Naples, Florida – November 19th, 2019 – The International Foundation for Protection Officers and Security Magazine are very pleased to announce that Tom M. Conley and The Conley Group, Inc., Des Moines, Iowa, have been selected as the 2019 award recipient of the Bill Zalud Memorial Award for Professional Excellence.

First Honorable Mention was awarded to Jeff Hauk from the Memorial Healthcare Security Department, Owosso, MI. Second Honorable Mention was awarded to McLean Essiene from Essimacs International Security Nigeria Ltd., Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria.

In 2017, the IFPO, in conjunction with Security Magazine, announced the inaugural Bill Zalud Memorial Award for Professional Excellence, an award that recognizes an exceptionally-superior security professional and/or organization. A recipient of The Bill Zalud Memorial Award for Professional Excellence epitomizes “the best of the best” in the security profession internationally.

“Mr. Conley is one of those few extraordinary and truly remarkable global security leaders who has not only attained the very pinnacle of professional success and achievement, but he is one of the very small, select group of security professionals who has been a strong and consistent leader in shaping the present and future direction of the security profession worldwide,” IFPO Executive Director Sandi Davies said.

Similarly, The Conley Group is globally recognized as a truly professional security services organization whose cadre of highly dedicated security professionals exemplify the modern, well-trained, experienced security professional.

“Given the magnitude of today’s unparalleled global security challenges, the need for security professionals to operate at the highest possible level of operational effectiveness has never been greater nor have the consequences of a security failure ever been more ominous than they are now," Davies said. "That is why is it essential for security professionals at all levels to acquire the necessary professional education and skills they need so they can successfully confront and triumph over the many dangers that exist in the threat landscape of today’s world."

In conclusion, Davies said, “We were very proud to have had Bill Zalud serve on the IFPO Board of Directors for more than a decade. His long and outstanding service to our organization and the security profession as a whole, has made a significant difference. Bill had given strategic direction and vision to the IFPO. As an industry insider, Bill’s steadfast leadership and boundless passion for excellent were instrumental in making the IFPO as well as Security Magazine the successes they are today."

First Honorable Mention – Jeff Hauk, MSA, CPP, PEM, CAS, CPTED
Jeff Hauk is the Director, Public Safety and Police Authority Services at Memorial Healthcare, in Owosso, MI, where he is responsible for providing leadership, strategic planning, and administrative direction for all protective related functions.

He is responsible for conceptualizing and building their nationally-recognized and comprehensive protective program. Hauk has been involved in corporate security and public safety for more than 20 years.

Davies and the Bill Zalud Review Committee were impressed with the significant advancements Hauk introduced to his department. He quickly laid the foundation and established a vision that guided the members and standards of the nationally recognized department.

Prior to Memorial Healthcare, Hauk served as the chief security officer for the El Paso Water Utilities, located in El Paso, Texas, as well as for Emergent BioSolutions, a multinational biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Rockville, Md. Emergent’s portfolio of  products in development includes preventative and therapeutic products for anthrax and botulism, two top priority bioterrorism agents. EBSI is the sole FDA approved manufacturer of the anthrax vaccine and supplies the Department of Defense, Health and Human Services and SNS (Strategic National Stockpile), among others.

Over his decade with Emergent, Hauk was afforded the opportunity to build and develop a leading edge and nationally-recognized private police authority and corporate security risk management department. Under Hauk's leadership, Emergent's Global Protective Services Department developed a reputation for its high level of organizational professionalism, its consistent ability to effectively deal with emerging security challenges, creativity in employing best industry practices, as well as itsability to develop critical public-private partnerships with federal, state and local first responders.

Hauk is a graduate of Central Michigan University (BS; 1994 and MSA; 2016) and R.L. Oatman and Associates (2007), a highly regarded and respected executive protection academy, where he was designated an executive protection specialist. He is a certified protection professional from ASIS International, as well as a certified anti-terrorism specialist by the Anti-Terrorism Accreditation Board, and Professional Emergency Manager (PEM) by the State of Michigan Emergency Management and Homeland Security Division.

Hauk is a certified Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) Practitioner and as a PPCT (Pressure Point and Control Tactics) Defensive Tactics and Ground Avoidance/Ground Escape instructor.

In addition, he has gained further education and certification in various security, emergency management and law enforcement specialties from the University of Louisville (National Crime Prevention Institute), Michigan State University (Criminal Justice Department), Louisiana State University (Academy of Counter Terrorism), New Mexico Tech (EMRTC), Department of Homeland Security, Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC), El Paso Community College Police Academy, Wayne County Regional Police Training Academy, Oakland Community College Police Academy, and the Emergency Management Institute.

Second Honorable Mention – McLean Essiene, MSc, CPP, PCI, PSP, CCIP
McLean Essiene, CPP, PCI, PSP, is a seasoned security management consultant and trainer in Nigeria. He has worked for the Nigeria Immigration Service and in private security with both a multinational company and a local security firm. He is the CEO of Essimacs International Security Ltd.

Davies notes that Essiene and his organization link entry level officer education with the IFPO Certified Protection Officer’s syllabus.

"Security officers are integrated as part of a complete protection plan, and not as a stand-alone resource within their organizations," Essiene said. "Professional development of staff and protection officers, value creation for our clients, stakeholders, and our immediate communities, reflects our professional excellence in assets protection.”

Essiene serves as second vice chair of the ASIS Human Threat Management Council, and the is vice chairman of the Global Outreach Subcommittee of the ASIS Young Professionals Council.

In 2019, he won an Outstanding Security Performance Award as the Nigeria Outstanding Young Security Professional and the same year was Named #2 on IFSEC's Global influencers list 2019 IFSEC Global Influencer in Security: One to Watch. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. with research interests involving the links between environment and security.

About Bill Zalud

Bill served in the US Army for many years. In 1987 Bill became the editor of Security Magazine and SDM Magazine. He spent over three decades covering and shaping the security profession. His knowledge of the profession, his readers, the advertisers of the publications and their products and services brought great value to his contributions. In 2009 Bill became the Editor emeritus working with Security Magazine Editor-in-Chief Diane Ritchey. He continued to do research, writing insightful articles, columns and blogs. He wrote the Zalud Report, a popular column about technology and industry trends, up until a few years ago. The archives of his column are available online at www.securitymagazine.com.

About the International Foundation for Protection Officers

Founded in 1988, the International Foundation for Protection Officers (IFPO) is a non-profit organization headquartered in Naples, Florida. The organization was established to successfully develop a comprehensive training and examination process as a means to professionally certify security officers and security supervisors globally. The IFPO provides numerous distance-delivered and traditional classroom training programs that can result in professional certification if completed successfully. Through advocacy, partnerships, promoting training standards and providing accessible training, education and certification opportunities, the IFPO’s professional certifications have been and are the de facto international standard for all line-level security officers as well as security supervisory personnel since 1988. To date, the IFPO has credentialed more than 83,000 individuals as Certified Protection Officers and has credentialed another nearly 28,000 individuals as being Certified in Security Supervision and Management. Both certification programs were recently recognized and awarded college credit by a major accredited U.S. University. For more information, contact The International Foundation for Protection Officers at (239) 430-0534 or on the web at www.ifpo.org.

About Tom Conley and The Conley Group, Inc.

Tom M. Conley is the President & C.E.O. of The Conley Group, Inc. headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa. The Conley Group, Inc. provides highly competent on-site security and security patrol services to their clients. Mr. Conley has earned three college degrees and 13 professional certifications. He is a former municipal police captain and is a retired Commander from the United
States Navy Police after nearly 30 years of honorable service. He is the recipient of more than 40 medals and awards, including 10 personal decorations. Mr. Conley can be contacted at (515) 277- 7437 or by e-mail at tom.conley@theconleygroup.com.