SIA names Norstrom, Rawji and St. Jacques as Sandy Jones Volunteers of the Year

SILVER SPRING, Md.—The Security Industry Association (SIA) has named three recipients of the 2025 Sandy Jones Volunteer of the Year Award. 

Pauline Norstrom, Yazmina Rawji and Joey St. Jacques will be honored with the award at The Advance, SIA’s annual membership meeting, which will be held April 1 during ISC West.

The Sandy Jones Volunteer of the Year Award is named in honor of Sandra Jones, principal of Sandra Jones and Company, a prolific SIA volunteer and co-founder of the executive conference Securing New Ground. The award is presented on an annual basis to SIA volunteers who have made tireless efforts to expand SIA’s programs and services. 

Norstrom is the founder and CEO of Anekanta AI and Anekanta Consulting, which are artificial intelligence and research brands providing AI strategy, governance and AI literacy services to businesses around the world. She is the architect of the business, and with her team she has developed Anekanta’s governance and risk systems for board governance and AI regulations such as Europe’s AI Act.

Prior to founding Anekanta, Norstrom acquired over 25 years of corporate experience holding senior board roles in a range of international companies, including as chief operating officer of a large technology group, and in 2014 she was chair of the British Security Industry Association.

Alongside her corporate career she has championed the safe use of AI technology in industry and in the security domain for 20 years, and through her commercial experience and commitment to influencing technology adoption within de facto guardrails, she has been awarded fellowships with the British Computer Society, the Institute of Directors and RSA.

“I am honored and delighted to receive a volunteer of the year award from SIA. I have invested my personal time to drive best practices in technology adoption for over 20 years and see it as an imperative for business and technology leaders to do so,” said Norstrom. “Such work leads to networks and communities which build careers and build businesses. Developing an AI ecosystem which champions a professional approach to the promotion of AI and considers all relevant factors affecting its success including data privacy and cybersecurity, is vital to stimulate adoption and growth. I would like to thank SIA for the recognition of my work but also emphasize that the committees are collaborative and can only be successful through the voluntary inputs from all their members.”

Rawji is a relationship manager at dormakaba, where she plays a key role in driving customer acquisition, business growth and market expansion for Security, Sports & Entertainment (an Alvarado dormakaba Group brand) entrance systems, interior glass systems and airports.

Before entering the security industry, she served as the international market development director for a VoIP startup, where she specialized in global business expansion, and worked alongside some of the world’s most renowned speakers and trainers to help bring transformative insights to a global audience.

A published author, Rawji co-wrote Expert Women Who Speak…Speak Out, a book that provides life and success strategies by women, for women. She has also lent her editorial expertise to numerous books on finance, sales, global business and self-improvement. In addition to her volunteer efforts with SIA, Rawji serves as chair of the dormakaba Women’s Network Americas, is a steering committee member with Women in Manufacturing (WiM) California and is a member of the Lean In Circle.

“I am deeply honored and grateful to be named a 2025 Sandy Jones Volunteer of the Year by SIA. This recognition is not just mine, but a reflection of the incredible support and collaboration from organizations like dormakaba Americas, the dormakaba Women’s Network, SIA, the Women in Security Forum, WiM and ASIS,” said Rawji. “Through my volunteer work, I’ve witnessed the profound impact of mentorship and empowerment in shaping lives and creating opportunities for growth. Being involved with these communities has been a transformative journey, where we break barriers, build meaningful networks and empower others to rise and create opportunities that inspire positive changes.”

St. Jacques has dedicated over three decades to the critical infrastructure sector, with extensive experience including a significant tenure at an electrical utility where he developed his expertise as a security practitioner.

Throughout his career, St. Jacques has demonstrated exceptional leadership in developing and implementing physical and cybersecurity road maps, programs and initiatives across North America. In his previous role as global director at Feenics, he spearheaded strategic growth initiatives and provided vital support to security practitioners in safeguarding their infrastructure.

Globally recognized as a respected advocate for physical security and cybersecurity, St. Jacques’ influence extends far and wide. He is renowned for his work in engineered security solutions, business continuity, disaster recovery, emergency management, cloud-based systems, digital transformation and artificial intelligence applications within compliance-driven organizations. St. Jacques actively participates in industry working groups across North America and has significantly contributed to both physical and cybersecurity fields through seminars, white papers and presentations at prestigious security conferences. He also serves on various committees and boards, including the financial sector, where he focuses on security governance, procedural technology and business processes.

“I am honored to receive the Sandy Jones Volunteer Award, a recognition that reflects not just my contributions, but the collaborative spirit of our entire security community. Having dedicated over 30 years to critical infrastructure security, specifically in protecting electrical grids from evolving threats, I’ve witnessed firsthand how SIA has served as a cornerstone of excellence and innovation in our field,” said St. Jacques. “In recognition of all that SIA has provided, I’ve made it my mission to give back to our community through active participation on various boards, sharing insights through educational speaking sessions and mentoring the next generation of security professionals. It’s crucial that we continue to strengthen our network of security practitioners and ensure that tomorrow’s leaders are well-equipped to face future challenges. This award reinforces my commitment to continuing this important work of knowledge sharing and community building in our industry.”

“SIA is thrilled to recognize three winners of the Sandy Jones Volunteer of the Year Award – bestowing this honor to multiple individuals reflects the outstanding engagement within SIA in ways that directly impact our members and their organizations, including expertise on cybersecurity, data privacy and AI; workforce development; diversity, equity and inclusion; education and training; critical infrastructure security and more, and these awardees have excelled in these areas all while boosting the value of SIA membership and involvement in our association and industry,” said SIA CEO Don Erickson. “Pauline Norstrom, Mina Rawji and Joey St. Jacques are inspiring leaders and remarkable people, and their dedication to SIA and their industry expertise, vision and innovation have helped SIA to continually elevate its service to our members and the broader security industry.”