SEI Security Services Team Earns Defense Security Service Honor
• Article
June 10, 2016—On Wednesday, June 8, the Defense Security Service (DSS) honored the SEI Security Services team with the James S. Cogswell Outstanding Industrial Security Achievement Award. SEI Security Services was one of just 42 honorees chosen from approximately 13,500 cleared facilities, all of which undergo recurring assessment by DSS through the National Industrial Security Program. DSS bestows this honor to security services teams who maintain the highest standards for security, exceed National Industrial Security Program Requirements, and demonstrate leadership in establishing best practices. DSS presented the award at the annual NCMS training seminar in Nashville, Tenn.
Representing the SEI were Chief of Staff John Bramer, Chief Information Officer David Thompson, Facility Security Officer Kara Branby, Industrial Security Specialist Bryan Stake, Industrial Security Administrator Allison Zust, Industrial Security Specialist Angela Raible, Security Manager Jason Hawk, and Information Assurance Coordinator Ryan Gindhart. On hand to present the award for DSS were Director Dan Payne, Deputy Directory Jim Kren, Northern Regional Director Cheryl Matthews, and Director of Industrial Security Field Operations Gus Greene. Also on hand were the son and granddaughter of Colonel James S. Cogswell.
“The team is extremely proud to receive this award,” said Hawk. “Being one of only 42 teams honored this year puts us in the top one tenth of one percent of all cleared facilities.”
“The SEI is fortunate to have the team of dedicated security and information assurance professionals that we do,” Thompson said. “They consistently ensure that we as an organization fulfill our role in properly handling and protecting the sensitive information entrusted to us by our sponsor. It was a true pleasure to see their work recognized by the government.”
The Cogswell award was established in 1966 and is named in honor of the late Air Force Col. James S. Cogswell, who was the first chief of the unified office of Industrial Security. Col. Cogswell is responsible for the underlying principle of the Industrial Security Program. That principle is the need for a true partnership between industry and government to ensure the protection of classified information, materials, and programs.
To learn more about the James S. Cogswell Award, visit http://www.dss.mil/isp/partnership.html.
To view the DSS press release announcing the 2016 James S. Cogswell Award honorees, visit http://www.dss.mil/documents/pressroom/2016Cogswellrelease.pdf.