Security Industry Association Names Kathleen Carroll as Committee Chair of the Year

Kathleen Carroll

Carroll, who leads the SIA Data Privacy Advisory Board, will be honored at The Advance at ISC West 2020.

SILVER SPRING, Md. The Security Industry Association (SIA) has selected Kathleen Carroll as the 2020 recipient of the SIA Committee Chair of the Year Award, which recognizes individuals for excellence in leading SIA committees and advancing member objectives. SIA will present Carroll with the honor at The Advance, SIA’s annual membership meeting, during ISC West.

Carroll chairs the SIA Data Privacy Advisory Board and is the founder and managing partner of Seven Seas Strategic Communications, a full-service public relations and government affairs firm offering strategic planning, writing, media relations and event planning. With more than 30 years of experience, she has worked with companies in diverse industries, designing public relations and government affairs programs and strategies that help build business and garner attention and support for clients’ key goals and objectives. She previously served as vice president of corporate communications for HID Global, overseeing the development and implementation of public relations and government affairs programs. She has testified before Congress on a range of topics, including the use of secure identification documents in airports, and has testified in several states on the use of secure credentials for physical and logical access control, cybersecurity, the Internet of Things and privacy.

“I am honored to be recognized as Chairperson of the Year. The Data Privacy Advisory Board members have made it easy to chair this committee, and I thank them for their commitment, dedication and active participation,” said Carroll. “I am also grateful to SIA for recognizing early on that privacy and security should be complementary. As important has been the support that the advisory board has received from Ron Hawkins and the rest of the SIA staff.Educating and informing the security industry about data privacy motivates me daily, and chairing the Data Privacy Advisory Board allows me to work with like-minded leaders in the industry to spread the word. Privacy matters.”

SIA’s Data Privacy Advisory Board provides information and best practices to help SIA members handle sensitive data in a safe and secure manner to protect the personally identifiable information of their employees, partners and customers from potential breaches. The board leverages the collective expertise of industry professionals, law enforcement, security practitioners and data privacy experts to inform and educate SIA member companies about methods for mitigating the risk of data breaches.

As chair of the Data Privacy Advisory Board, Carroll has spearheaded a number of notable efforts, including outreach to key integrators, office visits to members of Congress, the development of the Data Privacy Microlearning Series – a self-paced online course exploring key privacy issues, regulations and risks – and the creation of a data privacy primer for the security industry and several additional data privacy resources, including guidance documents to help firms navigate the business impact of the California Consumer Privacy Act and Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation. Additionally, Carroll authored an opinion letter on the need for a federal privacy law that was published in the New York Times.

“During her time as advisory board chair, Kathleen Carroll has increased awareness of data privacy issues throughout the security industry,” said Don Erickson, SIA CEO. “Kathleen’s leadership has helped position SIA as a thought leader on this critical issue, and we look forward to recognizing her for her outstanding achievements at The Advance this year.”

The Advance will take place during ISC West 2020 on Tuesday, March 17, from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. in the Sands Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. In addition to the presentation of the Committee Chair of the Year Award, attendees will enjoy a high-impact presentation from William Wilkins, executive director of global security operations at Valero Energy Corporation, on the chief security officer framework and key lessons for security professionals. SIA will also review key association business, exchange market intelligence for the year ahead and present the SIA Chairman’s Award, Member of the Year Award and Sandy Jones Volunteer of the Year Award. Attendees of The Advance will receive complimentary lunch and have the opportunity to network with industry colleagues. Learn more and register to attend.

About SIA

SIA is the leading trade association for global security solution providers, with over 1,000 innovative member companies representing thousands of security leaders and experts who shape the future of the security industry. SIA protects and advances its members’ interests by advocating pro-industry policies and legislation at the federal and state levels, creating open industry standards that enable integration, advancing industry professionalism through education and training, opening global market opportunities and collaborating with other like-minded organizations. As the premier sponsor of ISC Events expos and conferences, SIA ensures its members have access to top-level buyers and influencers, as well as unparalleled learning and network opportunities. SIA also enhances the position of its members in the security marketplace through SIA GovSummit, which brings together private industry with government decision makers, and Securing New Ground, the security industry’s top executive conference for peer-to-peer networking.