Meet the Team
Our team is comprised of former Secret Service agents, Homeland Security agents, Green Berets, Navy Seals, law enforcement officers, and a support staff passionate about our mission. We are parents, community advocates, former teachers, and business owners. We are proud to serve thousands of organizations across the country including childcare centers, workplaces, schools, houses of worship, medical centers, municipalities, and public spaces. You can trust SEC to bring the highest level of security and protection to you and your teams.
Meet the SEC Team
Our team has hundreds of years of combined expertise at the highest level of security and law enforcement. No team is more highly trained and no team is more experienced at providing custom safety and security solutions.
Jason Russell
Founder + President
A former Secret Service agent, Jason Russell brings White House-level security expertise to every one of our clients. Since SEC’s inception in 2013, Jason has provided hundreds of security assessments to schools, businesses and organizations across the United States. and in several other countries – and has been called in to assist during crisis situations, including mass shootings and security threats. He has worked with the Michigan Legislature to bring forward critical funding for site assessments at K-12 schools throughout the state and serves on Michigan’s School Safety and Mental Health Commission. He also is a frequent keynote speaker at conferences across the country on topics such as emergency preparedness, active shooter response and safety and security procedures. Before joining the Secret Service, Jason served as an officer with the Lansing (Michigan) Police Department. The mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School that left 26 people dead – mostly children younger than 7 – and questions about his own children’s safety at school inspired Jason to start Secure Education Consultants.
Marc Connolly
Executive Vice President
A highly accomplished security and law enforcement professional, Marc Connolly spent 27 years with the Secret Service, rising to deputy assistant director and retiring as deputy special agent in charge of the presidential protection division. Marc planned, directed, coordinated and implemented protective operations for the president and was instrumental in developing contingency plans and overseeing threat assessment for Secret Service protectees. He supervised a workforce of more than 1,000 law enforcement officials protecting the White House and supervised the development and deployment of technological advances to further the Secret Service’s mission. Marc has directed and implemented security at the highest level – and brings his commitment to security to SEC.
Dave Pass
VP of Professional Services
A longtime educator and school administrator, David Pass wanted to make an even greater impact in the lives of students and staff following the mass shooting at Oxford (Michigan) High School, so he joined the SEC team. David began his career as a middle school math teacher in the Waterford (Michigan) School District and later became an assistant middle school principal, elementary school principal, director of employee services in the Troy (Michigan) School District and then deputy superintendent of human resources at Oxford Community Schools. In this role, he was able to assist with employee needs to ensure they had the support they needed to serve students. At SEC, he leans on his experiences in education and unique perspective as a teacher, administrator and human resources professional to work with school districts toward lasting impact on policies and procedures around school safety and security, firmly believing preparation saves lives. David has a doctorate in education from Oakland University and holds a School Administrator Certificate with a Central Office Endorsement and a Michigan School Business Officials Human Resources Specialist certification.
Kendra Bylsma
Director of Marketing
Before joining SEC, Kendra spent more than 20 years in corporate wellness, designing strategies to drive healthy company cultures and inspire others to live balanced, fulfilling lives and developing innovative new wellness products and services for organizations in the U.S. and across the world. She also owned a personal training business in West Michigan that grew from a one-employee shop into a successful company of over 30 employees. Kendra brings her passion as a change agent for transforming lives to SEC, fully embracing our mission to equip and empower schools to create safer environments for students and staff. She leads with a focus on collaboration and ongoing training and development for true behavior change and engagement. A regular national and local keynote speaker, Kendra received the 2019 Top Women Owned Businesses in West Michigan award from the Grand Rapids Business Journal and the Top 5 West Michigan Fitness Studios honor from Revue Magazine six years in a row.
Kylee Haywood
Director of Sales
Kylee brings more than 20 years of sales and business development expertise to SEC, as well as a commitment to providing solutions that help align clients’ needs with their goals. She’s a big believer in developing and maintaining long-term relationships with clients to ensure they feel supported every step of the way. Kylee has worked closely with K-12 superintendents and finance administrators, architects, engineers, business and municipal leaders, attorneys and many other professionals to better understand their needs and help them meet their unique needs. She has vast experience in tracking and anticipating consumer market trends and then developing and implementing marketing plans that align with enterprise strategies and business goals. Kylee has built her career on being a trusted resource with deep knowledge of products and services to ensure organizations find the right solution within their budget.
Sharon Connolly
Assistant Vice President
Following a 20-year career with the U.S. Secret Service, Sharon now serves as the Assistant Vice President for SEC. As Senior Protective Intelligence Research Specialist, she led a team of junior analysts in managing protective intelligence casework and specialized in writing threat assessments for the President and other U.S Secret Service protectees. Sharon served in lead roles during multiple National Special Security Events, providing actionable intelligence briefings and reports to agency officials while monitoring events in real time from various sources. For the purpose of identifying behaviors of concern directed toward the U.S. Secret Service and its interests, Sharon reviewed social media and open-source information for situational awareness and protective planning purposes. In a special assignment to the Select Committee on Homeland Security, Sharon served as an agency liaison evaluating new developments in legislation and policy involving the U.S. Secret Service mission. At SEC, Sharon leads all our Social Media Monitoring services, manages complex security project deliverables and provides high-level support to our President and the Vice President.
Brian Alazzawi
Senior Lead Consultant
A retired U.S Navy SEAL Master Chief and Mental Strength & Performance Coach for elite athletes across the country, Brian has transitioned his exceptional leadership skills and mental resiliency from the battlefield into the private sector. With a decorated career spanning over two decades, Brian has honed his experiences in strategic planning, team dynamics, and performance optimization in high-stakes environments. At SEC, Brian enjoys working with schools and other organizations on site assessments, keynote presentations and training programs that provide opportunities for safety and security improvements. He leans on his vast experience and leadership to provide expert guidance and a proactive approach to our clients.
Shane Davis
Senior Lead Consultant
Shane Davis brings Army Special Forces experience to our clients, helping them develop and maintain situational awareness, assess and address security risks and, most importantly, make their facilities safer. Shane says: “Teachers and administrators aren’t in the business of building highly secure schools – they’re in the business of teaching. That’s why site assessments are so important for schools. Site assessments help administrators know where to focus their funds and energy to make their schools more secure. They are also a good way for districts confirm what they are doing well.” Before joining SEC, Shane spent five years in the United States Army Special Forces and then more than a decade as a government contractor and another 10+ years as a business owner.
Pete Gerkin
Senior Lead Consultant
As a 26-year veteran of the Kent County (Michigan) Sheriff’s Office, Pete Gerkin served in several roles, including as a member of the Investigations Division for a decade and tactical team for 12 years – including six as its leader. He later served as a lieutenant assigned to the Community Services Division, where he supervised KCSO’s community engagement efforts and school resource officer program, which consisted of 16 SROs across 12 school districts. In this role, Pete worked with district administrators to define the role of SROs in education and, most importantly, the safety and security of students, staff and facilities. He also led the department’s de-escalation and implicit bias training programs. At SEC, he brings a strong commitment to ensuring students have a safe environment to learn and grow as well as an appreciation for the opportunity to work closely with school staff and administrators toward this shared goal. Pete is an accredited implicit bias and de-escalation instructor and has received numerous letters of recognition and commendation as well as department awards from the Kent County Sheriff’s Office and Grand Rapids (Michigan) Police Department. He is a member of the National Tactical Officers Association and National Association of School Resource Officers.
James Klawitter
Senior Lead Consultant
A longtime interest in forensics and crime-solving TV shows led James Klawitter to pursue a degree in criminal justice at Michigan State University and later a career in federal law enforcement. For the next 34 years, he served as a special agent with Homeland Security Investigations, where he specialized in human trafficking and human smuggling investigations. He finished his career at HSI as undercover operations manager in its Detroit office and a recipient of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement Protecting the Homeland Commissioners Award. At SEC, James appreciates the opportunity to work with school administrators to help them make their school system as safe as it can be.
Jason Louwaert
Senior Lead Consultant
Growing up, Jason Louwaert was bothered whenever he watched a crowd gather and do nothing to help someone who was injured or needed assistance – and he knew he wanted to be a person who arrived and made the situation better. A career as a first responder allowed him to do just that – first as a police officer in Saginaw, Michigan, and later as a 25-year deputy/detective with the Oakland County (Michigan) Sheriff’s Office. During his law enforcement career, he worked in corrections, patrol investigations and training, as a member of the SWAT team and later as the school resource officer for Oxford (Michigan) Community Schools. Jason has completed advanced training in the investigations of child abuse, forensic interviewing of children, interview and interrogation and active shooter prevention and response. He also has received numerous awards, including citations for valor, bravery, meritorious service, excellence in professionalism and investigator of the year.
Dan Savage
Senior Lead Consultant
Dan Savage retired as deputy chief of the Grand Rapids (Michigan) Police Department after a distinguished 36+ years in law enforcement. The vast majority of his career was spent on GRPD’s full-time Special Response Team, holding every rank and position, including Commander for many years. Dan is certified and has instructed on numerous areas of law enforcement, including firearms, less-lethal munitions, electronic control weapons, distraction devices, tactical chemical agents, patrol operations, tactical team operations and active violence response, providing training across the United States and parts of Europe. He has served on National Institute of Justice technical working groups for Less-Lethal Technology and Special Response Team (SRT) as well as on training advisory boards for TASER® and BolaWrap®, and advisory panels for the National Tactical Officers Association. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy Session 217 and USSS Protective Seminar 202-16. Dan has been with SEC since 2017, working directly with our clients to assess their security strengths and weaknesses, implement policies and protocols to address shortcomings, and train for and respond to critical incidents.
Shawn Smith
Senior Lead Consultant
Before joining the SEC team, Shawn Smith spent 20 years in the Secret Service protecting lawmakers, political candidates and foreign dignitaries. Drawing on decades of security assessments, personal physical protection, investigative and risk mitigation work, Shawn has trained local and state law enforcement on protective and threat investigations. He also has taught investigations at the International Law Enforcement Academy in Budapest, Hungary. In addition to his role at SEC, Shawn manages corporate security and works to mitigate risk for a multimillion-dollar international corporation with business interests in more than 50 countries.
Troy Woodwyk
Senior Lead Consultant
An honorable and rewarding career that would enable him to see firsthand the positive impact of his work drew Troy Woodwyck to law enforcement. He would spend the next 27+ years with the Kent County (Michigan) Sheriff’s Office serving the community as a sergeant, lieutenant, captain and later as chief deputy of enforcement and corrections. Troy spent most of his career with the KCSO in patrol operations and was assigned positions within the detective bureau and traffic investigations. At SEC, he brings his decades of law enforcement experience and passion for collaboration to our clients, helping them identify and bridge security gaps to ensure a safe environment for all stakeholders. He’s a firm believer that every organization – big or small – needs to make safety and security a top priority. Troy is a graduate of the Grand Rapids Police Leadership Institute and Michigan State University Staff and Command School. He also is a member of the National Tactical Officers Association.
Todd Gilevich
Senior Consultant
As a former Homeland Security and United States Secret Service special agent, Todd brings more than 29 years of law enforcement, physical security/protection, criminal investigations and tactical operations experience to SEC. Todd has also worked for the Wayne County (Michigan) and Washtenaw County (Michigan) Sheriff’s Offices as a deputy sheriff and dive team member. He is an accomplished military veteran, having served in the United States Army and the Michigan Army National Guard where he was awarded numerous medals and badges. Todd graduated from Wayne State University and holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. Working at SEC, Todd takes the principles he learned in the Secret Service and applies them in a way to help children, teachers and staff.
Jason Guthaus
Senior Consultant
Jason entered law enforcement to help communities be safe and vibrant places to live and work. Jason has helped communities do just that over the last 20 years, working as a school security officer for Kalamazoo (Michigan) Public Schools, a juvenile justice specialist for Kalamazoo County, deputy sheriff for the Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Office, officer and deputy director with Hope College Campus Safety and as an analyst/section commander for the Michigan State Police, Office of School Safety. Jason has professional emergency manager certification through the Michigan State Police, Emergency Management and Homeland Security Division and a master’s degree in youth development from Michigan State University. At SEC, Jason enjoys working with schools to help them establish and maintain safe environments for working and learning.
Joe Kuhns
Senior Consultant
Joe, a 26-year veteran of the United States Navy SEALs has taken his experience and expertise working as a security consultant for the last six years. This included working overseas for Blackbird Technologies in a myriad of harsh and extreme environments in support of our military intelligence and special ops communities. Joe was also the primary lead instructor for the Vigilance Group, teaching others how to live safely in a dangerous world with a vigilant mindset.
Chris McIntire
Senior Consultant
Chris began his career serving his country as a United States Air Force Law Enforcement Canine Handler. He spent the next 29 years working in law enforcement for the Michigan State Police at several posts as a patrol trooper, sergeant and lieutenant. Chris has received many honors and awards during his time in the military and law enforcement. In addition to his work at SEC, Chris teaches law enforcement and public safety officers from around the country with classes including response to clandestine laboratories, drug unit supervisors, conducting counterdrug operations and homeland security for 911 professionals. He has seen his three daughters through school and now has 10 grandchildren. Working at SEC, Chris wants to be part of the solution that helps keep them safe.
James Mundo
Senior Consultant
Jim retired from the U.S. Secret Service (USSS) in 2018 after 22 years of service. During his career with the USSS, Jim conducted hundreds of “Protection Advances” (Security Assessments) both domestically and abroad. Many of these assignments were during major events, deemed National Special Security Events by the United States Department of Homeland Security. Jim has trained local law enforcement personnel on protection concepts and served as an instructor at the International Law Enforcement Academy in Budapest, Hungary. Jim joined SEC’s team of security consultants in April 2018.
Doug Panning
Senior Consultant
As a father of two, there is nothing more important to Doug Panning than the safety of his children. He brings that parent protection and his 30-year experience as a special agent with the United States Customs Service and Homeland Security Investigations to SEC, where he works with our clients on a shared goal of educating children while ensuring a safe and secure environment for learning and teaching. During his career, Doug supervised a federal, state and local human trafficking task force and served as resident agent in charge at Detroit Metro Airport, where he was responsible for supervising all Homeland Security investigations at the airport.
Rick Scholz
Senior Consultant
A longtime law enforcement leader, Rick Scholz believes in a holistic approach to safety, security and emergency response. Rick retired from the Warren (Michigan) Police Department as an executive lieutenant after a 26-year career that included a decade as a school resource officer. He was drawn to the law enforcement profession by its endless opportunities to help people – and he brings that focus to our clients as he works with them to create a safe environment for people to learn, work and live. In addition to his role at SEC, he is the director of security and crisis management for Warren Consolidated Schools. Rick holds advanced certification from the National Association of School Resource Officers as well as certification as a McKinney-Vento liaison, restorative practices coordinator and Title IX coordinator.
Frank Williams
Senior Consultant
A longtime investigator with the Michigan State Police, Frank Williams brings his commitment to protecting, serving and making a difference to the SEC team. Frank spent 27 years with MSP in various roles, including executive protection detail, security and intelligence officer, narcotics investigator and member of the detective bureau and fugitive and surveillance teams. At SEC, he enjoys working with schools and other organizations on site assessments that provide opportunities for safety and security improvements. He leans on his vast law enforcement experience to provide expert guidance and a proactive approach to our clients.
Tiffany Eagles
Lead Consultant
Before joining the SEC team, Tiffany Eagles spent twenty years in the FBI, working as an instructor in the Behavioral Science Unit and as a Behavioral Analyst, also known as a profiler. In her time with the agency, Tiffany developed and implemented a course for the FBI’s National Academy designed to provide law enforcement leaders from across the world an overview of the psychological perspectives, motivations, and behaviors of violent offenders. Tiffany helped leaders understand the relationship that exists between the psychological, biological and environmental factors that can lead to acts of targeted violence. As a profiler, Tiffany provided operational support to state, local, federal and international law enforcement agencies on unusual violent crimes that were committed against adults. Her case consultations and collaborations with these law enforcement agencies resulted in multiple arrests and convictions of violent offenders. In her new role at SEC, Tiffany provides leadership in our behavioral threat assessment services, as well as facilitates and consults with organizational leaders and behavioral threat assessment teams across the country.
Annette Alexander
Scheduling Coordinator
Before joining SEC, Annette Alexander spent 12 years in a pediatrics office in both clinical and clerical roles. She graduated from Davenport University with an applied science associate’s degree in nursing. She enjoys connecting our team with educators, business leaders and others interested in learning more about our expertise and services.
Holly DeWeerd
Data & Research Specialist
Holly DeWeerd has more than 15 years of customer service experience, with roles in both inside and outside sales as well as administrative positions. Although her work at SEC often is behind the scenes, she’s an integral part of the team. Holly also serves as a paraprofessional at a school in West Michigan. She has a bachelor’s degree in public relations from Grand Valley State University.
Meggan Kasprowicz
Human Resource & Accounting Specialist
Meggan Kasprowicz spent four years as a substitute teacher in the district where her three children attend school and worked with several local small businesses before joining SEC. Having worked in schools, Meggan is happy to be part of the critical role SEC plays in keeping students, staff and schools safe. She graduated from Grand Valley State University with a bachelor’s degree in business administration