SSN, SIA continue partnership to promote diversity

YARMOUTH, Maine—Security Systems News is proud to be partnering again this year with the Security Industry Association's (SIA’s) Women in Security Forum (WISF), who helped select an incredibly diverse list of security professionals (see list below) to be highlighted in special features throughout 2022.

SSN and SIA expanded the partnership and coverage beyond one issue, with one person profiled in each issue, as well as online at www.securitysystemsnews.com.

“We are thrilled and thank SSN for their partnership to feature Women in Security Spotlights that enable women and men in the industry to connect, grow and deliver impact that creates a more inclusive and diversified industry,” said SIA WISF Chair Kasia Hanson, who is the Global Director of Edge AI Sales – Safety & Security, Safe Cities and Venues, Internet of Things Group at the Intel Corp.

As Hanson told SSN in an exclusive Q&A in October, “With membership numbers rising, women and men are joining WISF as a place to connect. We aim to double the membership by next year. Recently we conducted a member survey to get a better sense of what the members wanted from the forum, and the responses included networking, professional development, mentoring and learning more about the industry.”

Some of the new developments she highlighted in the interview is the creation of a partnership subcommittee led by Maureen Carlo – the prior WISF Chair who was instrumental in growing the group those first few years. The new subcommittee is collaborating with the WISF Membership subcommittee led by Diana Hanna of PSA.

“They will focus on connecting with other women’s groups to expand and grow membership along with member value,” Hanson explained.  “We are also working to create WISF packages for member companies to encourage increased membership from leading companies in our industry. We are thrilled with the growth of the membership from women and men across SIA member companies and, of course, welcome new members from across the industry to join!”

Another important initiative for the WISF is expanding its professional development capabilities. “And with Elaine Palome leading the Professional Development subcommittee, we have a great start with the Wisdom Wednesdays series – this series brings in voices on topics impacting women in the workplace,” Hanson pointed out. “We hope to expand this series at future events such as ISC West and East, where we can expand workshops for Women in Security while attending industry events.”

And without further ado, the following list selected by SIA’s Women in Security Forum, in partnership with SSN, will be profiled in each issue of SSN in 2022:

• Arathi Ajay, IoT Sales Specialist - Edge AI, Computer Vision, OpenVINO, Intel Corp.
• Alice DiSanto, VP of Global Marketing, Rajant
• Leigh Dow, Vice President Global Marketing, Identiv
• Gretchen Gordon, CEO, Boost Profits LLC
• Dee Ann Harn, CEO, RFI Enterprises, Inc.
• Kim Loy, Chief Product Officer, ACRE
• Debby Maffei, Director Of Business Development, ScanSource Security
• Elizabeth Parks, President, Parks Associates
• Donna Soloway, Owner, NAPCO
• Stephanie Weagle, Chief Marketing Officer, Briefcam
• Beverly Wilks, Segment Marketing Manager – Public Sector, North America., Genetec

SSN is also excited to be the founding media sponsor/partner for the newly announced WISF Power 100! For more information on the WISF, please click here.