The Security Industry Association (SIA) has selected 12 recipients for the inaugural SIA Women in Security Forum Scholarship — a program developed  by the SIA Women in Security Forum to further educational opportunities and promote advancement for a diverse security workforce.

Through this new scholarship, which is open to SIA members and student members, each awardee will receive $6,650 to use toward continuing education and professional development courses, conferences or webinars, SIA program offerings, repayment of student loan debt and/or other academic or education programs.

“The SIA Women in Security Forum continues to break new ground, inspire me and many others and provide unique opportunities for the widest spectrum of people possible to thrive in this field through initiatives like this new scholarship offering,” said SIA CEO Don Erickson. “We congratulate this talented and historic first class of SIA Women in Security Forum Scholarship winners and look forward to celebrating their many accomplishments to come.”

The winners for the 2020 SIA Women in Security Forum Scholarship are:

• Ryane Burke, partner marketing and events manager, Identiv
• Margurie Evans, SIA student member; event security lead, Phoenix Suns
• Antoinette King, key account manager – end user, Axis Communications
• Kavya Madhusudhan, senior project engineer, Allegion
• Erin Mann, customer experience and strategy marketing manager, multifamily, Allegion Canada Inc.
• Daphne Navarro, SIA student member
• Sheethal Rao, mechanical engineer, Allegion
• Jenna Rolfe, SIA student member; junior readiness and security policy officer, Global Affairs Canada
• Joneka Russell, security offer, Allied Universal
• Holly Sanson, marketing manager, ADT Commercial
• Kerri Sutherland, human resources business partner, Axis Communications
• Rachel Wyatt-Swanson, director of business development, Cherokee Nation Security & Defense

These honorees were selected with the help of SIA’s Scholarship Selection Committee, a group comprised of volunteers from the SIA Women in Security Forum and SIA’s Human Resources Committee. 

SIA’s Women in Security Forum works to engage all security professionals to promote, recruit and cultivate the leadership of women for a more inclusive and diversified industry. The forum’s key efforts and activities include the SIA Progress Award, which celebrates individuals who advance opportunities and pave the way to success for women in the security industry; a quarterly virtual education series; collaborative projects with other organizations that seek to empower women in the security and technology fields; sponsorship of the Women in Biometrics Awards, which recognize distinguished female leaders in the biometric identity and security industry; thought leadership opportunities; and engaging networking and professional growth events. The SIA Women in Security Forum is open to all employees of SIA member companies. Learn more and get involved here.  

The 2020 SIA Women in Security Forum Scholarship is supported by diamond level donor Axis Communications; emerald level donors Alarm.com, Allegion, Altronix and BCD International; ruby level donors Integrated Security Technologies, Brivo and Securitas; sapphire level donors BCD International Director of Strategic Alliances Maureen Carlo, Repworks President Ted Curtin, Women in Security Forum Member Martha Entwistle, SIA CEO Don Erickson, Viakoo Vice President of Marketing John Gallagher, SAGE Integration COO John Nemerofsky, GSA Schedules Inc., SAGE Integration, Security Specifiers, SoundSecure and Imperial Capital; and scholarship program affiliates SDM, SecurityInfoWatch, Security Matters, Security Sales & Integration and Security Systems News.