HOMELAND SECURITY TODAY ANNOUNCES 2019 HOMELAND SECURITY AWARDEES

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

HOMELAND SECURITY TODAY ANNOUNCES 2019 

HOMELAND SECURITY AWARDEES

Washington, D.C., November 22 — Homeland Security Today, the premier nonprofit news organization for homeland security news, analysis, and insights, announced selections for the 2019 Holiday Homeland Security Awards, including Federal Homeland Security Person of the Year Kevin McAleenan, former Acting Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and State/Local Homeland Security Person of the Year James Featherstone, Executive Director of the Homeland Security Advisory Council at Pepperdine University.

“Annually we receive numerous nominations from across the nation of extraordinary people doing tremendous work on behalf of their communities, their states, and their country, and we want to honor and recognize their contributions,” said Kristina Tanasichuk, Executive Editor of Homeland Security Today and CEO of the Government Technology & Services Coalition. “We want to be sure that these selfless, incredibly hard-working individuals know that there are people who appreciate what they do and want to honor their work on behalf of all of us.”

Each year, Homeland Security Today selects some very special people who support the mission of homeland and national security in their jobs, in their free time, or both. Read on to learn more about all of the 2019 awardees.

Homeland Security Person of the Year

Federal 

Kevin McAleenan, Former Acting Secretary, U.S. Department of Homeland Security

State/Local 

James Featherstone, Executive Director,

Homeland Security Advisory Council at Pepperdine University

Federal Small Business Champion

Katrina Brisbon, Assistant Administrator,

Contracting & Procurement, Transportation Security Administration

Acquisition Excellence

U.S. Coast Guard AUXDATA Procurement Team

Brenda E. Oberholzer, Contract Specialist

Lt. Nicholas M. Fredericksen, Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) & Technical Evaluation Team Chairperson

Lt. Carl N. Stokes, Program Manager, AUXDATA system

Shandra J. Kotzun, Procurement Law Attorney, C4IT Service Center, U.S. Coast Guard

Innovative Campaign to Forward Mission 

Narrative Strategies

Dr Ajit Maan, Founder & CEO

Dr. Howard Clark, President

Paul Cobaugh, Vice President

Kevin Metcalf, Founder & CEO

National Child Protection Task Force

Mark Ray, Director of Public Works, City of Crystal, Minnesota

Citizen of Mission 

Brady Snakovsky, Brady’s K9 Fund

Most Valuable Player 

Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)

Chris Krebs, Director

Brian Harrell, Assistant Secretary for Infrastructure Protection

Katherine Ledesma, Senior Policy Analyst

Matt Masterson, Senior Cybersecurity Advisor

Mission Awards 

Dan Albert, New York State, Red Team Program

Bernie Beier, Homeland Security Director, Allen County, Indiana

Roberto Campos, Program Manager, U.S. Customs and Border Protection

Salah Czapary, Director, Office of Volunteer Coordination, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department Kathy Dollarhide, Director, Disaster Resource Center, St. Mary’s Medical Center, Long Beach, Calif.

Gregory St. James, Program Manager, Montgomery County Maryland Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)

Bridgett Lewis, Manager, Security Operations, Port of Long Beach, Long Beach, Calif.

Shaun C. Roach, Manager, Transportation Security Administration, U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Tadgh Smith, Deputy Assistant Director (DAD) for Technology and Transformation, Law Enforcement and Systems Analysis (LESA)

Lt. C.D.S. Brian Vaughan, Threat Reduction & Infrastructure Protection, Physical Security, Counterterrorism Division, New York Police Department

Amy Wheelock, Senior Advisor, Field Operations Directorate, U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services

Excellence in Outreach 

Federal

Federal Emergency Management Agency Team

Dan Kaniewski, Deputy Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency

Lizzie Litzow, Press Secretary, Federal Emergency Management Agency

Stephanie Yanta, Behavioral Analysis Profiler, Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Behavioral

Analysis Unit (BAU), Behavioral Threat Assessment Center (BTAC)

State

Terry Hastings, Senior Policy Advisor,

New York State Division of Homeland Security & Emergency Services

Local

Colonel David Hines, Sheriff, Hanover County, Va.

GTSC Small Business of the Year 

Potomac Management Solutions

Diane McCain, President

GTSC Mid-Tier Business of the Year 

Citizant

Alba Aleman, CEO

GTSC Mentor of the Year 

Adobe

GTSC Strategic Partner of the Year 

GovConRx

GTSC Strategic Advisor of the Year 

Keith Jones, President and CEO, The Edgewater Group

Read more about the recipients of theHomeland Security Person of the Year, Mission Awards, Excellence Awards, andGTSC Awards.

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The Government Technology & Services Coalition (GTSC) is a nonprofit, non-partisan 501(c)(6) association of companies that work with government partners to achieve mission.  Our vision is to provide an ethical, effective platform to leverage the private sector to bring the best homeland and national security ideas, technologies and innovations to the mission of securing our nation.  GTSC’s mission is to provide exceptional advocacy, capacity building, partnership opportunities and marketing in the Federal security space for small and mid-sized companies and to support and assist our government partners achieve their critical missions with the highest integrity; best and most innovative technologies; and results-based, quality products and services to prevent, protect against, mitigate, respond to and recover from any terrorist attack or natural disaster. For more information on these mentors and the Government Technology & Services Coalition, please visit www.GTSCoalition.com or learn about our mid-tier initiative at www.GTSCMidTierSolution.com.

The Government Technology & Services Coalition’s Homeland Security Today (HSToday) is the premier news and information resource for the homeland security community, dedicated to elevating the discussions and insights that can support a safe and secure nation. A non-profit magazine and media platform, HSToday provides readers with the whole story, placing facts and comments in context to inform debate and drive realistic solutions to some of the nation’s most vexing security challenges. HSToday’s contributors and editors hail from throughout the homeland security community. They are the thinkers and doers who shape and implement the United States’ security methodologies, strategies and tactics. From policymaking in Washington, DC, to operations in challenging security environments, HSToday’s vast network of experts deliver the most authoritative, timely coverage of America’s efforts to address threats man-made and natural.

www.HSToday.us