SIA Honors Night Salutes Accomplishments in the Security Industry

SIA Honors Night celebrated significant accomplishments in the security industry with a slate of awards during a festive dinner presentation in New York City on Wednesday night. (See all photos from SIA Honors Night 2017​ on SIA’s Flickr.)

Chief among the honorees was John Stroia, President, Hamilton Security, a Gunnebo Company, who received the 2017 George R. Lippert Memorial Award.

Since 2008, Stroia has held various volunteer leadership positions with SIA, and he’s the immediate past Chairman of the Board for the Security Industry Association (SIA). Stroia’s term as SIA Chairman was marked by a keen focus on oversight of the Board Strategic Framework, principally in the areas of education, membership growth and collaboration.

Stroia furthered SIA’s collaboration goals and encouraged new relationships between SIA and numerous industry and academic organizations, increasing SIA membership 42 percent during his tenure as chairman. Stroia chaired the SIA Government Relations Committee from 2008-2012 and was recognized in 2010 with the SIA Committee Chair of the Year Award.

SIA recognized Brivo CEO Steve Van Till with the Jay Hauhn Excellence in Partnerships Award during the ceremony at the Current at Chelsea Piers in Manhattan.

The Jay Hauhn Excellence in Partnerships Award is given each year to a SIA member who has shown commitment and fostered collaboration between the association and the security industry as well as has advocated for advancements in the industry.

As SIA Standards Committee Chair, Van Till was instrumental in identifying and bringing Open Supervised Device Protocol (OSDP) to SIA. He has served as an effective SIA volunteer liaison to other stakeholders within the security industry, including integrators and security practitioners. He continues to foster strong relationships between SIA and other organizations and share his insights into technology trends with SIA conferences and partners.

David McGowan, Tiffany & Co.’s Vice President-Global Protection Services, receive recognition as the 2017 SIA Insightful Practitioner. The SIA Insightful Practitioner Award is presented to a security practitioner who demonstrates leadership and excellence in promoting the implementation of innovative security solutions through education, advocacy and teamwork with the industry and other stakeholders.

McGowan strengthened the critically important relationship between SIA and the International Security Management Association (ISMA). He has been a leading voice in leveraging the expertise of ISMA and SIA members to deliver value to members of both organizations.

SIA and SecureIDNews teamed up to honor leading Women in Biometrics. For 2017, five Women in Biometrics honorees were selected, and three of them attended SIA Honors Night to accept awards and share their insights.

Honorees attending included Kimberly Del Greco, Deputy Assistant Director, Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Division, FBI; Stephanie Schuckers, Paynter-Krigman Endowed Professor in Engineering Science, Clarkson University; and Frances Zelazny, Vice President, BioCatch.

Women in Biometrics honorees who could not attend in person included Isabelle Moeller, Chief Executive, Biometrics Institute, and Liane Moriyama, Administrator, Hawaii Criminal Justice Data Center.

The presentation of awards was punctuated by a keynote address by Michael Durant, retired Chief Warrant Officer and inspiration for the book and movie Black Hawk Down, detailing operations in Somalia and his captivity as a prisoner of war.

SIA salutes all awardees, who represent the very best in the security industry, and thanks them for their dedication and drive. We hope to see you next year for SIA Honors Night 2018, scheduled for Nov. 14, 2018, in conjunction with ISC East in New York City.