PO Box 610605
Dallas,TX 75261
Dallas,TX 75261
The Foundation for Advancing Security Talent (FAST) is governed by a nine-member board of directors drawn from the Electronic Security Association (ESA) and Security Industry Association (SIA) membership. The board’s officers include a chairperson, vice-chairperson, secretary and treasurer. Directors serve two-year terms.
The board of directors develops the foundation’s strategic plan, identifies its annual goals and ensures its compliance with applicable laws and regulations, all in coordination with ESA and SIA staff.
Leadership
Kerri Sutherland (Chair)
Manager, Human Resources Business Partnerships, Axis Communications
Kerri Sutherland has held a human resource business partnership position at Axis Communications since 2017. She holds an MBA with a concentration in human resource management from the University of Texas A&M and is certified as a senior professional by the Society of Human Resource Management. She has more than a decade of successful experience in the field with a primary focus on hiring, employee development and employee engagement. Sutherland’s human resource journey began at various international tech companies, and she currently supports the Americas region at Axis by recruiting and retaining top talent while safeguarding the company’s culture. She also sits as the chair for Axis’ Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee and serves on the board of a local nonprofit humane society. When she is not working, she enjoys traveling and experiencing different cultures, and equally loves spending time at home with her husband and two dogs.
John Nemerofsky (Vice Chair)
Chief Operating Officer, SAGE Integration
With over 25 years of experience in the security industry, John Nemerofsky‘s leadership attributes include relationship development, performance expectations, team building and decisive action. Early in his career, Nemerofsky helped grow a security integration company to $140 million in annual sales while building a Rolodex that includes many of today’s most influential and successful security professionals.
With an early track record of success, he became senior vice president of Stanley Security Systems, overseeing a broad scope of projects that included several turnaround initiatives, operational changes, sales and market expansions and customer acquisitions. He managed an $800M P&L and a team of 13 managers with a dotted line to more than 500 team members. Nemerofsky’s entrepreneurial spirit led him to start his own management consulting company to help other entrepreneurs to optimize business operations, pipeline development, marketing, supply chain, product development, exit strategies, mergers and acquisitions. In 2017, Nemerofsky joined CGL Electronic Security and applied his management experience to a new entrepreneurial endeavor as President of CGL Technologies. Today, he is the chief operating officer at SAGE Integration, focusing his talents on streamlining operations, company acquisitions and organic growth strategies. In addition to his duties at SAGE Integration, Nemerofsky still finds time to volunteer for worthy causes, serves as an adviser to industry leaders, is a professional speaker/presenter and is a member of various organizations.
Erin Mann (Secretary)
Senior Manager, Business Operations, Latch
Erin Mann is the manager, Canada, at Latch. She joined the Latch team in October 2021 and previously served as customer experience and strategy marketing manager for Allegion Canada‘s multifamily channel. Having a passion for talent development, engagement and retention, she served as an active member of Allegion’s Young Professionals Group, a founding member of the organization‘s innovation group Creativity Unlocked, a member of Allegion’s Network of Empowered Women and a co-chair of Allegion Canada’s Engagement Group. Mann serves as vice chair of the Security Industry Association’s RISE community for young professionals, leading the group’s inclusion and diversity initiatives. She is also a member of the SIA Women in Security Forum. A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Erin holds a B.A. in communications from DePauw University.
Ken Kocher (Treasurer)
President, Force Security Solutions
Ken Kocher is the founder and president of Force Security Solutions, a managed security solution provider located in the Washington, D.C., area. Force Security Solutions provides proactive, high-tech, high-quality, integrated IP security products, installation and managed support service and monitoring for its commercial and government clients throughout the D.C. area and beyond. Kocher is a retired police officer from Montgomery County, Maryland, who has over 40 years of combined experience in law enforcement, physical security and security consulting. Before starting Force Security, he also worked in retail security, as well as with Science Application International Corp. (SAIC), one of the largest government contractors, where he was responsible for providing security risk assessments, consulting and recommendations for electronic security technology to state and federal government agencies for some of the most secure facilities in the in the United States and the world.
Directors
Neil Atha
President, Atronic Alarms
Prior to joining Atronic Alarms in January 2011, Neil Atha spent three years as a regional account manager for a Dallas-based national security integrator. Neil oversees the management team, organizes company research and development, coordinates growth and marketing strategies, develops company policies and is directly involved with daily operations. In September 2020, Neil was promoted to president. Neil is also the president of the Kansas City Burglar and Fire Alarm Association, the treasurer for the Electronic Security Association of Missouri and a board member of Kansas City Crime Stoppers.
Brendan McFall
East Coast Operations Manager, Northland Controls
After graduating from St. Mary’s College of Maryland, Brendan McFall “stumbled” into the security industry. Brendan’s career began in 2014 as the executive assistant for Northland Control’s CEO. Since then, he has taken on a number of different roles at Northland, most recently becoming the East Coast operations manager. Outside of Northland, McFall remains active in the wider security industry and is passionate about helping young professionals advance in their careers. In 2018, he served as the chair of the Security Industry Association’s RISE community, and he joined PSA Security Network’s Leadership Committee in 2019.
Yaron Zussman
General Manager, Magos America Inc.
Yaron Zussman has 20 years of experience in the information technology and security industries. He is currently a general manager at Magos America, a company out of Israel that is reinventing radar technology for the 21st century. Prior to joining Magos, Yaron was the CEO of FST Biometrics America. Yaron also spent 11 years at DVTEL (which was acquired by FLIR), a developer of end-to-end video solutions, where he held leadership roles in the sales, sales support and business development organizations. In his last role at DVTEL, Yaron served as vice president of sales. Under his leadership, the company grew from being a startup to becoming one of the leaders in the IP security enterprise market. Yaron holds a bachelor of science degree in business management and an executive MBA from Rutgers Business School.
Contact Us
To contact FAST, please email fast@advancingsecurity.org.
