The Electronic Security Association’s (ESA) executive committee of the board voted to sunset the association’s state chapter program at a board meeting Monday, June 3. Each state chapter has a seat on the board, and 23 of the 27 chapters had representatives present for the vote, according to ESA Executive Director Merlin Guilbeau. While Guilbeau said the restructuring passed with a two thirds majority vote, some state representatives seem unhappy with the change.
“I’ve been the executive director of the Tennessee Electronic Security Association (TNESA) for 28 years, and we’ve always had a great relationship with ESA and have worked well together,” said Penny Brooks, executive director of the TNESA. “To me, it’s sad that they want to discontinue that relationship, but we are a strong association so we will do fine. We’re again concerned for the smaller states that rely on ESA for training and other services.”