Security Industry Association Names Pauline Norstrom, Yazmina Rawji and Joey St. Jacques as 2025 Sandy Jones Volunteers of the Year

The awardees will be honored for their leadership in growing SIA’s programs and services at The Advance, SIA’s annual membership meeting.

SILVER SPRING, Md. –  The Security Industry Association (SIA) has named three recipients of the 2025 Sandy Jones Volunteer of the Year Award. Pauline Norstrom, Yazmina Rawji and Joey St. Jacques will be honored with the award at The Advance, SIA’s annual membership meeting, which will be held April 1 during ISC West.

The Sandy Jones Volunteer of the Year Award is named in honor of Sandra Jones, principal of Sandra Jones and Company, a prolific SIA volunteer and co-founder of the executive conference Securing New Ground. The award is presented on an annual basis to SIA volunteers who have made tireless efforts to expand SIA’s programs and services. 

Pauline Norstrom is the founder and CEO of Anekanta AI and Anekanta Consulting, which are artificial intelligence and research brands providing AI strategy, governance and AI literacy services to businesses around the world. She is the architect of the business, and with her team she has developed Anekanta’s governance and risk systems for board governance and AI regulations such as Europe’s AI Act. Prior to founding Anekanta, Norstrom acquired over 25 years of corporate experience holding senior board roles in a range of international companies, including as chief operating officer of a large technology group, and in 2014 she was chair of the British Security Industry Association. Alongside her corporate career she has championed the safe use of AI technology in industry and in the security domain for 20 years, and through her commercial experience and commitment to influencing technology adoption within de facto guardrails, she has been awarded fellowships with the British Computer Society, the Institute of Directors and RSA.

“I am honored and delighted to receive a volunteer of the year award from SIA. I have invested my personal time to drive best practices in technology adoption for over 20 years and see it as an imperative for business and technology leaders to do so,” said Norstrom. “Such work leads to networks and communities which build careers and build businesses. Developing an AI ecosystem which champions a professional approach to the promotion of AI and considers all relevant factors affecting its success including data privacy and cybersecurity, is vital to stimulate adoption and growth. I would like to thank SIA for the recognition of my work but also emphasize that the committees are collaborative and can only be successful through the voluntary inputs from all their members.”

Norstrom’s company has been a member of SIA since 2019, and she is highly involved with the association as a volunteer. Norstrom is a member of the SIA Cybersecurity Advisory Board and has served as an influential thought leader on cybersecurity with SIA, having participated on cybersecurity panel discussions with the Cybersecurity Advisory Board and authored informative articles and blogs on critical cybersecurity and converged security topics. She is a member of SIA’s AI Advisory Board, where she has helped SIA to develop a glossary of AI terms in security. Additionally, Norstrom serves on SIA’s Data Privacy Advisory Board, where she has been a key contributor to efforts such as the development of the Data Privacy Pro certificate program and the creation of the Security Cornerstones e-learning module on data privacy. She has fostered SIA’s relationships with international organizations, including the Confederation of European Security Services, and is also an active member of the SIA Women in Security Forum community.

Yazmina (Mina) Rawji is a relationship manager at dormakaba, where she plays a key role in driving customer acquisition, business growth and market expansion for Security, Sports & Entertainment – an Alvarado dormakaba Group brand, entrance systems, interior glass systems and airports. Before entering the security industry, she served as the international market development director for a VoIP startup, where she specialized in global business expansion, and worked alongside some of the world’s most renowned speakers and trainers to help bring transformative insights to a global audience. A published author, Rawji co-wrote Expert Women Who Speak…Speak Out, a book that provides life and success strategies by women, for women. She has also lent her editorial expertise to numerous books on finance, sales, global business and self-improvement. In addition to her volunteer efforts with SIA, Rawji serves as chair of the dormakaba Women’s Network Americas, is a steering committee member with Women in Manufacturing (WiM) California and is a member of the Lean In Circle.

“I am deeply honored and grateful to be named a 2025 Sandy Jones Volunteer of the Year by SIA. This recognition is not just mine, but a reflection of the incredible support and collaboration from organizations like dormakaba Americas, the dormakaba Women’s Network, SIA, the Women in Security Forum, WiM and ASIS,” said Rawji. “Through my volunteer work, I’ve witnessed the profound impact of mentorship and empowerment in shaping lives and creating opportunities for growth. Being involved with these communities has been a transformative journey, where we break barriers, build meaningful networks and empower others to rise and create opportunities that inspire positive changes.”

Rawji is heavily involved with the SIA Women in Security Forum (WISF) community, serving on the WISF Steering Committee, as well as the planning committee for the annual Security LeadHER conference designed to advance, connect and empower women in security. She also serves as chair of WISF’s AmbassadHER subcommittee, where she actively supports expansion and outreach of WISF’s efforts to SIA members in Mexico and Latin America. Rawji has supported SIA’s presence at Expo Seguridad México, recommending prospective conference speakers, building connections across dormakaba, Alvarado and SIA and more. She has also played an instrumental role in presenting the WISF Power 100 program, an annual recognition program from WISF that honors 100 women leaders each year who are driving change and leading the way in the security industry, and was as a WISF Power 100 honoree in 2024.

Joey St. Jacques has dedicated over three decades to the critical infrastructure sector, with extensive experience including a significant tenure at an electrical utility where he developed his expertise as a security practitioner. Throughout his career, St. Jacques has demonstrated exceptional leadership in developing and implementing physical and cybersecurity road maps, programs and initiatives across North America. In his previous role as global director at Feenics, he spearheaded strategic growth initiatives and provided vital support to security practitioners in safeguarding their infrastructure. Globally recognized as a respected advocate for physical security and cybersecurity, St. Jacques’ influence extends far and wide. He is renowned for his work in engineered security solutions, business continuity, disaster recovery, emergency management, cloud-based systems, digital transformation and artificial intelligence applications within compliance-driven organizations. St. Jacques actively participates in industry working groups across North America and has significantly contributed to both physical and cybersecurity fields through seminars, white papers and presentations at prestigious security conferences. He also serves on various committees and boards, including the financial sector, where he focuses on security governance, procedural technology and business processes.

“I am honored to receive the Sandy Jones Volunteer Award, a recognition that reflects not just my contributions, but the collaborative spirit of our entire security community. Having dedicated over 30 years to critical infrastructure security, specifically in protecting electrical grids from evolving threats, I’ve witnessed firsthand how SIA has served as a cornerstone of excellence and innovation in our field,” said St. Jacques. “In recognition of all that SIA has provided, I’ve made it my mission to give back to our community through active participation on various boards, sharing insights through educational speaking sessions and mentoring the next generation of security professionals. It’s crucial that we continue to strengthen our network of security practitioners and ensure that tomorrow’s leaders are well-equipped to face future challenges. This award reinforces my commitment to continuing this important work of knowledge sharing and community building in our industry.”

Since its founding in 2022, St. Jacques has served as chair of the SIA Utilities Advisory Board, an expert-led group offering insight and education to security practitioners, members of the security industry and other stakeholders about emerging security trends, regulatory compliance issues, and recommended practices for protecting utility infrastructure. He oversees the group’s vital efforts to educate SIA membership while also helping to protect the utility sector through the delivery of high-quality information. St. Jacques led the development of the Security Cornerstones e-learning module on critical infrastructure security and has guided the Utilities Advisory Board’s efforts in presenting SIA’s Protecting Utilities lunch event at ISC West and the Critical Infrastructure Lunch and Learn at ISC East. Additionally, he is a dedicated volunteer on the SIA Education at ISC conference committee, generously offering his time and expertise to thoroughly review and evaluate content proposals for the annual conference at ISC East and West.

“SIA is thrilled to recognize three winners of the Sandy Jones Volunteer of the Year Award – bestowing this honor to multiple individuals reflects the outstanding engagement within SIA in ways that directly impact our members and their organizations, including expertise on cybersecurity, data privacy and AI; workforce development; diversity, equity and inclusion; education and training; critical infrastructure security and more, and these awardees have excelled in these areas all while boosting the value of SIA membership and involvement in our association and industry,” said SIA CEO Don Erickson. “Pauline Norstrom, Mina Rawji and Joey St. Jacques are inspiring leaders and remarkable people, and their dedication to SIA and their industry expertise, vision and innovation have helped SIA to continually elevate its service to our members and the broader security industry.”

Inspired by the noteworthy contributions of these SIA volunteers? Employees of SIA member companies can make the most out of their memberships by getting more involved with the association. Volunteer opportunities include joining SIA committees or groups, lending expertise to SIA’s education and training programs, participating in SIA’s advocacy efforts, contributing to SIA’s publications and thought leadership and getting involved in SIA events. Learn more and get started as a volunteer.  

The Advance 2025 will take place on Tuesday, April 1, at 10:30 a.m. in The Venetian Expo during ISC West. At this special membership meeting, attendees will review official association business, meet the new SIA board members and participate in SIA elections, recognize volunteer achievements from the past year, exchange market intelligence for the year ahead and enjoy a dynamic keynote presentation from Sonny Tai, president of Actuate. In addition to presenting the SIA Member of the Year Award, SIA will honor the 2025 recipients of the Sandy Jones Volunteer of the Year Award and Committee Chair of the Year Award. Learn more and register to attend.

About the Security Industry Association

SIA is the leading trade association for global security solution providers, with over 1,500 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.