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SIA welcomes new leadership of Perimeter Security Subcommittee

SIA welcomes new leadership of Perimeter Security Subcommittee

SIA welcomes new leadership of Perimeter Security Subcommittee

SILVER SPRING, Md.—The Security Industry Association (SIA) has named two industry leaders – Christa Decker, vice president of the Protective Design Group at Whitman, Requardt & Associates (WRA), and Amy Dunton, business development specialist at Ameristar – to serve as co-chairs of the SIA Perimeter Security Subcommittee.

Decker leads WRA’s Protective Design Group and has been providing protective design services for government studies, design projects and Title II efforts involving perimeter and building security countermeasures for almost 20 years. She has successfully completed a wide variety of engineering projects, including the design of new vehicle control points for government installations; selection and specification of active and passive vehicle barriers, perimeter fences, perimeter intrusion detection systems; and interior building modifications for the installation interior guard posts and personnel access control.

Security Industry Association (SIA)Decker has also contributed to the development of feasibility studies and design projects for new and renovated federal facilities and campuses that must be brought into compliance with the most robust federal criteria to improve protection for federal/U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) personnel and critical assets from a full range of terrorist threats.  

“Establishing a secure perimeter is not just about building a fence or a wall – it’s about integrating layers of security countermeasures that work with the facility’s security operational procedures to best protect the asset,” said Decker. “I hope that we can all work together to find ways for the Perimeter Security Subcommittee to continue to disseminate critical design guidance/criteria, employ industry-proven best practices and implement commercially available components to not only better protect federal and DoD assets, but also make it common practice to incorporate these concepts and approaches into state, regional and municipal projects where security is critical.”

Dunton is a seasoned business development professional with over 25 years of experience in the critical infrastructure industry. Specializing in building strategic relationships and driving business growth, she combines a deep understanding of both physical and network security with expertise in structured cabling, power/cooling systems, connectivity, IT infrastructure, and data center operations.

Throughout her career, Dunton has held key roles across distribution, manufacturing and enterprise IT solutions, giving her a well-rounded, cross-disciplinary perspective on the intersection of technology and security. Her comprehensive knowledge spans facilities, data centers and IT infrastructure, with a focus on creating collaborative, future-focused strategies to design, build and secure critical assets in an increasingly interconnected world.

Dunton is committed to advancing the industry through active leadership; she serves on the boards of the AFCOM Greater Minnesota Chapter and the 7×24 Exchange Minnesota Chapter and has contributed her expertise as a board member of the Minnesota ASIS Chapter.

“A holistic approach to perimeter security is often overlooked and underestimated, so we hope to help change this mindset,” stated Dunton. “There needs to be a paradigm shift in the way we approach perimeter security in the budget, planning, design/build and operation phases. There is also a very real shift and focus the critical infrastructure sectors have that require specific and specialized security requirements.

“While a generalized, one-size-fits-all approach to perimeter security design is a great starting point, it can often lead to unintended vulnerabilities. We aim to expand the Perimeter Security Subcommittee to include all aspects of perimeter security in addition to barriers. Focusing on the integration of perimeter security technology, we look forward to increasing engagement for those who want to be involved in the perimeter security community through SIA.”

“SIA is pleased to welcome Christa Decker and Amy Dunton as co-chairs of the Perimeter Security Subcommittee,” added SIA CEO Don Erickson. “The efforts of this community of perimeter security experts are essential, and its importance is underscored in the wake of the recent events in New Orleans and Germany. Christa and Amy are two incredibly accomplished leaders in our industry with deep knowledge on perimeter security, protecting critical infrastructure and government facilities and mitigating threats to crowded spaces, and their strong expertise and history of success in these areas will bring immense value to the subcommittee and its ongoing and future initiatives, including Perimeter PREVENT.”

SIA’s Perimeter Security Subcommittee guides the association’s support for nationwide and international efforts to prevent hostile vehicle attacks. From crowded public spaces or critical infrastructure sites to government facilities, the subcommittee works to identify best practices, assess current threats and solutions and provide stakeholders with the latest on safety and security standards from governments and industry. 

The subcommittee includes working groups around threat, vulnerability and risk assessment (TVRA); perimeter security terminology; temporary barriers; and installation, repair and maintenance guidelines. Additionally, the subcommittee has hosted Perimeter PREVENT, a daylong symposium examining critical issues related to perimeter defense for physical environments, including government and commercial facilities, critical infrastructure, events and more; developed project plans to develop a security TVRA; and hosted and participated in insightful panel discussions on perimeter security at ISC West, SIA GovSummit and other industry events.

 

 

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