Security Industry Association Announces 2025 SIA Women in Security Forum Scholarship Winners

Eight security industry professionals will receive scholarships to be used toward opportunities like continuing education, repayment of student loan debt and professional development.

SILVER SPRING, Md.—The Security Industry Association (SIA) has named eight recipients for the 2025 SIA Women in Security Forum (WISF) Scholarship—a program developed by the SIA Women in Security Forum to further educational opportunities and promote advancement for the widest spectrum of people possible in the security industry.

Through this scholarship program—open to employees of SIA member companies and SIA student members—each honoree will be awarded $7,500 to use toward continuing education and professional development courses, conferences or webinars, SIA program offerings, repayment of student loan debt and/or other education or academic pursuits.

The 2025 winners for the SIA Women in Security Forum Scholarship are:

• Bianca Banuelos, operations assistant, Safe and Sound Security
• Sushma Nayak, associate mechanical engineer, Allegion
• Haley Nelson, senior communications strategist, Allegion
• Beth Phillips, technical account manager, Genetec
• Yazmina Rawji, relationship manager, dormakaba
• Yarisa Walsh, senior security training assistant, United Nations
• Nikki Williams, North American regional marketing manager, Integrated Control Technology
• Erin Wilson, manager, influencer education, dormakaba

“Congratulations to the 2025 SIA Women in Security Scholarship recipients. As a proud 2022 awardee, I understand how impactful this program is in empowering women to reach their educational and professional goals in the security industry. This year’s applicants truly represent the women making great strides in our field,” said Tia Eskandari, vice chair of the SIA Women in Security Forum Steering Committee, co-chair of the WISF AmplifiHER Subcommittee and senior director, national field service at Allied Universal Technology Services. “Thank you to the AmplifiHER subcommittee members who worked so hard on this year’s fundraising campaign—we appreciate all of you! A heartfelt thank you to the sponsors and scholarship committee members whose ongoing support makes this opportunity possible. Your investment in women’s advancement is changing lives and transforming our industry.”

“SIA and the Women in Security Forum are both a rich and robust space for career growth and elevation in the industry. Throughout this scholarship selection process, we witnessed countless women in the industry making business-impacting moves and shining a light on why this program is so vital. Their stories—full of courage, innovation, and barrier-breaking—remind us why uplifting and edifying professional and personal development is essential,” said Tanya Turner, co-chair of the WISF AmplifiHER Subcommittee and director of human resources at Salto. “As this program continues to gain momentum, we hope more businesses will invest in it, recognizing the value of rewarding women who strive to do more and be more. Thank you to all the participants who showcased their amazing talents, the committee members and the sponsors who deeply believed in the program enough to support it.”

To learn more about the SIA Women in Security Forum Scholarship and 2025 awardees, visit the scholarship page.

For the first time in 2025, SIA will award the top-scoring scholarship applicant each year with the Sandy Jones Award, a special scholarship distinction named for industry veteran and longtime SIA member Sandra (Sandy) Jones. This year, the inaugural recipient of this award is Yazmina Rawji. Sandy Jones is a 30+-year security industry veteran, insider, deal maker, author and visionary. Fifteen years after founding one of the industry’s first wholesale distribution companies, she started the consulting firm Sandra Jones and Company, where she and her industry affiliates provide a complete range of customized financial and profit development services for investors, manufacturers, service providers and system integrators. Jones was the creator of SIA’s New Products and Solutions Awards and a co-founder and producer of the Securing New Ground conference and served as two-term president of SIA, and she is one of only six industry leaders to have been awarded an honorary SIA membership.

The SIA Women in Security Forum Scholarship is made possible by the generous donations of SIA members and SIA member companies. SIA thanks the 2025 WISF Scholarship donors: Diamond Level donor Axis Communications; Emerald Level donors Altronix and Genetec; Ruby Level donors Brivo, Eagle Eye Networks, GSA Schedules Inc., HID, SAGE, Salto and Securitas Technology; and Sapphire Level donor Clear Cloud.

SIA thanks the members of the WISF AmplifiHER Subcommittee for lending their time and expertise to fundraising and evaluation for this year’s WISF Scholarship: co-chairs Tia Eskandari and Tanya Turner and additional members Beth Anderson, director of digital marketing at Allegion; Rebecca Bayne, president of Bayne Consulting & Search; Jim Black, senior director, security architect at Microsoft; Lynn de Séve, founder and president, GSA Schedules, Inc.; Lori Hudnall, vice president of human resources at SAGE Integration; Lyndell Kline, secured entrance strategist at Boon Edam; Elaine Palome, director of human resources, Americas, at Axis Communications; Julie Rolles, business development manager at Dallmeier; Ania Ross, director, product and technical marketing at Wesco; Lisa Sobek, channel marketing manager at Allegion; Gannon Switzer, vice president of sales management consulting at Vector Firm; Tanya Turner, director of human resources at Salto Systems; and Kenia Caballero, industry affairs manager at SIA.

In addition to this scholarship, the SIA Women in Security Forum community offers a number of key programs and activities, including the SIA Progress Award, which celebrates individuals who advance opportunities for women in the security industry; the Power 100, an annual initiative showcasing 100 women who are role models, leaders, innovators and influencers in global security; organizing keynote series events at ISC East and ISC West; co-leadership of the Security LeadHER conference in partnership with ASIS International; volunteer efforts that give back to the community; collaborative projects with other organizations that seek to empower women in the security and technology fields; sponsorship of the SIA Women in Biometrics Awards program; thought leadership and speaking opportunities; and engaging networking and professional growth events. Participation in the SIA Women in Security Forum is open to all employees of SIA member companies; learn more and get involved.

About SIA

SIA is the leading trade association for global security solution providers, with over 1,600 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.