Security's Most Influential People in Security 2020 - Kirsten Provence | 2020-09-03

Senior Manager of Supply Chain Security, Program Execution & Organizational Executive Strategy & Business Operations for The Boeing Company,  Security & Fire Protection

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As the Senior Manager of Boeing’s Supply Chain Security program, Kirsten Provence leads the team responsible for maintaining the security of Boeing’s global supply chains and ensuring compliance with federal and international security requirements.

In addition, Provence leads Boeing’s Security and Fire Protection (S&FP) Program Execution team, which ensures the deployment of standardized security services across the enterprise. She is also executive strategy leader for the S&FP organization and leads the development and delivery of the organizational strategic direction to enable cross-functional success.

Provence graduated from Western Washington University with a degree in Political Science – International Policy and obtained her MBA in Global Management. After spending time in the international trade industry and obtaining her U.S. Customs Brokerage License, she joined Boeing in 2001.

In addition to serving as a Governance Board member for the Supply Chain Risk Leadership Council, she also chairs the OSAC Women in Security Benchmarking subcommittee and is a member of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Critical Infrastructure Sector Coordinating Council. There, she aids in the identification, assessment, prioritization and protection of nationally significant manufacturing industries within the sector that may be susceptible to manmade and natural disasters.

“I have had the opportunity to work with many industry groups to identify and develop best practices of which I’m incredibly proud of. One area in particular was the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) Program’s recent initiative to revise the minimum-security criteria in order to ensure its members were responding to relevant and current threats. I was part of the subcommittee that was pulled together to work on these updates,” Provence says. “This was a massive effort, and I have applauded the program frequently for their commitment to engaging the community on this endeavor. The opportunity to work with experts from all aspects of the supply chain to identify current and future risks was nothing short of inspirational and innovative. I feel like the outcome of that effort has had an astounding and positive impact on securing global supply chains and enabling the protection of the Homeland.”

Throughout her career, Provence has learned that pursuing new opportunities outside of her comfort zone and seeking new ways to solve challenges has resulted in professional and personal growth. “During these times, I have found that I have built on each experience and have learned the most as a leader and security practitioner,” she explains. “There have been many times where I may not have had all of the bandwidth I thought I needed to ‘lean in,’ but once I started, I was so energized by the innovation and connecting with new people that more bandwidth just seemed to appear.”

Provence resides in Woodinville, Wash., with her family and their three-legged rescued Labrador retriever, Rebel.

ON DEMAND: Business-impacting events such as severe weather, man-made disasters, and supply chain disruption are increasing in frequency and making impacts around the globe.

In today's rapidly evolving security landscape, organizations face an ever-growing array of disruptive events, security threats and risks. Traditional reactive approaches to security intelligence often leave businesses vulnerable and ill-prepared to anticipate and mitigate emerging threats that could impact the safety of their people, facilities or operations.