The Security Foundation

Dave Komendat is the retired Vice President and Chief Security Officer for The Boeing Company, responsible for Boeing’s global security and fire protection strategies, policies and infrastructure, as well as the lead interface for national and international security policy engagement with numerous government and industry advisory groups. He is founder and President of DSKomendat Risk Management Services.

Komendat is Past Co-chairman and current Board Member on the Domestic Security Alliance Council, current Board Member of Hostage US, past President of The International Security Management Association and served as a member of the Threats and Information Committee for the Overseas Security Advisory Council. He is a Strategic Engagement Advisor to the FBI, and in 2018, was recognized with the Director’s Award for Exceptional Public Service by FBI Director Christopher Wray.

For 20 years, Kelly Johnstone served in numerous roles within Strategic Security with The Coca-Cola Company, retiring as Vice President and Chief Security Officer. In that key role, she oversaw strategic security, information assurance and global asset protection operations. Prior, Johnstone was a special agent with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Office of Criminal Investigations, where she was one of the first 20 agents hired into the newly established agency. Johnstone also served as a special agent for the former U.S. Customs Service, Office of Enforcement (now Immigration and Customs Enforcement) and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.

She currently serves on the board of the Domestic Security Advisory Council and the Overseas Security Advisory Council and serves as a Senior Security Advisor for International SOS. Johnstone was voted one of 2017’s Most Influential People in Security by Security Magazine.

Keith Slotter is the Global Vice President for Security at JetBlue Airways, joining the airline in 2014. Before entering the private sector, he was an FBI Special Agent for 25 years. He served as the Special Agent in Charge (SAC) of the FBI’s Sacramento field office and the Assistant Director of the FBI’s Training Division before retiring as the SAC of the San Diego Division, leading an array of major national security and criminal investigations.

Slotter is a CPA and Certified Fraud Examiner. In 2010, he received the U.S. Presidential Rank Award for Meritorious Service and Lifetime Achievement.

As Chief Security Officer of Whirlpool Corporation, Erik Antons leads the physical security risk and crisis management programs for the company. Previously, he was VP and Chief Security Officer of Hyatt Hotels Corporation and the Manager of International Security and Executive Services with Sempra Energy.

A veteran infantryman of the Army National Guard, Antons began his career as a special agent with the Diplomatic Security Service, U.S. Department of State. He is a Certified Protection Professional (CPP), Physical Security Professional (PSP) with ASIS International and Certified Lodging Security Director (CLSD) with the American Hotel and Lodging Educational Institute. He serves on the Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC), The Domestic Security Alliance Council (DSAC) and The Asset Protection Executives (APEX) and is a member of The Associate Board of Directors with The Pat Tillman Foundation and The International Security Management Association (ISMA).

Ava Cooper-Davis is the Global and U.S. Chief Security Officer at Deloitte, leading the firm’s safety and security initiatives worldwide. With a distinguished career, Cooper-Davis transitioned to Deloitte in 2012 after serving in the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) for 30 years as a Senior Executive. In the DEA, she held pivotal leadership roles including Special Agent in Charge, Chief of Operations Management and Deputy Assistant Administrator for Intelligence.

Originally from Honduras, Ava is fluent in Spanish. In 2023, she was named one of “The Most Influential People in Security” by Security Magazine.

Rich Daviss career spanned almost 41 years at United Airlines, including 30 years in the corporate security department and 23 years as their Chief Security Officer. A highly regarded global security leader, Davis served on the Overseas Security Advisory Council, the Domestic Security Alliance Council (DSAC) and on the Board of Directors of the International Security Management Association (ISMA). He was the six-time Chairman of the Airlines for America Security Council and three-time Chairman of the International Airlines Security Council.

Davis served six years as TSF President. In 2023, he received the prestigious George P. Schultz Award for Excellence to OSAC for his leadership, dedicated service and outstanding contributions in protecting our country.

Gregg Dunn has over 45 years of experience in security risk management, major criminal investigations, forensic audits and security program design. He is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), former FBI Special Agent, Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) and Certified Protection Professional (CPP) with the American Society of Industrial Security.

Dunn retired as the Managing Director Security for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, where he oversaw global security in more than 125 countries and
security for over 25,000 expatriates. Prior, he was the Deputy Head of Security for British Petroleum where he managed global security operations in the Western Hemisphere and Asia Pacific.

Karen Frank is Managing Director and head of Firm Security Services at KPMG. She brings executive leadership experience in enterprise security, risk management, justice administration, law enforcement and global IT infrastructure and service delivery built across 24 years. Frank is the former Critical Manufacturing Council Executive Committee, CISA, U.S. Department of State.

A Certified Information Security Manager (CISM), Certified Protection Professional (CPP) and 6Sigma Black Belt, Frank is a Council member and Chair, Constituent Advocacy Committee, for the Overseas Security Advisory Council, board member for ASIS Global and a former board member, CSO Center for Leadership & Development.

As Global Corporate Security Director at Equinix, Kevin Friker brings nearly three decades of diverse corporate security experience. Prior to joining Equinix in 2020, Friker was the Global Security Director for Mars, Inc., and held senior security positions at Hyatt Hotels, Kroll, AT&T and Monsanto.

Friker currently serves on the Education Committee for the International Security Management Association (ISMA) and served as an Executive Board Member, Committee Chair and Council Member of the Overseas Security Advisory Council and on the A-CAPP Center Board of Advisors.

Jeffrey Gilbert leads the Global Security and Asset Protection team at The Coca-Cola Company as Chief Global Security Officer. Prior, he was Senior Vice President and Chief Security Officer for Warner Media, Inc. Gilbert has 26-plus years of experience with the U.S. Government, including 21 years as a Special Agent with the U.S. Secret Service where he served as Special Agent in Charge of the Atlanta Field Office.

In addition to his role with TSF, Gilbert serves on the Board of Trustees at Clark Atlanta University and is involved with the U.S. Secret Service Association, the FBI DSAC, the International Security Management Association (ISMA), OSAC and the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE).

Margaret Levine is President of ML Business Partners, LLC and the retired Vice President, Corporate Security, Bridgestone Americas, Inc. Prior, she held security leadership roles at Capital One Financial Corp. and Georgia Power, Inc. A security trailblazer, Levine is the first female Board member of the International Security Management Association (ISMA) and first female ISMA President in 2011. She is founder and past chair of the U.S. State Department’s Women in Security Forum and a Domestic Security Alliance Council founding member and past Leadership Board member. In 2020, Security Magazine named her one of “The Most Influential People in Security.”

She serves on the Nashville Security Council Steering Committee and on Nashville’s Sexual Assault Center board. Her honors include the Herman Statum Award of Excellence in 2021 from The Middle Tennessee Chapter of the American Society for Industrial Security and a 2016 Woman of Influence by the Nashville Business Journal.

Mike Merritt has been Chief Security Officer for The Home Depot since 2013 and also oversees The Home Depot’s aviation department. Previously, he served 26 years in the U.S. Secret Service including roles as Assistant Director for the Office of Investigations, senior official overseeing the Agency’s investigative mission, divisions and Assistant Director for the Office of Administration. He began his career as deputy sheriff for the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office in Tampa, Florida.

Merritt serves on the Georgia International Law Enforcement Exchange and Metropol, a partnership between the public/private/academic sector. He’s an advisor on the U.S. Secret Service’s Cyber Investigative Advisory Board, International Security Management Association (ISMA) member and member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the International Association of Financial Crimes Investigators, the American Society for Industrial Security and the U.S. Secret Service Association.

Arlin Pedrick is the Chief Security Officer at Accenture since May 2018. Her previous private security leadership includes positions at Walmart and Disney. Prior to entering private security in 2015, Pedrick spent 32 years with the U.S. Government in national security.

Her national leadership extends to board membership with TSF, the International Security Management Association (ISMA) – she was the ISMA representative for the first-ever 2023 Joint DEI Summit hosted by TSF –and is on the DSAC Executive Working Group.