FAST Adds 8 Industry Leaders to Board of Directors

The Foundation for Advancing Security Talent (FAST) has appointed eight executives from across the physical security technology industry to its Board of Directors, the organization announced Jan. 5. The new board members will support FAST’s strategic direction and annual priorities as the nonprofit continues its mission to promote careers in the physical security and life safety field.

FAST is an expert group drawn from the membership of the Security Industry Association, the Electronic Security Association and PSA. The organization focuses on aligning workforce development initiatives with opportunities for individuals seeking careers in physical security and life safety technology.

The newly appointed board members are:

• Matt Barnette, president and CEO of PSA, who brings more than 30 years of leadership experience in physical security management and executive roles, including previous presidencies at Mercury Security and AMAG Technology.
  
  
• Taylor Carr, president of Allied Universal Technology Services, who has more than 25 years of executive leadership and operational experience in security and technology services.
  
  
• Shaun Castillo, president of Preferred Technologies (Pref‑Tech), who leads integrated security, communications and life safety solutions and joined the company in 2005 after serving as a U.S. Army officer, including a year of combat operations in Iraq.
  
  
• Angelo Faenza, general manager and head of digital access solutions at ASSA ABLOY, who has been with the company since 2002 and focuses on electronic access control technologies.
  
  
• Hilary Gallagher, chief operating and marketing officer at The Access Control Collective, who brings experience from roles in product, field and analyst marketing at Appirio, UniKey Technologies, Brivo and Copado.
  
  
• Wayne Smith, president of Tech Systems, who leads the delivery of service‑centric and converged security solutions and has more than 23 years of experience in IT and security, including leadership roles at Synovus Financial Corporation and TSYS.
  
  
• Heather Torrey, general manager of commercial security, Americas, at Honeywell, who previously served as general manager of safety and productivity solutions for Honeywell’s Pacific region.
  
  
• Tony Wilson, a founder of CMS, who has played a central role in building the company into a leading wholesale monitoring provider and has served as its president since 1991.

John Nemerofsky, Chair of the FAST Board of Directors and COO at SAGE Integration, stated: “This outstanding group of leaders brings deep leadership experience, impressive industry knowledge and a history of high-impact accomplishments, and we look forward to collaborating with them to strengthen our industry’s workforce development and drive forward FAST’s mission to connect individuals with meaningful careers in physical security and life safety.”

FAST was created in 2020 through a partnership between the Security Industry Association (SIA) and the Electronic Security Association (ESA). The nonprofit promotes career advancement opportunities within the security technology industry and leads initiatives such as National Security Technician Day, which is held annually on January 23 to recognize the contributions of security technicians.