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
    • The Security Leadership Issue
    • 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 ResilienceProfiles in ExcellenceFire & Life SafetyPhysical Security

Profile in Excellence

45 years tearing down siloes: Maureen Rush

After several decades dedicated to safety and security, the Vice President for Public Safety and Superintendent of Police at the University of Pennsylvania’s Division of Public Safety semi-retires, but first she shares what she’s learned.

By Madeline Lauver
street
siloes headshot
Image courtesy of Rush and the University of Pennsylvania
street
siloes headshot
February 7, 2022

Maintaining community and uniformity is the key to managing a large-scale security team, according to Maureen Rush, Vice President for Public Safety and Superintendent of Police at the University of Pennsylvania’s Division of Public Safety. Rush, one of Philadelphia’s first female police officers in the Street Patrol unit and the leader of the largest private police department in the state, retired from her role at the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) on December 31, 2021 after a 45-year career in law enforcement.

Rush was drawn to law enforcement after a Department of Justice lawsuit paved the way for women to become police officers in Philadelphia. The court ordered the Pennsylvania city to hire more women officers, and Rush joined the first pilot program of 100 female and 100 male officers in 1976.

After rising through the ranks from patrol officer to sergeant and, ultimately, lieutenant, Rush joined the Penn community as Director of Victim Support and Special Services in the university’s Division of Public Safety. 

“My time at Penn has been fantastic,” she says. As Vice President of Public Safety, Rush has spearheaded many changes throughout the department during her tenure.

“Over these 27 years, we’ve had to create and recreate the Division of Public Safety as we know it today,” she says. “We’ve grown it to seven departments, not just the police department. And, in doing so, we had to be mindful of what the community needed and wanted.”

Penn is home to more than 28,000 students, faculty and staff, and Rush’s team has adapted their services as security needs have shifted over the past three decades. Among the public safety initiatives protecting the community at Penn is a longstanding partnership with the Counseling and Psychological Services department. After a series of mental health crises in the student population, Rush served on a Mental Health Taskforce, which developed a 24/7 emergency helpline for students in crisis and their peers. 

Rush notes how the helpline centralized all of Penn’s mental health resources, allowing students to call one number and to receive assistance. “When we’re there, we can connect them to the proper resources to make sure that our students are safe and secure,” she says. That could mean connecting students to counseling services at 3 a.m. or sending an officer to take a student to the hospital.  Over the years, the helpline has become a trusted resource for the community, not only students undergoing mental health crises, but also their friends and professors. Over her career, Rush has made it a mission to adapt to the unique challenges that securing and ensuring the safety of a large, urban university and its population present. When Penn saw an uptick in alcohol-related hospitalization transports, for example, Rush coordinated with the Philadelphia Fire Department to create an alternative, university-based emergency transportation system. The Alternative Response Unit (AR1) allows the Penn Public Safety Department to collaborate more closely with the City of Philadelphia on student safety issues. 

At Penn, students have also taken steps to ensure the safety of their community. The student-run Medical Emergency Response Team (MERT) responds to hospitalization cases alongside the Penn Police. Involving students in public safety has helped ease concerns of some students when it came to involving city emergency services in student affairs. Before the creation of AR1, some students attempted to evade city ambulances due to the costs associated with emergency transportation. The Penn Division of Public Safety resolved this situation by emphasizing collaboration. Due to their relationship with the City of Philadelphia, Penn Public Safety and the MERT team were able to coordinate cost-free emergency transportation services for students in health crises from Wednesday night through Sunday morning each week. 

“That has totally changed [student] response to being helped. And we think that [AR1] has saved many lives — and it saved many lives in the Philadelphia community, because we are not taking their resources out of service,” Rush says.

Along with the helpline, MERT team and AR1 unit, Penn maintains a myriad of other security services in concert with other university departments, and Rush has been part of many of those initiatives over the years. That strategy is paramount to maintaining a safe campus environment, according to Rush. 

On Penn’s campus, for example, university police and security officers provide the first layer of defense and work with other teams to prioritize student safety. This teamwork provides a foundation for a more in-depth security strategy, she says. “You layer the security technology, the fire and emergency services, the victim support services and, together, you have one big team and no siloes.”

When it comes to public safety at Penn, Rush values the people that work every day to keep the community safe. She says, “I'm really proud of the team that we have been able to build here in the Division of Public Safety and of the professionals who have passion, integrity and are hard-working. We are constantly improving the operations of the Division of Public Safety so that we can provide the best-in-class public safety services to keep people safe and secure. That’s what my team does every day.”

A seasoned security professional, Rush credits her leadership success to traits such as adaptability. “I think [security leadership] takes high emotional intelligence. And it takes flexibility. There's no cookie cutter for any public safety leader in the country,” she says.

Although Rush has retired from the Division of Public Safety, retirement is not where her security career will end. “I’m going to retire, but I’m the anti-retirement person,” she says. “I will be coming back to Penn on January 1, 2022, as the Senior Advisor to the Senior Executive Vice President of Penn.”

In addition to her advising role at Penn, Rush will advise other university presidents and provide expert testimony through her consulting practice, Rush Group LLC. Her 45 years in law enforcement and security have positioned her to continue to provide university administrators with insight into emergency communications, crisis management and hiring practices.

KEYWORDS: critical infrastructure port security profile in excellence risk management security operations

Share This Story

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

Madeline Lauver is a former Editor in Chief at Security magazine. Within her role at Security, Lauver focused on news articles, web exclusives, features and several departments for Security’s monthly digital edition, as well as managing social media and multimedia content.

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 Enterprise Services
    By: Security Staff
  • cyber brain

    The intersection of cybersecurity and artificial intelligence

    Artificial intelligence (AI) is a valuable cybersecurity...
    Security Leadership and Management
    By: Pam Nigro
  • artificial intelligence AI graphic

    Assessing the pros and cons of AI for cybersecurity

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

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
  • 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

  • Duty of Care
    Sponsored byAMAROK

    Integrating Technology and Physical Security to Advance Duty of Care

Popular Stories

Pills spilled

More than 20,000 sensitive medical records exposed

Coding on screen

Research reveals mass scanning and exploitation campaigns

Laptop in darkness

Verizon 2025 Data Breach Investigations Report shows rise in cyberattacks

White post office truck

Department of Labor Sues USPS Over Texas Whistleblower Termination

Computer with binary code hovering nearby

Cyberattacks Targeting US Increased by 136%

2025 Security Benchmark banner

Events

May 22, 2025

Proactive Crisis Communication

Crisis doesn't wait for the right time - it strikes when least expected. Is your team prepared to communicate clearly and effectively when it matters most?

September 29, 2025

Global Security Exchange (GSX)

 

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

  • Maureen Rush Security podcast

    Listen to Maureen Rush, VP for Public Safety at U Penn, talk university policing and avoiding security career burnout

    See More
  • Lukas Quanstrom.png

    Breaking down data siloes in physical security

    See More
  • The 2023 Security Benchmark Sector Reports

    The 2023 Security Benchmark Sector Reports

    See More
×

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