In an industry dominated by her male counterparts, Canadian security professional Bonnie Butlin has emerged onto the international scene over the last decade as a trendsetter and respected thought leader. Winner of numerous international awards since 2013 and co-founder of the Security Partner’s Forum, she will be a featured speaker at the upcoming Secured Cities conference in Houston, Texas on November 11.
“We are thrilled to have Bonnie joining our event. She is a dynamic player in the security industry and one of the most forward thinking professionals I’ve worked with,” says Steve Lasky, Conference Director for Secured Cities. “Bonnie has overcome some of the gender-biased barriers that hinder the success of qualified women in our field to become a true leader.”
Butlin is co-founder of the Security Partners’ Forum (SPF), the first-of-its-kind agile network of security professionals, with a global footprint. She serves on the Domestic Preparedness Advisory Committee, based in Severna Park, MD, and as the Vice-Chair of The Infrastructure Security Partnership (TISP)’s Public-Private Collaboration Committee (PPCC), based in Alexandria, VA.
Butlin was recently named a winner of the Compass Award for 2015. She was inducted into the International Women in Homeland Security and Emergency Management Hall of Fame in 2014, among the many other prestigious awards she has received from industry publications and organizations. Butlin was named to Vanguard Magazine’s “People in Defense” list, which put her alongside some of Canada’s elite defense and security professionals. She also became the first Canadian female security professional to be named as a recipient of Professional Security Magazine's 2015 Women in Security Awards (Security Manager Category). In addition to these honors, Butlin has officially been named a finalist for the 2015 Executive Women’s Forum Women of Influence (WOI) Award in the category of Private Solutions Provider.
Her diverse background in the fields of defense, intelligence, and security provide a well-rounded approach to her security perspective. Butlin was also the sole author of a commissioned study for the Federal Court of Canada on National Security and the Administration of Justice. She holds a Master’s Degree in International Affairs.
Butlin is scheduled to speak at Secured Cities on Wednesday, November 11 at 2:00 PM on the topic of “Protecting a Changed Public- What is Different and How to Adapt”. Her presentation will discuss the relationship between populations and the state is shifting significantly. Some of the factors driving how cities will be secured include: more reactive civilian responses to domestic attacks, adjusting to state cyber surveillance, a growing wealth gap, human migration patterns, a changing legal landscape, and a new international geopolitical balance.
For more information on Butlin’s session and other educational opportunities at Secured Cities, go to
http://securedcities.com/wednesday.php for more information. Secured Cities is the only event in the United States dedicated to the Public/Private Partnership initiatives driving Public Safety and emergency management operations in municipal sectors around the country. The conference will be held at the Crowne Plaza Houston Near Reliant Park in Houston on November 10-12.
