There’s always one.

It may take you a while to spot them, but, in every organization, there’s one person without whom the entire place would threaten to grind to a halt. This is the person everyone comes to for answers. The person whose authority arises not from the lines on a flow chart, but from a long history of hard work, a deep understanding of the organization’s history, and the ability to do 12 things at once – and well, at that.

At Lockmasters Security Institute (LSI), Deanna Deborde is that person. Her title is director of marketing, but her responsibilities are much broader. Her perspective on LSI, and the larger security education industry, is informed by nearly a decade on the job. Security Magazine spoke with her at LSI’s training facility in Nicholasville, Ky.

For more than 50 years, LSI has been at the forefront of security education in the United States.

A wide range of intensive, college-accredited courses draw students from the security industry, armed services, federal and state government, state and local police agencies and many Fortune 500 companies.

In addition, LSI’s instructors – all of whom are experienced security professionals as well as highly skilled teachers – are equipped to take classes wherever needed. They routinely travel to far-flung locales in order to teach groups of students who would find it inconvenient to travel to LSI’s home facility.

Alumni and current students of LSI include members of National Security Agency, Department of Defense, Transportation Security Administration, Federal Bereau of Investigations, Department of Homeland Security, as well as many branches of the military and private industry.

Where do your students come from?

“Seventy percent of our students work with the federal government – coming from all branches of the military and agencies and from all over the world,” said Deborde.

What makes LSI unique?

“One thing I think makes our faculty so effective is that they are widely experienced as both teachers and security personnel. Our newly expanded facility contains state of the art classrooms where students learn everything from locksmithing and safe maintenance to access control and perimeter security.

“There’s also the Museum of Physical Security – the largest collection of locks in the world. It’s pretty astounding. Harry Miller started it long ago, and his son Clay (LSI’s owner) has continued the tradition. The oldest lock in the museum is Egyptian, is trimmed in gold, and has been dated at 1404 AD,” said Deborde.

Where do you see LSI going in the future?

“The landscape of security design in this country – and around the world – has changed dramatically. And we’ve been here throughout. The future is certain to bring new challenges. And LSI will be there to help the security industry rise to those challenges,” said Deborde.