IIFX - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Strategic Marketing Advisor / Innovation Institute for Fan Experience / USA
- STRATEGIC MARKETING ADVISOR INNOVATION INSTITUTE for FAN EXPERIENCE
Allison is CEO of The Focus Group, the full-service marketing firm behind the Innovation Institute launch. Allison and her team provide guidance on strategy, branding, communications, event planning and more. She has extensive experience as a marketing, PR, media, communications and creative professional and has led The Focus Group since 2011. Under her leadership, the company has evolved into one whose strategic and creative work for clients is driven by knowledge and data, serving a diverse client base across the U.S. Her background also includes marketing roles with Ecolab, Inc., Berkshire Corporation and Pillsbury Corporation.
A Journalism & PR graduate of the University of Mississippi, she has also served as an Adjunct Professor teaching the capstone "Campaigns" class in the Integrated Marketing Communications program in the Ole Miss School of Journalism & New Media.
Allison leads a team at The Focus Group skilled in all areas of marketing, including research, public relations, web development, e-commerce, public relations, social and digital media, traditional media, design, animation, video and more.
Job Titles:
- Strategic Technology Advisor / Innovation Institute for Fan Experience / USA
- STRATEGIC TECHNOLOGY ADVISOR INNOVATION INSTITUTE for FAN EXPERIENCE
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Partner / Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP / USA
- PARTNER / PILLSBURY WINTRHOP SHAW PITTMAN LLP
Brian Finch is a partner in the Washington, DC office of Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP, where he serves as co-chair of the firm's Cybersecurity and Global Security practices. Brian is also a leading authority on the SAFETY Act, a federal statute that can provide liability protection to companies following a terrorist or cyber-attack.
Brian is a Visiting Legal Fellow at The Heritage Foundation in Washington, DC, and also is a senior advisor to the Homeland Security and Defense Business Council.
Brian regularly speaks and writes on security issues, and has written articles for the Wall Street Journal, Politico, The Hill, and other publications.
Job Titles:
- VICE PRESIDENT of SECURITY, GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS / CHASE CENTER
Brian has dedicated over 25 years towards a combined professional duty in law enforcement, administration, and security related work. He joined the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2011 (to 2020) and has worked for the NBA supporting security initiatives on numerous All-Star Games and international association activities. Brian presently works in San Francisco as the Vice President, Security, Chase Center, home of the Golden State Warriors.
Job Titles:
- CEO of Mind
- Chief Executive Officer / Mind over Matter Consultancy Ltd / UK
- CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER / MIND over MATTER CONSULTANCY LTD / UNITED KINGDOM
Professor Chris Kemp is the CEO of Mind over Matter Consultancy. He is known throughout the world as an expert on crowded space and the development of risk analysis processes for venues and events. He has addressed the House of Commons Select Committee on Olympic Security for the London 2012 Olympic Games, advised the Royal Society of Medicine on crush injuries, and was employed by the United Kingdom's Health and Safety Executive (HSE) as their crowded space expert for the London Olympics. Chris has worked on major events including the Pope's visit to Romania, the European Football Championships, and the Commonwealth Games. He has provided crowded space consultancy for six major London Stations as well as supporting the British Olympic coaching team for the Rio and Tokyo Games. Chris is well published and has written a series of crowded space books.
Job Titles:
- ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR and CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER / CO - FOUNDER INNOVATION INSTITUTE for FAN EXPERIENCE
Job Titles:
- DIGITAL MARKETING DIRECTOR
Job Titles:
- Partner / Global Head of Sport, Entertainment and Major Events / Control
- Partner at Control Risks
- PARTNER, GLOBAL HEAD of SPORT, ENTERTAINMENT & MAJOR EVENTS / CONTROL
Daniel Heal is a Partner at Control Risks and Global Head of Sport, Entertainment and Major Events. He leads an integrated practice that focuses on security and integrity risk. Since joining the company in 2004 he has supported organisations across the world become more secure, compliant and resilient. He has extensive experience in supporting a broad client base maximise their opportunities in diverse markets.
Daniel works with organising committees, sponsors, broadcasters, insurers, leagues, associations and many other stakeholders to deliver world-class integrity, resilience and security solutions in the sector. Before this role he set up and ran Control Risks East Africa business from Kenya and held overall responsibility for client engagement and strategic growth in the region. Prior to this he was based in London for three years and led Control Risks Africa business, supporting clients in risk consulting and security management. Between 2006 and 2012 Daniel was based in the Middle East, advising clients on their key risks throughout the region - ranging from pre-investment support and due diligence, to security design on major infrastructure projects. Before this he was a Project Security Manager in Iraq for two years and was responsible for the overall security of a strategic oil and gas project.
Before joining Control Risks in 2004 Daniel served as a commissioned officer in the British Army serving in Northern Ireland, Afghanistan and Iraq.
Job Titles:
- Director of Facilities
- DIRECTOR SAFETY and SECURITY for ATHLETICS / UNIVERSITY of TEXAS
- Director Safety and Security for Athletics, University of Texas @ AUSTIN
David Allison has dedicated over 25 years of service in federal law enforcement, executive protection and event security related work. He was a member of the United States Secret Service from 1994 - 2015 were he rose through the ranks to the rank of Assistance Special Agent in Charge (ASAIC).
During his time with the Secret Service David supervised the protection of numerous world leaders from Presidents and Prime Ministers, Kings Queens and two Popes. Additionally, David is worked security operations for five Presidential Inaugurations, development of the security plan for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games held in Salt Lake City, Utah and worked closely with NFL and NBA Security during events designated a National Special Security Event (NSSE).
Prior to joining the Secret Service David served as a commissioned officer in the United States Army as was deployed during Operation Desert Shield / Desert Storm.
David currently serves as the Director of Facilities and Event Operations, Safety and Security for Athletics at the University of Texas at Austin.
Job Titles:
- CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER / AVESHKA, INC.
Dr. Jolly is a board-certified emergency physician with a wide range of clinical, government, special event, and private sector experience. He is currently Chief Medical Officer of Aveshka, Inc., where he directly supports clients by providing clinical leadership and direction for all public health and healthcare matters. His current consulting work includes leadership of the Telemedicine Work Group for COVID-19 response as a Senior Emergency Care Consultant to the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response at HHS, while also supporting other government and private sector clients during the public health emergency.
From 2012-1019 Dr. Jolly served as Chief Medical Officer of SOC Telemed, the nation's largest specialty telemedicine provider. In that role he led medical staff management, clinical quality, and clinical operations development. Prior to this telemedicine leadership position he held senior positions within the Department of Homeland Security from 2006-2011 including Deputy Chief Medical Officer and Associate Chief Medical Officer within the Office of Health Affairs (OHA) and Senior Science Advisor in the National Exercise Division of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). At FEMA he coordinated modeling and simulation activities for exercise development, and at OHA guided development of the medical readiness portfolio for DHS including biodefense coordination and nuclear defense modeling and communications.
Dr. Jolly previously worked with the National Football League as a member of the medical staff for eleven Super Bowls (XXXVI-XLVI) overseeing coordination of emergency management, public health, and medical preparedness, along with representing the NFL in exercises related to terrorist and other threats. In this capacity he directly supported security, operations, and event management staff at major venues around the country and participated in the development of NFL Best Practices for Stadium Security.
Dr. Jolly has practiced emergency medicine in the Washington DC area for 27 years. He currently practices at Inova Fairfax Hospital, the largest facility within the leading health system in Northern Virginia. He holds a faculty appointment as Clinical Professor of Emergency Medicine at the George Washington University. Dr. Jolly is a graduate of the University of North Carolina (Morehead Scholar) and the Wake Forest University School of Medicine. He completed residency training in Emergency Medicine at the combined Georgetown/George Washington University Residency Program.
Job Titles:
- OUTREACH ADVISOR / INNOVATION INSTITUTE for FAN EXPERIENCE
Job Titles:
- DIRECTOR and CO - FOUNDER INNOVATION INSTITUTE for FAN EXPERIENCE
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor of Sport Management at Delaware State University College of Business
- Research Consultant / Innovation Institute for Fan Experience / USA
- RESEARCH CONSULTANT INNOVATION INSTITUTE for FAN EXPERIENCE
Dr. Mark Zhang is an Associate Professor of Sport Management at Delaware State University College of Business. Dr. Zhang's early career research involved understanding consumer behavior among recreational golfers as well exploring the socio-economic benefits of hosting the Olympic Games. More recently, his research interests have shifted to focus more squarely on customer granular data analytics. Big data is changing every aspect of our life, and in sports in particular, and this is not exclusive to the playing fields, but also in business operations. Currently, Dr. Zhang is the research follow at the National Center for Spectator Sport Safety and Security. Along this vein Dr. Zhang is leading the research project Sport under Covid-19 and try to tackle the uncertainty of Covid-19 new normal.
In 2018 Dr. Zhang completed the Business Analytics from Data to Insight course from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. In addition to his academic work Dr. Zhang has applied experience in the Sports Management field where he worked as the Strategic Marketing Analyst for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Job Titles:
- CEO
- PRESIDENT
- President & CEO of TOTALeACCESS
GARY L. GARDNER, President & CEO of TOTALeACCESS a security consulting firm. He brings over forty years of investigative, security, intelligence, analysis, forensic, technology, management and teaching experience to the national and international business and law enforcement communities. His career spanned more than thirty years of diverse service with the Federal Bureau of Investigation in various capacities including executive management, as Supervisor/Co-Commander of both the renowned Bank Robbery and Terrorism Task Forces in New York City Office. Then, at FBI Headquarters where he oversaw cutting-edge investigative information technology and crisis management. Mr. Gardner is also a multi-topic instructor having lectured at the FBI Academy and internationally on a variety of subjects.
He served as NASCAR's Director of Security, overseeing all aspects of NASCAR's corporate and event security, investigations; physical and cyber security; international security, employment screening and executive protection. He collaborated with the US Department of Homeland Security to establish the first evacuation guide for large sporting events.
Job Titles:
- STRATEGIC SAFETY and SECURITY ADVISOR INNOVATION INSTITUTE for FAN EXPERIENCE
Guy M. Grace has worked in the security field for 35 years. He served for over three decades as the Director of Security and Emergency planning for Littleton Public Schools, a suburb of Denver, Colorado before retiring in August 2020. Guy was recognized as the 2020 Campus Safety Director of the Year for his work at Littleton Public Schools. Guy is also a recipient of many other national and security industry awards and recognitions including: the Association of School Business Officials International Pinnacle award, Security Magazines Most Influential People in Security, The 2014 American Red Cross Century of Heroes award, the Security Industry Association (SIA)Insightful Practitioner Award, the NSCA 2019 Volunteer of the Year Award and the 2019 NCS4 Professional of the Year Award Guy is a regular speaker at school safety trade conferences and a regular security media commentator for various trade magazines and media. He has very diverse hands-on experiences in school safety regarding technology, processes and emergency response. He also serves as the Chairman of the Advisory Committee for Partner Alliance for Safer Schools (http://passk12.org/) and advisor for the NCS4.
For more on Guy Grace, check out this spectacular article regrading the work he has done for Littleton schools:
Job Titles:
- VICE PRESIDENT, FAN EXPERIENCE
Job Titles:
- CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER / ASSOCIATION of LUXURY SUITE DIRECTORS
Jim Mercurio spent more than 30 years with the San Francisco 49ers, becoming executive vice president & general manager, Levi's Stadium. Previously, he served six years as vice president, stadium operations & general manager. Mercurio oversaw all aspects of stadium & event operations including executive oversight of the food and beverage operations, engineering, grounds, guest services, housekeeping, operations & logistics, parking and transportation. He additionally managed all police and security services, including 24/7 stadium security operations, and game & event day medical services, working with various local, state and federal governmental agencies.
Mercurio worked with design firm HNTB and builder TDJV Turner/Devcon to get Levi's Stadium designed, built and fully operational ahead of schedule and under budget. Levi's Stadium has played host to high profile events including the 2019 College Football Playoff National Championship, the NHL Stadium Series, WrestleMania 31, Copa America Centenario, and Super Bowl 50. Mercurio was instrumental in working with the bid committee to get the Super Bowl's golden anniversary to the Bay Area in February 2016, which is billed as one of the most successful Super Bowls in NFL history and has set records across the board including transferring 10.1 TB of data Super Bowl Sunday. Under Mercurio's leadership, Levi's Stadium has garnered international recognition, most notably the prestigious Sports Business Journal 2015 Sports Facility of the Year award, as well as a number of green and sustainability honors.
Prior to being named vice president in 2009, Mercurio spent four years as the director of stadium operations for the 49ers at Candlestick Park.
During his 49ers tenure, Mercurio has become an NFL leader in security and stadium management. He developed the stadium emergency evacuation video for the 49ers that has since been mirrored by arenas and stadiums affiliated with the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, and NCAA.
In August 2005, Mercurio was influential in aiding the California Department of Homeland Security officials in the first Large Stadium Initiative Program (LSI). Having taken part in the development of the Best Practices for NFL Security, he presented to security and operational professionals affiliated with large stadiums and arenas in the State of California.
Born in San Francisco, CA, Mercurio graduated from Pacifica's Oceana High School in 1989, before attending Canada College in Redwood City, where he earned an AA degree in 1991. A graduate of the University of Pacific in 1993, he obtained his B.A. degree in public relations with a minor in broadcasting. Mercurio went on to earn a master's degree in sport administration and management from Canisius College in Buffalo, NY, in May of 2001. In 2005, Mercurio was selected to complete an NFL Executive Program for Managers at Stanford University. He served on the Santa Clara Board of Visitors and Convention Bureau from 2012-2015. He is currently a member of the Stadium Managers Association and is an inductee into the Pacifica Sports Hall of Fame. In July 2016, Mercurio was honored with the prestigious National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security (NCS4) Professional of the Year Award, which recognizes a professional in the field who has enhanced venue safety and security operations. Mercurio currently serves on the NCS4 Board of Directors and concurrently serves as the Chair of the NFL's Stadium Security Committee.
Mercurio and his wife, Teri, reside in Vacaville, California.
Job Titles:
- Stadium and Facilities Director, Arsenal Football Club
John has has been with the Arsenal Football Club for the last 34 years, overseeing the changes at Highbury and the build of Emirates Stadium. This has involved putting together all of the various procedures used to ensure the stadium works efficiently. He is currently the President of The European Safety and Stadium Management Association incorporating Head Groundsmen, which is dedicated to promulgate best practise around Europe. He has worked on a number of the National standard training documents for both stewards and safety officers. He is a member of UEFA's Stadium Construction & Management Panel and have been heavily involved in the Stadium preparations for EURO 2012 in Poland and the Ukraine. He has also provided advisory services for various Stadium projects in other places such as Qatar, Australia, India and Azerbajan.
Job Titles:
- TREASURER and CO - FOUNDER INNOVATION INSTITUTE for FAN EXPERIENCE
John is a co-founder and Treasurer of the Innovation Institute for Fan Experience. He is the Senior Advisor at Mazars USA LLP. John has more than 40 years of experience in accounting and auditing, possessing deep knowledge of the challenge's institutions face in risk management. He provides top-level outsourced internal audit, regulatory compliance, and credit risk management services. John was a founder and CEO of ICS Consulting Partners, a respected New York area firm at the forefront of internal audit, regulatory compliance, and credit risk management issues, where he served clients for over 20 years. Previously, he was an audit partner with one of the Big Four accounting firms, leading the financial services practice for one of the firm's regional offices and serving as a member of the executive management team. John's broad range of project experience includes risk management, troubled bank restructuring, mergers and acquisitions, and bank regulatory sanctions.
Job Titles:
- EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR GLOBAL SAFETY and SECURITY
- Executive Director, Global Safety
John M. Bertsch is the Executive Director, Global Safety and Security for the IRONMAN® Group. Director Bertsch leads the planning, preparation, response and recovery from disruptive events which may impact IRONMAN® Groups' employees or global business operations. In this role, John is tasked with implementing global standards for excellence in event production and safety for over 300 participatory sporting events including Triathlons, Road Cycling, Mountain Biking and Major Marathons safeguarding up to 1 million competing athletes annually.
Director Bertsch is the former Police Commissioner for Hawaii Police Department, a member of the US Department of State Bureau of Diplomatic Security and Overseas Security Advisory Council, Hawaii State Law Enforcement Officials Association, and Federal Law Enforcement Foundation. Director Bertsch works with INTERPOL's - Project Stadia on mass participatory safety and the World Economic Forum (Geneva) on Cyber Resilience affecting major sporting events as well as Europol and various US Embassy's legal attaché for Consular affairs. John is the first professional in participatory sports industry to earn the internationally accredited and recognized Certified Sport Security Professional (CSSP) certification and hold a security clearance with the US Government.
Job Titles:
- GLOBAL DIRECTOR, VIDEO & PUBLIC SAFETY, INTERNET of THINGS GROUP - INTEL CORPORATION
Kasia is responsible for partner sales of Intel's Video solutions for the Internet of Things. This includes developing solutions, GTM partnerships, co-marketing and sales acceleration strategies to drive revenue growth and adoption of computer vision and deep learning technologies with Physical Security, Smart City and Venues/Sports partners including OEM's, ISV's, VMS and System Integrators. Kasia is a 21-year veteran of Intel with deep technology expertise across IOT, AI, Computer Vision, Cybersecurity, Datacenter, and Storage. Kasia is also the Chair of the Security Industry Association Women in Security Forum.
Job Titles:
- CEO and Co - Founder of TekConnX
- EMERGING and INNOVATIVE BUSINESS ADVISOR / INNOVATION INSTITUTE for FAN EXPERIENCE
Kevin Williams is the CEO and Co-Founder of TekConnX, and Chairman of the Board for the National Minority Emerging & Innovative Technologies Consortium (NMEITC).
Job Titles:
- Executive Vice President - Human Capital & Special Projects, Miami HEAT
- PRESIDENT of UBS ARENA / EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT of
During her illustrious career in professional sports, Kim Stone has served in executive leadership roles for two of the world's top NBA brands: the Miami HEAT and Golden State Warriors. Her experience touches almost every aspect of team business, including strategic oversight of revenue generating functions such as corporate partnerships, food and beverage, season ticket sales/renewals and concert programming as well as establishing award-winning arena operations teams responsible for running two of the world's highest profile sports and entertainment arenas. Currently, she is the EVP of Human Capital and Special Projects for the Miami HEAT overseeing the team's human resources, DEI and training and development departments as well as more than $100m in renovations of FTX Arena.
In SF, Stone launched Chase Center, the Warriors $1.6b development, that was named 2019 Venue Of The Year by Sports Business Journal. From 2006-2018, Stone was GM of AA Arena (currently FTX Arena), which was named the NBA's Best Arena Experience for 2016-17 and was the first sports and entertainment facility to achieve LEED Gold Recertification in 2014.
In 2020, Venues Today named her to their "All Star List" and San Francisco Business Times' "Most Influential Women" honoree. Sports Business Journal has recognized her talents twice: "2016 Game Changer" and a 2017 "Power Player In Venue Management." Stone's alma mater, UNC at Chapel Hill School of Journalism and Mass Communications, inducted her into their Hall of Fame in 2014.
Job Titles:
- SENIOR DIRECTOR of SUSTAINABILITY / OAK GROUP
Job Titles:
- CO - CHAIR / SKILLING HUB TRAINING COMMITTEE / INNOVATION INSTITUTE for FAN EXPERIENCE
Job Titles:
- VICE PRESIDENT of STADIUM OPERATIONS and SECURITY
- Vice President of STADIUM OPERATIONS and SECURITY, TORONTO BLUE JAYS BASEBALL CLUB / ROGERS CENTRE
Graduated from the University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1985, after having undertaken his secondary schooling at Toronto's De La Salle College. He began his career with the Blue Jays Baseball Club working part-time in 1982 in game day operations…Employment on a full-time basis came in 1989 as the Club's Manager of Game Operations.…Currently serves on the planning committee for the annual Toronto Police Emergency Management Symposium (since 2008)… He is a strong supporter of collaborative partnerships between private/public organizations in emergency management and special event planning…Mario is a founding member of SAFE (South Area Facilities and Entertainment Group) and serves on the Board of TAPPS (Toronto Associations of Police and Private Security) and participates in a number of key industry associations including ASIS, NCS4 (National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security - Advisory Board member since 2012), BOMA Toronto - SRMAC(Security risk Management Advisory Council 2019- Present), IIFX( Innovation Institute for Fan Experience - Distinguished Fellow 2019 to Present), SMA (Stadium Managers Association Vice President 2020-21, Presently President 2021-) also serves on the Membership and Technology/Operations Committees), CSLA (Canadian Security Lifesaver Association -Board of directors 2020 to Present) PATHCOM - Board of Directors 2020 to Present.
Job Titles:
- Strategic Corporate Advisor
- STRATEGIC CORPORATE ADVISOR INNOVATION INSTITUTE for FAN EXPERIENCE
Mark started the Security Media Group in 2005 as founding publisher of Security magazine and media brand and The Security 500 and a managing partner of Securing New Ground. He also served as publisher of SDM. He wrote the leading "Trends" column and the annual Security 500 Report for over a decade.
Job Titles:
- FOUNDER / INNER CIRCLE SOLUTIONS LLC
- Founder of Inner Circle Solutions
- Founder, Inner Circle Solutions, LLC - Expert in Esports Safety and Security
Matt is the Founder of Inner Circle Solutions, LLC, a consulting firm specializing in Crisis Management, Investigations, Event Security, Threat and Risk Assessments, Executive Protection and Security Technology design and implementation. Prior to his current role, Matt served as the Director of Global Safety and Security at Epic Games where as an expert in Esports, he designed and implemented a dynamic E-sport event security program. Matt's background includes roles as the Director of Global Security Operations for PayPal and Intuit. He served as a Combat Controller in the United States Air Force, and after retirement, served as a Chief of Police. He is a global leader with 30 years of experience identifying and managing security risks for Fortune 500 companies. Keenly interested in emerging trends in the corporate sector, Matt seeks to find and implement innovative processes and tools to help reduce risk for companies. Matt's significant cross-training experience provides him a unique ability to see business from a holistic perspective. Matt brings together a wealth of experience to include Military, Special Operations, Law Enforcement and Global Corporate Programs to deliver consistent and exceptional results. Matt's focus on both customer and employee satisfaction yields an optimal management style with superior business results. An excellent law enforcement partner, Matt maintains a significant range of contacts and willingly shares in education of industry trends.
Job Titles:
- Vice President of Venue Security for Ilitch Sports
- VICE PRESIDENT, VENUE SECURITY / ILLITCH SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT INC.
- Vice President, Venue Security Ilitch Sports and Entertainment Inc
Mr. Hartnett currently serves as Vice President of Venue Security for Ilitch Sports and Entertainment. In this position, he is responsible for leading the daily security operations and event-based security for Little Caesars Arena and its office buildings, Comerica Park, City Theater, Michigan Lottery Amphitheater at Freedom Hill, Pine Knob Music Theater, Meadow Brook Amphitheater, the Fox Theater and Fox Office Centre, Little Caesars Global Resource Center and throughout the District of Detroit. Mr. Hartnett is focused on creating a safe and secure environment for guests, colleagues, clients, athletes, and performers across all venues in the Ilitch Sports and Entertainment family.
Prior to joining Ilitch Sports and Entertainment, Mr. Hartnett served as a Special Agent in the FBI for over 21 years. He retired as the Unit Chief of the FBI's Critical Incident Response Group, Crisis Management Unit. In that assignment, Mr. Hartnett managed and oversaw the FBI's Crisis Management and Special Events Programs. In this capacity, he planned, coordinated and supervised the FBI's response to critical incidents, major investigations, and terrorism events. In addition, SSA Hartnett managed the FBI Special Events program, with specific attention to counterterrorism preparedness, intelligence, tactical response and critical incidents. SSA Hartnett's crisis response and major event experience includes the 2016 Republican National Convention, the 2016 Democratic National Convention, the 2018 FIFA Championships in Moscow, the 2018 Winter Olympics, the Boston Marathon Bombing and numerous mass casualty shooting events.
During his FBI career, Mr. Hartnett also investigated La Cosa Nostra (LCN) cases and International Terrorism cases in New York, New York and Chicago, Illinois. He supervised Eurasian Organized Crime investigations at FBI Headquarters and was later promoted to Unit Chief in the Counterterrorism Division, Terrorist Financing Operations Section where he managed 240 terrorist financing investigations in 11 field offices. Finally, Mr. Hartnett supervised a Washington Field Office Joint Terrorism Task Force squad responsible for investigating international terrorists with a nexus to Africa.
Mr. Hartnett is a graduate of the University of New Hampshire and Boston College Law School. He is admitted to the Massachusetts Bar, the United States Federal Court Bar, and the United States Court of Military Appeals. He served in the United States Army Reserves as an enlisted Infantryman and as a Captain in the Judge Advocate General's Corps. He was also a member of the FBI Chicago SWAT Team.
Job Titles:
- MANAGING DIRECTOR / CRITICAL INSIGHTS CONSULTANCY LTD.
Job Titles:
- ASSOCIATE SECURITY RISK CONSULTANT
Job Titles:
- SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT for
Job Titles:
- FOUNDER / RIPTIDE PARTNERS
Paul Klass held top level positions in HR, Strategy, Marketing, and Operations, specializing in Customer Experience, for various industries. Prior to founding Riptide, Paul was the SVP of Customer Experience at Madison Square Garden. There, Paul led the following functional areas,Operational Readiness, Process Engineering, Consumer Insights, Operations Strategy, and Voice of Customer across all MSG properties. Earlier, Paul was COO at Sperian Energy based in Las Vegas where he oversaw business operations including human resources, administration, and facilities.
As SVP of Customer Experience at Cablevision Paul built and led the following functions: Customer Experience, Operational Strategy, Process Engineering, Quality, and was instrumental leading numerous high impact companywide initiatives. Paul and his team were instrumental in driving business performance across Cablevision through customer experience, setting the standard in the industry for customer service by driving change and leveraging NPS. Earlier in his career he spent seven years at a top-tier consulting firm.
Paul was on the board of the NY Jr. Islanders Hockey and is involved in many charitable organizations. He lives in Oyster Bay, NY with his wife and son.
Job Titles:
- GENERAL MANAGER / SAN DIEGO CONVENTION CENTER
Job Titles:
- CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER
- Chief Operating Officer, Legends Project Development
PAULA Portz brings over 29 years of sports and entertainment facility program/project management industry experience to our clients. In her executive leadership role, Paula oversees all projects, providing expertise, guidance, and support as it related to the selection and contracting of the architect, consultants and contractor teams; establishing the overall budget and project costs; conducting design reviews; value engineering analysis and operational input; site visits and construction reviews; assisting in claim and contract management; and presentations to stakeholders regarding the status of the project.
Paula has been involved in over $7 billion of sports and entertainment facility-related projects, ranging from small renovation projects to major new construction projects. In all of her past engagements, the facilities were located in high density, populated, congested areas, or were operating facilities that required constant communication and coordination. In addition, all of her past projects have opened on time or early, and on or under budget.
Job Titles:
- PRINCIPAL / EVENT RISK MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS LLC / CANADA
- Principal of Event Risk Management Solutions
Peter Ashwin is the principal of Event Risk Management Solutions (ERMS), a consulting practice committed to enhancing organizational resilience of event organizing committees through innovative risk management practices, ‘mission ready' preparedness programs and integrated security solutions for today's complex and uncertain world. A former Australian Army special forces officer, Peter has led multinational teams in the major events environment in seven countries including six Olympic Games (2000 - 2012) and the Baku 2015 European Games (Azerbaijan). Peter has also consulted to some of North America's most iconic events including the Calgary Stampede, the Philadelphia Flower Show, Memphis in May International Festival, the Pasadena Tournament of Roses and the Canadian National Exhibition "The EX", Toronto. Peter is an author, lecturer, speaker and expert witness on event risk management and security. He is currently completing a MSc in Security & Risk Management, University of Leicester, UK.
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder
- Ilitch Holdings As the Senior Director for Corporate Security, Safety, and Investigations
- Senior Director for Corporate Security, Safety, and Investigation Ilitch Holdings
- VICE PRESIDENT / CSO of CORPORATE SECURITY / ILITCH HOLDINGS
In June 2000, Richard Fenton joined Ilitch Holdings as the Senior Director for Corporate Security, Safety, and Investigations and was promoted to Vice President of Corporate Security in 2005 and achieved the title of Chief Security Officer in 2018. Rick oversees/directs all corporate security and safety functions, venue security and safety, security systems, corporate loss prevention, investigations, and executive services across all the Ilitch Companies.
In addition to overseeing Ilitch Holding Corporate Security, Rick led Corporate efforts for DHS SAFETY Act Certification for the Security Program at Comerica Park / Detroit Tigers and the Security Design at the Little Caesars Arena/ Detroit Red Wings. He also directed the achievement of SAFETY Act and NCS4 SESA Designation for Joe Louis Arena / Little Caesars Arena Security Program. Rick is additionally the National Chairman for the NCS4 National Advisory Board.
Prior to his work with Ilitch Holdings, Richard retired as the Executive Commander of the Wayne County Sheriff Department in May 2000 after more than twenty-seven (27) years of service. Rick also served as Police Chief/Commander at Detroit Metro and Willow Run Airports for seven (7) years.
In addition to his lengthy law enforcement career, Rick has been part of the adjunct faculty at Eastern Michigan University for eighteen (18) years teaching in the Interdisciplinary Technology Department and School of Police Staff & Command. Additionally, he's been a guest instructor at the Northwestern University Traffic Institute/School of Police Staff and Command as well as the FBI National Academy.
Rick is the Co-Founder of the innovative and successful Public Safety/Private Security Partnership, "LIGHTHOUSE PROGRAM." The "LIGHTHOUSE PROGRAM" is a multifaceted Law Enforcement/Private Security program developed for the City of Detroit's Central Business District with the goal of enhancing the safety and security of this "vibrant area" for guests, patrons, employees and residents through cooperative and coordinated private/public partnerships of security and law enforcement entities serving the area.
Rick graduated from Wayne State University in 1974 with a Bachelor of Science of Degree and earned his Master of Arts degree from Eastern Michigan University in 1978. He is also a graduate of the F.B.I. National Academy (NA) and the Northwestern University School of Police Staff and Command (SPSC).
Job Titles:
- Architect of the Walmart "Black Friday
- Chairman of the Department of Homeland Security Public Assembly Facility Sub - Sector for Commercial Facilities
- CHIEF LISTENING OFFICER and MANAGEMENT PARTNER / VENUE SOLUTIONS GROUP
- Member of the International Association of Assembly Managers
For more than 35 years, Russ Simons has been involved in nearly every facet of the sports and entertainment facility industry including design, construction and management. At Venue Solutions Group (VSG), Russ directs the firm's safety, security, risk and crowd management operations. He works with operators at every level from college to every major professional league.
Russ is a member of the International Association of Assembly Managers (IAVM), and has served on the Board of Directors and Life Safety Council. He is a founder and instructor of the IAVM's Academy for Venue Safety and Security and is an Instructor and former Chairman of the Board of Regents of IAVM's Venue Management School at Oglebay. Russ continues to work on industry Safety and Security issues having recently led webinars on Ebola and Civil Disobedience and Demonstrations. He is a 2004 recipient of the GIGI Award of Excellence and member of the Event, Sales and Marketing Hall of Fame. He serves on the Board of Advisors for the National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security. He is currently the independent security consultant to the National Hockey League. Russ is a member of IFMA and the Stadium Managers Association.
Russ currently serves as the chairman of the Department of Homeland Security Public Assembly Facility Sub-Sector for Commercial Facilities. He is a former volunteer firefighter, instructor at the Hartford County Fire Training Center, and an Emergency Medical Technician.
Russ is the architect of the Walmart "Black Friday" crowd management plan, including the development and training of over 1.6 million Walmart Associates in more than 4,000 Walmart stores in the United States. Russ' plan is now standard operating practice for all Walmart "Retailtainment" events.
Prior to creating Venue Solutions Group, Russ was a Senior Principal with the global design firm Populous. There he managed the firm's facility operations, evaluation and analysis group which assisted public assembly venues in the renovation and development of new facilities. He also worked closely with designers and architects as they created functional and secure sports and entertainment facilities. Russ' previous positions include: Senior Vice President and General Manager of Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, home to the NHL Nashville Predators as well as Senior Vice President of Powers Management and President of Powers Solutions, a professional sports and entertainment facility consulting company.
Job Titles:
- Director of Team Security for the San Antonio Spurs NBA Team
Scott McCartney is the Director of Team Security for the San Antonio Spurs NBA Team. Mr. McCartney retired from the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department after 27 years. He spent the past 10 years of his career as the Project Director of the Large Stadium Initiative and Active Shooter Training Coordinator with the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services and Homeland Security. This program explored commonalities of large stadium/venue Homeland Security preparedness issues and assists in developing strategies for enhancing prevention, response, and recovery capabilities. He earned national recognition as a Master Exercise Practitioner (MEP) from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
Mr. McCartney was invited to testify before the Congressional Committee on Homeland Security on the importance of collaborating with Sports Venues, Colleges and Universities regarding the need to prepare for, respond to and recover from national incidents and disasters. Mr. McCartney has been advising and an instructor for NCS4 since 2007 and TEEX, providing subject matter expertise in writing curriculum taught by both. Scott has served as the Office of Emergency Services Spokesperson in the State Operations Center (SOC) Joint Information Center (JIC) and the Joint Field Office JIC for the 2007 Southern California Wildfires.
While in Law Enforcement, Mr. McCartney worked as the Public Safety Director of the California Capital Airshow and has held the positions of Traffic Chief and Incident Commander. In these roles his leadership and overall management has gained world recognition for outstanding public safety. He was presented the "Key to the City" of Rancho Cordova for his continued expertise for the California Capital Airshow. Mr. McCartney has also advised the International Council of Air Shows (ICAS) on various Public Safety issues.
He is a subject matter expert having advised the California Police Officer Standards and Training (P.O.S.T.). Mr. McCartney served as a Critical Incident Hostage Negotiator Team member for the Sacramento Sheriff's Department. Mr. McCartney also worked on CALFIRE IMT #6 as the Law Enforcement Liaison and was a member of the California Incident Command Certification System (CICCS) Task Force as a Law Enforcement advisor. He has supervised many critical incidents as well as planned and implemented several large events. Mr. McCartney received his Bachelor's of Science Degree in Speech Communication from Oregon State University.
Job Titles:
- CLINICAL PROFESSOR, MEDICAL DIRECTOR, NFL PLAYERS ASSOCIATION