ASIS International recognizes the important work of its members around the world with annual awards that celebrate their accomplishments and dedication to the security management profession.

“The backbone of any professional association is hardworking members who volunteer their personal time to advancing the profession. ASIS is fortunate to have thousands of dedicated volunteers across the globe,” says 2022 ASIS President Malcolm Smith, CPP. “The ASIS awards program is an important tool to acknowledge those members whose achievements benefit the entire profession, as well as ASIS members everywhere.”

ASIS is honored to recognize the following outstanding individuals and chapters for their accomplishments during the past year.

Individual Awards

President’s Award of Merit

Brigadier General Ahamed Mohammed Abdi, CPP, PCI, PSP, and Danny Y. Chan

This award is bestowed by the ASIS president to an individual member for distinguished service, achievement, or contributions. This includes significant contributions to the knowledge of the profession, literature of the profession, outstanding service to ASIS, or service to other organizations affiliated with the security profession.

Brigadier General Ahamed Mohammed Abdi, CPP, PCI, PSP, is a longstanding volunteer leader in Sub-Saharan Africa. In addition to his contributions to membership and certification growth, he is leading the way to establish new chapters throughout the region. His efforts have resulted in 56 percent growth of his chapter and 79 individuals earning an ASIS certification, Smith notes.

Danny Chan rose quickly within ASIS leadership, and he is a strong listener, motivator, and organizer, Smith says. Since Chan became an ASIS senior regional vice president, chapters throughout the Asia-Pacific region have become well-connected through collaboration and clear leadership.

His direction contributed to the region’s 75 percent retention and 10 percent growth rates, including the launch of two new chapters in India in 2021.

Don Walker CSO Center Security Executive Award

Michael Brzozowski, CPP, PSP

This award recognizes a senior-level executive who demonstrates commitment to security management education, certification, and standards and guidelines for the executive management level of the security discipline in a given enterprise.

E.J. Criscuoli, Jr., CPP, Volunteer Leadership Award

Stephen P. Somers, CPP

The Volunteer Leadership Award acknowledges and celebrates an ASIS member who has exhibited selfless devotion at the volunteer level, emphasizing significant contributions at the chapter and regional levels throughout an extended period.

Ralph Day Memorial Security Officer Heroism Award

Aaron Wallace Salter, Jr. (Posthumous)

This honor recognizes outstanding service or acts in the security profession. The award is meant for those who perform a heroic act that involves circumstances where a private security officer risks his or her life to save another person. It is bestowed by the ASIS Security Services Community.

Aaron Wallace Salter, Jr., was a security officer who was killed while protecting shoppers and staff from a gunman at a Tops Friendly Markets grocery store in Buffalo, New York, on 14 May 2022. Prior to his security officer role, Salter served as a Buffalo police officer for three decades.

Roy N. Bordes, CPP, Community Member Award of Excellence

Inge Sebyan Black, CPP

This recognizes an ASIS member who has exhibited selfless devotion as a volunteer, emphasizing significant contributions at the community steering committee level during an extended period.

Women in Security Global Community Karen Marquez Honors

Antoinette King, PSP, and Suzanne T. Scarlett, PSP

These honors recognize ASIS female security professionals who have consistently worked for the betterment of the security industry.

Young Professional of the Year Award

Hari Pratap Singh Shekhawat, CPP

This award honors an ASIS member under 40 years of age who demonstrates dedication to the security industry through strong leadership, teamwork, and innovation while continually developing his or her knowledge and experience—a necessity in this ever-changing industry.

Chapter Awards

I.B. Hale Chapter of the Year Award

Jamaica Chapter and Phoenix Chapter

This award recognizes outstanding chapters that provide security practitioners timely and relevant resources, helping promote excellence in the security management profession worldwide.

Chapter Communications Award

Lima, Peru; Switzerland; Venezuela; and United Kingdom chapters

This recognition encourages the establishment and improvement of overall communications to chapter members through a website, newsletter, social media, e-mail, or other forms of communication.

Outstanding New/Revitalized Chapter Award

Mid-Michigan Chapter

This award recognizes chapters that have exhibited outstanding motivation, excellence, and service in chapters that have been in existence for fewer than five years or have been recently revitalized.

Chapter Community Service Award

Lima, Peru, Chapter and Phoenix Chapter

The Chapter Community Service Award praises an outstanding community-based activity that complements and supports the goals and purposes of ASIS International while increasing chapter awareness within the local community.

Certification Awards

PCB Regional Certification Award

• Michael B. Mann, CPP, PSP (4A—Middle Tennessee)
• Stephen Perkins, CPP, PCI, PSP (4A—Greater Fayetteville)
• Selbourne Webb, CPP, PCI, PSP (7B—Jamaica)
• Jose Wilson Massa, CPP (8A—Sao Paulo, Brazil)
• Jonathan Ensley, CPP, PSP (8B—Columbia River)
• Simon Muriuki Karuki, CPP, PCI, PSP (10A—Nairobi, Kenya)
• Mark Joseph Vinculado, CPP, PCI, PSP (13B—Philippines)
• Yeh Ing Kerne, CPP (13B—Singapore)

This award recognizes certified security professionals who have made significant contributions to the enhancement and advancement of the CPP, PCI, PSP, or APP designation.

PCB Organizational Award of Merit

Guardsman Group of Companies

This recognizes an organization displaying outstanding leadership and commitment to professional development of its own security professionals through certification.

Foundation and Publication Awards

Security Industry Book of the Year

Principles of Emergency Management and Emergency Operations Centers (EOC), 2nd Edition | Edited by Michael J. Fagel, Rick C. Mathews, and J. Howard Murphy

This award recognizes an outstanding book published in the past year whose subject is important and relevant to today’s security threats and that uniquely covers a new security concept, idea, or technology.

ASIS Foundation Public Private Partnership in Excellence Grant, in honor of Matthew Simeone

Antwerp SHIELD, Belgium

This grant—administered by the ASIS Law Enforcement Liaison Community—recognizes an outstanding public–private partnership program that increases community safety. Antwerp SHIELD connects Belgian police and the private sector to improve communication about threats and fight terrorism.

Military Liaison Scholarship

Taras Bebeshko, Ranjen Bhatia, Ann Itodo, Oladejo Farinto, Stephen Oloyede, and Weston Whittenburg 

Law Enforcement Liaison Community Scholarship

Christopher Ausec and Scott Gray

The scholarships and grants are presented through the Law Enforcement Liaison Community and the ASIS Foundation. The foundation is committed to supporting military and law enforcement professionals, especially when they are transitioning into careers in security management. These scholarships are designed to help these individuals pursue their industry certifications.

The ASIS Awards Celebration, featuring the Outstanding Security Professionals Awards (OSPAs) program will take place at GSX in Atlanta, Georgia, on 13 September. For more information about ASIS awards and to view honorable mentions, visit asisonline.org/awards.

ASIS Call for Volunteers Open Until 15 October

Join hundreds of global security professionals for opportunities to volunteer with ASIS International. Leverage these opportunities to progress the profession, while achieving your own career development goals and collaborating with other members from across the globe.

To learn more about volunteer opportunities with ASIS, please visit asisonline.org/get-involved/getting-involved.

Boost Your Cyber Savvy with ASIS Webinars

ASIS International joins the EU Agency for Network and Information Security (ENISA) and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in recognizing October as Cybersecurity Awareness Month. Visit ASIS for information, programming, and resources to help you, your organization, and your community protect assets and reduce security risks.

The ASIS Information Technology Security Community and the Security Applied Sciences Community are pleased to support and contribute to the work of this global event.

“Much of the function of our daily lives relies on the unseen telecommunications networks that we all too often take for granted until something goes wrong,” says Coleman Wolf, CPP, senior security consultant at Environmental Systems Designs, Inc., and chair of the ASIS Information Technology Security Community. “The level of sophistication required to maintain this complex infrastructure is truly impressive, but the intrinsic complexity also broadens the potential for risks from intentional attacks or unintended failures. No longer relegated to impacts to data and IT systems, these risks now threaten the physical world.”

As such, he adds, “National Cybersecurity Awareness Month aims to help make people more aware of the ever-changing cyber threat landscape in an effort to better safeguard their people, data, and systems. We have recently seen the increased frequency and the increased impacts of ransomware and data breaches making these efforts now more crucial than ever. The ASIS IT Security Community is pleased to support the important work of this international event.”

For more information and a full listing of webinars, please visit asisonline.org/publications--resources/security-topics/cybersecurity.

Young Professionals Corner

Security Management gets the perspective of young professionals who have climbed the leadership ranks within ASIS International.

Abhijeet Sinha, CPP, vice chairman of the ASIS Young Professionals Community Content Management Committee and site security manager for Securitas, Microsoft Data Center

“While security is the only industry which doesn’t need a special degree or technical qualification, certification does help, and a person’s attitude, discipline, and ethics matter above all,” Sinha says. “It is all about developing quality communication, leadership, and problem-solving skills. Once the young professionals master those skills, they can grow exponentially. At the end of the day, the main mission for a security professional is quantifying the security outcome and reframing the impression of security operations from a cost center to a profit center.”

Abraham Desantiago, LGF central alarm monitor supervisor for the U.S. Embassy in Caracas, Venezuela, ASIS Connects ambassador

“I can say without a doubt that ASIS has helped me to reach new goals and support my continued development as a security professional,” Desantiago says. “My volunteer experience has given me a lot of insights. ASIS was the perfect platform to connect with peers from all over the world.... Currently, I am studying for my CPP Certification. I strongly recommend all security professionals pursue any certification of ASIS.”