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Welcome to edition #3, episode #3, issue #3? Let’s go with that. Issue #3. I mentioned in issue #2 that I am a superhero and comic book fan, so just like comic books have issues, Security Agents of Change will have issue numbers. I will do my best to ensure the issues do not have issues. As I mentioned in issue #2, Security Agents of Change are poised to be innovators to make change, creating the Art of the Possible – NOW! While Security Agents of Change will primarily focus on tech companies driving innovative advancements in the security space, this issue will feature an organization making a significant impact in the security industry. Cue the superhero reveal… I have been involved in several security industry organizations for the last 20-plus years. Most are ones that every security practitioner has heard of. But there is a new kid on the block that is making some waves I want to give my nod to them, because they are bringing innovation and change to the security industry. The organization is the Life Safety Alliance (https://www.lifesafetyalliance.org/) or LSA. I first heard about these folks, like many in the security industry, in July 2024 when they released their “Top 40 Leaders in Security & Life Safety” for 2024. A quick read through the winners was a veritable” who’s who” of the security industry. Selfishly, I wanted to know more. So I sought them out. Reached out to the organization. What I found was two-fold intriguing. First, not all of the Top 40 winners were part of the LSA. In fact, only a few were. Second, the mission, vision, and promise of the LSA were very intriguing. Mission: "To be a global resource and authority on best practices for the Security & Life Safety industry through cooperation with trade associations, academic institutions, and members." Vision: "To bring Security & Life Safety professionals together in the interest of International collaboration." Promise: "To provide expert support in the areas of industry standards, professional growth, technology innovation, research, and certification." WAIT! What?! A global security organization that values bringing together thought leadership to promote support and change in the security industry! To give members a stage to collaborate and create actual industry action, awareness, and facilitate more than just showing up to a meeting? Sign me up. So that’s what I did. I asked to join the LSA. But here is the interesting thing. You don’t just join the LSA. You have to be sponsored. Thank you, Michael Gips, for taking a chance on me. The Life Safety Alliance is not for everyone, and not everyone is for the LSA, although I encourage everyone to see if we are for you. While they want to grow their membership, just giving them yearly membership dues is not enough. You have to be committed to more. And embarrassingly, I have not done what maybe I needed to have done over the last 10 months. The Life Safety Alliance is an Agent of Change, and I want to be an Agent of Change. The LSA is just one way I am attempting to do that. The membership of LSA is still small, partly because it has only been active for a few years, and partly because it is intentionally limited. Because of their size and intentional limitations, everyone who joins is vetted to be an expert in their field. But here’s the thing, it’s not the good ol’ boys club that has plagued the industry, but rather thought leaders who actually are doing something. One thing that was also interesting to me, having been a part of a few industry organizations that have struggled with leadership, unlike other organizations, the leadership of LSA is unpaid and completely volunteer-led; typically, the first sticking point with any organization. What the LSA is doing is bringing thought leadership, including risk management, security technology, cybersecurity, life safety, and more to the table. It is not just an organization focused on physical security, and the members help tie together the neighboring industries of Life Safety and Cybersecurity. Wait, what? You mean there is an organization that is willing to reach across the aisles to leverage thought leadership from Life Safety and Cybersecurity into what Physical Security is doing? Hmm… “with great power comes great responsibility”. The Life Safety Alliance is an Agent of Change. I think they are just beginning to break the ice on what could be a whole new chapter in thought leadership that leads the security industry. Top 40 Leaders in Security and Life Safety I mentioned earlier that I originally found the LSA because of the Top 40 Leaders in Security and Life Safety. Here’s what I also found out about that award. Two things. One, unlike other security industry “awards,” the Top 40 is not a pay-to-play award. Yes, you heard me. There are awards out there that, for the right money, you too can be an award winner. If you remember from “In Living Color”, “Homey don’t play that.” Two, membership in the LSA does not merit a Top 40 Leader. Membership in LSA does not mean you are guaranteed a spot as a top 40 Leader, although there are a few members who did receive Top 40 Leader in 2025. The Top 40 Leader award was created to be a merit-driven award for security industry leaders. The Life Safety Alliance in 2024 identified more than 120 people who were providing thought leadership in the security industry. In 2025, that number jumped to more than 200 people who either registered or were invited by the LSA to submit. LSA Submission is not for the faint of heart, either. To be considered, applicants had to submit detailed information to the LSA for the previous calendar year. Each category and response was weighted, and most importantly, it was evaluated blind by a third party. The LSA took every step possible to prevent any chance of favoritism. Categories for evaluation per calendar year (June-May) included: Academic Positions, Authored Articles, Awards & Honors, Blog Posts (Non-LinkedIn), Board Positions, Books Written, Book Chapters Authored, Citations and Quotes, Fellowships, In-Person Presentations, LinkedIn Posts, LinkedIn Shared Content, Podcasts, Public Reports and Studies, Trainings Conducted, Volunteer Leadership Roles, Webinar Panels. I don’t think it had anything to do with it, but I added in Industry Events like the @wineandsecurity event that @protechtsolutionspartners hosts at ISC West. If you are interested in that event, please send me a DM. I am honored to have been one of the recipients of the Top 40 Leader award for 2025, and I hope to do enough to have a repeat in 2026. I would highly encourage anyone who is producing thought leadership to apply. Registration link is here: http://www.lifesafetyalliance.org/top40 Congratulations again and also to the rest of the 2025 Top 40 Leaders in Security and Life Safety Obadare Peter Adewale Professor of Practice - Cybersecurity Melissa Agnes Farah B. Garry Bergin PC MSc CSyP MSI CPP SRMCP CTSP F.Sec.I.I FSyI F.ISRM Dave Cohen RPP M.ISRM Mike Croll Chris Cubbage CPP, CISA, GAICD Terry Cutler Shawnee Delaney Nicholas Dynon Jane Frankland MBE ✨ Michael Gips Alex Goldenberg Scott Goldfine Florian Haacke Yolanda Hamblen Kasia Hanson Mike Hurst, CPP® CPOI Eduardo Jany Kathy Lavinder Kirk MacDowell Taylor May, MBA Tim McCreight Bruce McIndoe Don Morron, MBA Fredrik Nilsson Kevin Palacios Elizabeth Parks Paul Sarnese, CHPA, MSE,MAS,CAPM Tyler Schmoker, MPA, LSSYB, PROSCI Dr. Gavriel (Gav) Schneider Gaston Hernan Schulmeister Jeffrey A. Slotnick, CPP, PSP Confidence Staveley Christopher Stitt Tino Urbina Tim Wenzel, CPP Alfredo Yuncoza DHC. CSSM. CPOI. CPO. CRM Matthew Porcelli, MSc, CPP, MSI, F.ISRM, FSyl I also highly encourage anyone who is active in the physical security, life safety, or cybersecurity industries to look at the Life Safety Alliance as a place to share that thought leadership. It's not a perfect organization, but the things that the LSA is doing, getting involved with, and has on the roadmap is both important and industry-changing as well. The Art of the Possible is NOW. It is exciting to see the @Life Safety Alliance and their members have that mindset of becoming Agents of Change, offering a fresh take on what we as a security industry can do. I make no apologies, I want to be an Agent of Change, not to tear down the security industry, but to help change mindsets and focus, before the industry gets left behind. Let's learn from the lessons of old, but be willing to grow using that knowledge. ProTecht Solutions Partners, LLC is your security advocate: a security technology consulting firm dedicated to helping companies keep people and assets safe. We realize security technologies are part of a larger solution for most companies, with requirements to bring business intelligence, sustainability, and more. With ProTecht Solutions Partners, LLC, the system you implement is always tailored to the specific needs of your company. If this, or any of the technologies mentioned in Security Agents of Change, are interesting to your company, please reach out for a more in-depth discussion.
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