2026 U.S. OSPAs winners announced at GSX

ATLANTA—The winners of the 2026 U.S. Outstanding Security Performance Awards (OSPAs) were recognized Sept. 13 during a celebration held at GSX 2026 in Atlanta, marking the 11th year of the awards program.

The U.S. OSPAs honor outstanding achievements by security professionals, organizations, teams and initiatives across the security industry. This year's winners were selected by a panel of 22 judges nominated by industry organizations and special interest groups.

Among the individual honorees, Stefanie Moran of Keesler Federal Credit Union was named Outstanding In-House Security Manager/Director for leading the security integration of one of the largest credit union mergers in Louisiana and Mississippi. Ed Ketcham of GardaWorld Security-U.S. earned Outstanding Contract Security Manager/Director after helping reduce vehicle thefts and improve operational efficiency across a large Minneapolis security program.

Guidepost Solutions' Security & Technology Practice received the Outstanding Security Consultant award, while the Safety, Security and Parking Team at Huntsville Hospital Health System was recognized as Outstanding Security Team for its innovations in healthcare security, including workplace violence prevention efforts and Alabama's first hospital K-9 program.

GardaWorld Security-U.S. was named Outstanding Contract Security Company (Guarding), and ISC2's Certified in Cybersecurity (CC) Certification received honors for Outstanding Security Training Initiative.

Other notable winners included the University of South Florida Security Training Collaborative for Outstanding Security Partnership, Kwema's Smart Badge Reel for Outstanding New Security Product, and Gallagher Security as Outstanding Security Equipment Manufacturer.

Individual awards also went to James "Brian" Owens of GardaWorld Security-U.S. as Outstanding Security Officer, Dr. Anmol Agarwal of Nokia as Outstanding Young Security Professional, and Mary Gates of GMR Security Consulting as Outstanding Female Security Professional.

The Outstanding Security Sustainability Award was presented to Project Blue, led by Mario Gates of Amazon Worldwide Operations Security, for combining community support, sustainability initiatives and security improvements.

The event's highest honor, the Lifetime Achievement Award, was presented to Russell J. Cancilla, a longtime security executive, former military commander and enterprise risk management pioneer whose career has included White House service, federal leadership roles and leadership of global security programs at Baker Hughes. As part of the recognition, Cancilla will also be inducted into the Security Hall of Fame.

Winners from select categories will automatically qualify for the 2026 Global OSPAs, scheduled to be held virtually in January 2027.

Photo courtesy of U.S. OSPAs