The Open Security Exchange announced the appointment of Ron Martin, CPP as executive director. In this role, Martin will lead the not-for-profit association of security experts that provides a forum for security firms, consultants, end users, government agencies, manufacturers, system integrators and allied organizations to mutually define opportunities for physical/logical convergence and interoperability.

Founded in 2003, the Open Security Exchange was created to address the lack of integration between various components of the security infrastructure, the association said. The Open Security Exchange is a cross-industry forum dedicated to delivering vendor-neutral interoperability specifications and best practices guidelines in the area of security management. This enables practitioners to more efficiently mitigate risk, optimize their security postures and enforce privacy policies.

Martin is the sole proprietor of Consullition, a Washington, D.C.-based security consultancy that provides business strategy and consulting services for a broad client base. As executive director of the Open Security Exchange, the focus of Martin’s efforts will be on both research and mentorship. With numerous career opportunities driven by the converging worlds of logical and physical security, the Open Security Exchange will concentrate on the development of the new wave of emerging security professionals.

Recently retired from the U.S. federal government after 40 years of service, Martin served as a physical security expert for the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Security and Strategic Information and was responsible for the development, coordination, direction and assessment of nationwide physical security and identity management programs.