Women in Security

YARMOUTH, Maine—Security Systems News' 11th annual Women in Security December issue is even more special this year, as it was done in partnership with the Security Industry Association's (SIA) Women in Security Forum (WISF), with input from members of the WISF committee on who we should highlight and celebrate.This issue has grown in status and in the number of women being highlighted over the past few years, culminating in a record 14 women being profiled in this year's WIS December issue.The...

Coming from a family with many members involved in law enforcement, Joey Rao-Russell, president and CEO, Kimberlite Corporation Sonitrol got into the security industry by accident. She was working as a probation officer when she was recruited by Kimberlite to revamp their credit and collections policy.“I had no idea what Kimberlite was,” Rao-Russell admitted, “but after two interviews and a tour of the main building, I remember finding out it was a security company. This was 18...

Sometimes professionals don't pick the security industry, it chooses them. As is the case with Shanna Gray, president of Gate Logic Security, who never aspired to work in the security industry to begin with.“Circumstances in my personal life brought me to a cross-roads, of sorts, at which I was presented with an employment opportunity in the industry,” she told Security Systems News. “The experience proved life-changing for me and inspired to pursue a career, and ultimately, start...

Eva Mach of Pro-Tec Design, a 100 percent employee-owned company that specializes in security, credits her parents for instilling in her from an early age the absolute conviction that she can be whatever she set her mind to be and her husband with encouraging and supporting her all the way. And, of course, having a baby changes everything!“I started my career in accounting,” Mach said. “My first job was actually with a parent company of several temporary employment agencies, and...

When asked what it has been like to work in a primarily male-dominated industry for the past 26 years, Convergint Technologies' Kelle Shanks said being a woman actually helped her stand out.“My journey has actually been great fun,” she explained. “I was a 'unicorn' in the industry, and I used it to my advantage. My gender made me memorable in an environment with a lot of 'sameness.' I have had lifelong loyal customers, wonderful operations people and have enjoyed success. I believe...

After working with a manufacturing company for 7 years, having the opportunity to serve multiple roles, Donna Chapman, now of ASSA ABLOY, was seeking a new challenge with potential for career advancement. In 1998, she officially started a career in the security industry as a technical support specialist at Locknetics, a division of Ingersoll-Rand, supporting customers with electronic access control and architectural door hardware.“It was very demanding, fast paced, constantly evolving industry,...

Graduating with a computer programming degree, Maria Cambria, VP of demand generation for security, FLIR Systems, Inc. has worked in tech roles ever since. Her first job in the video industry was with a startup called NiceEye, where a mentor of hers worked.“NiceEye offered video as a service, which was a very new concept 18 years ago,” Cambria remembered, who worked there for several years. “Many years later, we've started to see the IT and security sectors come together, but that's...

Linda Ziemba remembers it well. It was 2004 and she was working in sales. She had just cold-called the VP of sales for a web security company, who told her about his company's internet browser security product. “Wow, this is really big and important because the internet is going to affect EVERYTHING we do,” Ziemba thought to herself, as he spoke. The conversation resulted in Ziemba getting hired, essentially on the spot, and the moment she entered the security industry.Fast forward to...

For Axis Communications' Kerri Sutherland, female role models have played an instrumental role throughout her career.“I have been blessed with many amazing role models and mentors, who helped me develop throughout my career,” she said, calling out Gail Boudreau, who taught her the “importance of adjusting my communication and work style to my audience as needed. She always had facts and data to back up her opinions and initiatives, which made her highly respected by the managers...

Although there have been many successful women who have helped and inspired her throughout her career, Kathryn Bartunek said that the first and most important role model was her mother, who founded her own network engineering, staffing and project implementation firm in 1989.“She stressed self-sufficiency, taught me management skills, emphasized the importance of understanding and satisfying the client's needs, and was a role model for supporting the community and most importantly other women...