, vice president, Southeast, Minuteman Security Technologies, Inc.

Security Consultants

Michael Amaro, director, Security Engineering, Sentinel Consulting, LLC
Kathryn Bartunek, senior program manager, AECOM
Haley Glover, senior security consultant, Sapphire Risk Advisory Group
Jon Harris, director, enterprise solutions, Group337
Mike Impicciatore, project engineer IV, CHA
Jordan Rae Kelly, senior managing director, FTI Consulting
Oscar Merlo, security consultant, COMBS Consulting Group
Timothy Minor, founder and president, T.A.Minor & Associates
Ryan Searles, senior consultant, IMEG Corp.
William Scabora, consultant, COMBS Consulting Group
Dave Seiling, vice president, technology Discipline Leader, Salas O’Brien
Sivan Weizmann-Robbins, operations manager, Sentinel Consulting, LLC
Ryan Williams, office manager, The CMOOR Group

End Users

Scott Brinkman, senior manager, corporate security, Exact Sciences Corp.
Matthew Granelli, corporate security manager, Horizon Blue Cross
Tom Leggett, security systems support, Pierce County
Parker Macdonald, global technology manager, Citigroup
Mark Milas, vice president, security, Tenet Healthcare
Matthew Roniger, VP, physical security/business continuity, IBERIABANK
Daniel Schmelzer, director, physical security technology, global security, Cardinal Health
Master Sgt. Daniel Simpson, cyber operations and planning superintendent, U.S. Air Force
Tyler Skiba, supervisor, asset protection - remote operations, Chico’s FAS
Greg Thompson, director, physical security, Vantage Data Centers