Security Industry Association Announces the Winners of the 2023 SIA RISE Scholarship

SIA awards $3,000 scholarships to 14 young professionals within the security industry

SILVER SPRING, Md. – The Security Industry Association (SIA) has named 14 young security professionals as the recipients of the 2023 SIA RISE Scholarship, a program offered through SIA’s RISE community, which supports the education and career development goals of young industry talent.

Through this scholarship program – open to SIA student members and RISE members who are employees at SIA member companies – each awardee will receive a $3,000 scholarship to use toward continuing education and professional development courses, SIA program offerings and/or other academic or education programs. Scholarship funds can be used to expand knowledge in the areas of business, human resources (HR), information technology (IT), marketing, sales, project management, security engineering and/or risk management.

“This year’s class of award recipients is an incredibly talented and driven group of individuals who each recognize the value of investing in their education,” said SIA CEO Don Erickson. “We are proud to present them with the 2023 SIA RISE Scholarship funds so that they may continue to grow professionally and further become the leaders of our industry. It is also special to bestow the Pierre Trapanese RISE Scholarship for the first time. We are equally proud of the generous contributions that member companies made to support the RISE Scholarship.”

The 14 winners for the 2023 SIA RISE Scholarship are:

• Taniya Acharya, project coordinator, Meta
• Leslie Arredondo, key account manager, BCD
• Hannah Brauer, strategic planner, i-PRO Americas
• Emma Broomhead, information security program manager, Viakoo
• Doniell Glass, senior manager, marketing operations, Brivo
• Hadden Grant, product marketing specialist, Digital Monitoring Products
• Morgan Khov, technical program manager, Northland Controls
• Kyle Maresh, inside sales manager, i-PRO Americas
• Ashley Means, marketing associate, Arcules
• Destiny Mojica-Taylor, business development and marketing, scDataCom
• Avory Ransome, end user sales consultant, Allegion
• Shay Tucker, specification writer apprentice, Allegion
• Tristin Vaccaro, content specialist, LRG Marketing
• David Vuong, IT security specialist, Idemia

Brauer was the recipient of the 2023 Pierre Trapanese RISE Scholarship, a special RISE Scholarship presented to recognize Pierre Trapanese, CEO of Northland Controls and past SIA board chair. In addition to his volunteer leadership on SIA’s board, Trapanese has been dedicated to the success of young professionals in the industry and is likewise dedicated to professional development opportunities within SIA, having been instrumental in the creation of the Certified Security Project Manager (CSPM) certification program.

SIA would also like to thank the following individuals and companies which contributed to the 2023 RISE Scholarship fund. Tax-deductible donations were made through the Foundation for Advancing Security Talent (FAST), a not-for-profit organization founded by SIA and the Electronic Security Association (ESA) and dedicated to connecting passionate, innovative professionals with new opportunities in the security industry.

• Axis Communications
• HID Global
• Genetec
• Intel
• Northland Controls
• Secure Access & Digital Systems
• Securitas

SIA RISE is a community that fosters the careers of young professionals in the security industry. In addition to awarding the annual SIA RISE Scholarship, SIA RISE offers fun networking events for young professionals, created the RISE Microlearning Series of mini-webinars on top professional development topics, hosts career growth webinars and trade show education tracks, recently launched the Talent Inclusion Mentorship Education (TIME) mentorship program for early and mid-career professionals in the security industry and presents the annual AcceleRISE conference – an essential experience designed to ignite new thinking, strengthen leadership and sharpen business acumen in young security talent. RISE is available to all employees at SIA member companies who are young professionals under 40 or have been in the security industry for less than two years; learn more and sign up to join.

About SIA SIA is the leading trade association for global security solution providers, with over 1,300 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.