Security Magazine logo
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
  • NEWS
  • MANAGEMENT
  • PHYSICAL
  • CYBER
  • BLOG
  • COLUMNS
  • EXCLUSIVES
  • SECTORS
  • EVENTS
  • MEDIA
  • MORE
  • EMAG
  • SIGN UP!
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • NEWS
  • Security Newswire
  • Technologies & Solutions
  • MANAGEMENT
  • Leadership Management
  • Enterprise Services
  • Security Education & Training
  • Logical Security
  • Security & Business Resilience
  • Profiles in Excellence
  • PHYSICAL
  • Access Management
  • Fire & Life Safety
  • Identity Management
  • Physical Security
  • Video Surveillance
  • Case Studies (Physical)
  • CYBER
  • Cybersecurity News
  • More
  • COLUMNS
  • Cyber Tactics
  • Leadership & Management
  • Security Talk
  • Career Intelligence
  • Leader to Leader
  • Cybersecurity Education & Training
  • EXCLUSIVES
  • Annual Guarding Report
  • Most Influential People in Security
  • The Security Benchmark Report
  • Top Guard and Security Officer Companies
  • Top Cybersecurity Leaders
  • Women in Security
  • SECTORS
  • Arenas / Stadiums / Leagues / Entertainment
  • Banking/Finance/Insurance
  • Construction, Real Estate, Property Management
  • Education: K-12
  • Education: University
  • Government: Federal, State and Local
  • Hospitality & Casinos
  • Hospitals & Medical Centers
  • Infrastructure:Electric,Gas & Water
  • Ports: Sea, Land, & Air
  • Retail/Restaurants/Convenience
  • Transportation/Logistics/Supply Chain/Distribution/ Warehousing
  • EVENTS
  • Industry Events
  • Webinars
  • Solutions by Sector
  • Security 500 Conference
  • MEDIA
  • Videos
  • Podcasts
  • Polls
  • Photo Galleries
  • Videos
  • Cybersecurity & Geopolitical Discussion
  • Ask Me Anything (AMA) Series
  • MORE
  • Call for Entries
  • Classifieds & Job Listings
  • Continuing Education
  • Newsletter
  • Sponsor Insights
  • Store
  • White Papers
  • EMAG
  • eMagazine
  • This Month's Content
  • Advertise
Security Magazine logo
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Security Magazine logo
  • NEWS
    • Security Newswire
    • Technologies & Solutions
  • MANAGEMENT
    • Leadership Management
    • Enterprise Services
    • Security Education & Training
    • Logical Security
    • Security & Business Resilience
    • Profiles in Excellence
  • PHYSICAL
    • Access Management
    • Fire & Life Safety
    • Identity Management
    • Physical Security
    • Video Surveillance
    • Case Studies (Physical)
  • CYBER
    • Cybersecurity News
    • More
  • BLOG
  • COLUMNS
    • Cyber Tactics
    • Leadership & Management
    • Security Talk
    • Career Intelligence
    • Leader to Leader
    • Cybersecurity Education & Training
  • EXCLUSIVES
    • Annual Guarding Report
    • Most Influential People in Security
    • The Security Benchmark Report
    • Top Guard and Security Officer Companies
    • Top Cybersecurity Leaders
    • Women in Security
  • SECTORS
    • Arenas / Stadiums / Leagues / Entertainment
    • Banking/Finance/Insurance
    • Construction, Real Estate, Property Management
    • Education: K-12
    • Education: University
    • Government: Federal, State and Local
    • Hospitality & Casinos
    • Hospitals & Medical Centers
    • Infrastructure:Electric,Gas & Water
    • Ports: Sea, Land, & Air
    • Retail/Restaurants/Convenience
    • Transportation/Logistics/Supply Chain/Distribution/ Warehousing
  • EVENTS
    • Industry Events
    • Webinars
    • Solutions by Sector
    • Security 500 Conference
  • MEDIA
    • Videos
      • Cybersecurity & Geopolitical Discussion
      • Ask Me Anything (AMA) Series
    • Podcasts
    • Polls
    • Photo Galleries
  • MORE
    • Call for Entries
    • Classifieds & Job Listings
    • Continuing Education
    • Newsletter
    • Sponsor Insights
    • Store
    • White Papers
  • EMAG
    • eMagazine
    • This Month's Content
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP!
ManagementPhysicalSecurity Enterprise ServicesSecurity Leadership and ManagementSecurity & Business ResilienceSecurity Education & TrainingPhysical Security

Creating a diverse and inclusive workplace within security

Foster an environment of diversity and inclusion for better performance and agility within your department and enterprise-wide.

By Maggie Shein
SEC0121-Diversity-Feat-slide1_900px
SEC0121-Diversity-slide2_900px
SEC0121-Diversity-slide3_900px
SEC0121-Diversity-slide4_900px
SEC0121-Diversity-Feat-slide1_900px
SEC0121-Diversity-slide2_900px
SEC0121-Diversity-slide3_900px
SEC0121-Diversity-slide4_900px
January 7, 2021

Diversity and inclusion in the security industry is a topic where industry-specific and security-role-specific data lacks public availability. Historically, the security industry has not been especially diverse —particularly in roles of executive leadership and middle management. In Security’s annual Security Report, for example, a quick, non-scientific review of the security executives included in the rankings was made up of at least 81% male in 2020.

In general, according to McKinsey & Company’s often cited reports Why Diversity Matters (2015) and Delivering through Diversity (2017) progress in diversity and inclusion is being made, albeit slowly. McKinsey & Co. found that between 2015 and 2017, companies have increased average gender representation on their executive teams by two percentage points (to 14%) and ethnic and cultural diversity has increased by one percentage point (to 13%).

Many successful companies regard diversity and inclusion as a competitive advantage and an enabler of growth with research backing this up — the Delivering through Diversity study, for example, found that gender diverse organizations are 24% more likely to financially outperform less diverse companies, while 33% of ethnically diverse companies are likely to do so. The study suggests that the relationship between diversity and performance is driven by more diverse companies being able to attract top talent; as well as to improve their customer orientation, employee satisfaction and decision making. These are all important characteristics for security departments.

“In general, we’ve come a long way, but I still think there is room for improvement,” says Holly Rasche, Director of Security Management Services at Northwest Community Healthcare, a healthcare organization with 25 locations in Illinois.

Rasche got into healthcare security 24 years ago. She started out as a security officer and worked her way up to director. When she first got in to enterprise security, Rasche took note that she was a minority. She is now in charge of the healthcare organization’s physical security, its communications center, and emergency management, which has entailed COVID-19 response.

Rasche has made it her mission for the last several years to expand Northwest Community Healthcare’s gender and ethnic diversity among her security staff. “You don’t necessarily see a lot of diversity in security and law enforcement. Here, we have a large melting pot of races, creeds, color and veterans,” she says.

“It can be hard to move away from the impression that anyone other than a Caucasian male would make a really good security officer, but to me it’s so important, because we deal with a diverse population that comes to the hospital and it’s important to reflect that. I used to look for security experience when hiring, but I have found that no experience also means no bad habits when it comes to security response and you can instead look for that compassion and caring that makes them successful in this field,” Rasche shares.

“It’s an important and exciting time for diversity and inclusion right now because it’s on the mind of many leaders, not only because it’s the right thing to do, but because it has been proven that workforces that anchor themselves in diversity and inclusion are more productive globally and have the ability to innovate,” says Mary Legere, Managing Director at Accenture Federal Services, National and Defense Intelligence sector — a retired Lieutenant General who spent 34 years in the military focusing on intelligence work, critical missions and national security. “Teams that pay attention to this issue have better results.”

One of the most important areas that security leaders can focus on to create an environment of diversity and inclusion is metrics. “We need to be deliberate about what those targets are. Each organization must have targets for what their organization will need to look like in the future,” says Anna Kim, Managing Director of Inclusivity & Diversity for the Armed Forces sector at Accenture Federal Services.

Kim says that CISOs, CSOs and C-suite executives need to make a conscious decision to set expectations and put processes in place to monitor that progress. “It’s so important to have accountability,” adds Legere.

Legere says that leadership’s focus on the gaps present in their organization must be deliberate. Outreach and mentorship, particularly of less represented groups is critical for leadership. “Security professionals need to look like the world, and for people to feel comfortable there, they need to see people who might have had the same experiences as them,” she says. This is particularly crucial for mid- to high-level management positions where under-represented groups need to be able to feel like they can picture themselves in those positions in the future.

“The current leadership should look at these types of demographics not only today, but have succession planning in place so you are not just perpetuating the problem. You need to ensure you have the next generation of leaders coming up the ranks,” Kim says.

Specific policies that intentionally promote diversity and inclusion and that are careful of unconscious bias are crucial stepping stones. In Kim’s case, having been involving in the industry for 25 years both on the public and private side, she says she recognized “pretty early on” that there weren’t a lot of people that looked or behaved like her.

“Unconscious bias hampers a diverse workforce. It’s important to not shy away from these conversations and encourage new ideas and fresh thinking,” Kim says.

Surrounding your security team with diversity paves the way for creating an organizational culture of inclusive behavior and an innovative forward-thinking reputation. It starts with a conversation, says Kim. “The number one thing I tell everybody is change only happens when you have a conversation. One conversation at a time is how we together walk the journey to get where we want to be,” she says. The next step is to actively listen to your colleagues and peers and have those awkward conversations with leadership.

“Never get arrogant,” Legere advises. “Diversity of thought is what fuels innovation. This shouldn’t be an afterthought but rather at the forefront. Create those benchmarks, learn from best practices and create feedback mechanisms for your own biases.”

KEYWORDS: business continuity risk management security management

Share This Story

Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!

Maggie shein

Maggie Shein was Editor in Chief at Security magazine. She has been writing, editing and creating content for the security industry since 2004. She has an experienced background in publishing, communications, content creation and management. Within her role at Security, Maggie handled the overall direction of the brand, organized and executed the annual conference, facilitated Solutions by Sector webinars, researched and wrote exclusive cover stories, managed social media, and authored the monthly Security Talk column. She has both an undergraduate degree and master's degree in journalism.

Recommended Content

JOIN TODAY
To unlock your recommendations.

Already have an account? Sign In

  • Security's Top Cybersecurity Leaders 2024

    Security's Top Cybersecurity Leaders 2024

    Security magazine's Top Cybersecurity Leaders 2024 award...
    Security Leadership and Management
    By: Security Staff
  • cyber brain

    The intersection of cybersecurity and artificial intelligence

    Artificial intelligence (AI) is a valuable cybersecurity...
    Columns
    By: Pam Nigro
  • artificial intelligence AI graphic

    Assessing the pros and cons of AI for cybersecurity

    Artificial intelligence (AI) has significant implications...
    New Security Technology
    By: Charles Denyer
Manage My Account
  • Security eNewsletter & Other eNews Alerts
  • eMagazine Subscriptions
  • Manage My Preferences
  • Online Registration
  • Mobile App
  • Subscription Customer Service

The Money Laundering Machine: Inside the global crime epidemic - Episode 24

The Money Laundering Machine: Inside the global crime epidemic - Episode 24

Security’s Top 5 – 2024 Year in Review

Security’s Top 5 – 2024 Year in Review

Middle East Escalation, Humanitarian Law and Disinformation – Episode 25

Middle East Escalation, Humanitarian Law and Disinformation – Episode 25

More Videos

Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content is a special paid section where industry companies provide high quality, objective, non-commercial content around topics of interest to the Security audience. All Sponsored Content is supplied by the advertising company and any opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily reflect the views of Security or its parent company, BNP Media. Interested in participating in our Sponsored Content section? Contact your local rep!

close
  • Sureview screen
    Sponsored bySureView Systems

    The Evolution of Automation in the Command Center

  • Crisis Response Team
    Sponsored byEverbridge

    Automate or Fall Behind – Crisis Response at the Speed of Risk

  • Perimeter security
    Sponsored byAMAROK

    Why Property Security is the New Competitive Advantage

Popular Stories

Security’s 2025 Women in Security

Security’s 2025 Women in Security

Verizon on phone screen

61M Records Listed for Sale Online, Allegedly Belong to Verizon

blurry multicolored text on black screen

PowerSchool Education Technology Company Announces Data Breach

Half closed laptop

Sudo Vulnerability Discovered, May Exposes Linux Systems

Person holding cellphone

Millions of Android, iPhone Users Could Be Sending Data to China

Events

August 7, 2025

Threats to the Energy Sector: Implications for Corporate and National Security

The energy sector has found itself in the crosshairs of virtually every bad actor on the global stage.

August 27, 2025

Risk Mitigation as a Competitive Edge

In today’s volatile environment, a robust risk management strategy isn’t just a requirement—it’s a foundation for organizational resilience. From cyber threats to climate disruptions, the ability to anticipate, withstand, and adapt to disruption is becoming a hallmark of industry leaders.

View All Submit An Event

Products

Security Culture: A How-to Guide for Improving Security Culture and Dealing with People Risk in Your Organisation

Security Culture: A How-to Guide for Improving Security Culture and Dealing with People Risk in Your Organisation

See More Products

Related Articles

  • Jaffe leader profile

    Embracing challenges and making a difference

    See More
  • security talk

    School security: A focus on doors

    See More
  • Brain artwork

    The nonlinear path to a sustainable security culture

    See More

Related Products

See More Products
  • Physical-Security-and-Safet.gif

    Physical Security and Safety: A Field Guide for the Practitioner

  • security book.jpg

    Security Investigations: A Professional’s Guide

  • security culture.webp

    Security Culture: A How-to Guide for Improving Security Culture and Dealing with People Risk in Your Organisation

See More Products
×

Sign-up to receive top management & result-driven techniques in the industry.

Join over 20,000+ industry leaders who receive our premium content.

SIGN UP TODAY!
  • RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Store
    • Want More
  • SIGN UP TODAY
    • Create Account
    • eMagazine
    • eNewsletter
    • Customer Service
    • Manage Preferences
  • SERVICES
    • Marketing Services
    • Reprints
    • Market Research
    • List Rental
    • Survey/Respondent Access
  • STAY CONNECTED
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • X (Twitter)
  • PRIVACY
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • TERMS & CONDITIONS
    • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
    • PRIVACY REQUEST
    • ACCESSIBILITY

Copyright ©2025. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing

Security Magazine logo
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Security Magazine logo
  • NEWS
    • Security Newswire
    • Technologies & Solutions
  • MANAGEMENT
    • Leadership Management
    • Enterprise Services
    • Security Education & Training
    • Logical Security
    • Security & Business Resilience
    • Profiles in Excellence
  • PHYSICAL
    • Access Management
    • Fire & Life Safety
    • Identity Management
    • Physical Security
    • Video Surveillance
    • Case Studies (Physical)
  • CYBER
    • Cybersecurity News
    • More
  • BLOG
  • COLUMNS
    • Cyber Tactics
    • Leadership & Management
    • Security Talk
    • Career Intelligence
    • Leader to Leader
    • Cybersecurity Education & Training
  • EXCLUSIVES
    • Annual Guarding Report
    • Most Influential People in Security
    • The Security Benchmark Report
    • Top Guard and Security Officer Companies
    • Top Cybersecurity Leaders
    • Women in Security
  • SECTORS
    • Arenas / Stadiums / Leagues / Entertainment
    • Banking/Finance/Insurance
    • Construction, Real Estate, Property Management
    • Education: K-12
    • Education: University
    • Government: Federal, State and Local
    • Hospitality & Casinos
    • Hospitals & Medical Centers
    • Infrastructure:Electric,Gas & Water
    • Ports: Sea, Land, & Air
    • Retail/Restaurants/Convenience
    • Transportation/Logistics/Supply Chain/Distribution/ Warehousing
  • EVENTS
    • Industry Events
    • Webinars
    • Solutions by Sector
    • Security 500 Conference
  • MEDIA
    • Videos
      • Cybersecurity & Geopolitical Discussion
      • Ask Me Anything (AMA) Series
    • Podcasts
    • Polls
    • Photo Galleries
  • MORE
    • Call for Entries
    • Classifieds & Job Listings
    • Continuing Education
    • Newsletter
    • Sponsor Insights
    • Store
    • White Papers
  • EMAG
    • eMagazine
    • This Month's Content
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP!