Joshua Dean, Director of Security for San Antonio Water System (SAWS), is in charge of keeping assets safe and secure, so that the 1.8 million people in the region don’t have an interruption to their water and sewer services.

Gannon, who is the 77th Sheriff of Morris County, New Jersey, has always had roles where he could offer his services and guidance to people. He was elected in 2016, after a decorated, 33-year career in law enforcement and private sector security.

Rosalind Harris, Manager of Facilities and Security at County of Ventura, faces the challenge of keeping employees and property safe while maintaining an open and inviting atmosphere.

Johnson, who joined the university located in Minnesota in 2014 after a career in healthcare security, is focused on his mission to ensure every student knows and is comfortable with the Public Safety department, so if there’s ever an issue, they know what to do.

Born and raised in Silicon Valley, Maloof has always had a fascination with technology, so landing a job at Oracle Corporation and quickly working his way up to Vice President of Global Security there has been a great fit. “Information technology is where it’s at, and I want to be where it’s at. IT is truly a global sector, and our customers and employees are everywhere,” he says.

Counterfeit products make up five to seven percent of world trade, and have cost an estimated 2.5 million jobs worldwide, with 750,000 jobs lost in the U.S. alone. It’s an issue that Brad Minnis, Senior Director, Corporate Safety and Security for Juniper Networks, spends much time and effort to mitigate.

Denver Health is an integrated healthcare organization in Colorado, serving approximately 150,000 individuals in the Denver area. Eric Smith, Director of Security Services, has been working to reframe the enterprise’s security department as a business-enabling function instead of a quick fix.

“Water is the most precious resource in the world. You can live without food for a while, you can live without electricity, you can live without transportation, you can live without internet (despite what my kids say), but you cannot live without clean water. And that’s what makes my position so challenging,” says Scott Starkey, Security Manager for Birmingham Water Works.

Sixteen years ago Mark Theisen was hired at Thrivent Financial as manager of safety and security. Today, it’s home, one that he says matches his personal values.

Security organizations both in the private and public sectors have made considerable progress in gaining stature. More and more senior security executives truly have a seat at the table today as a respected member of the C-suite. Many security executives regularly interface with the Board of Directors and maintain excellent relationships with board members. Security organizations still have a lot of room for improvement.