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 ResilienceFire & Life SafetyPhysical SecurityRetail/Restaurants/Convenience

Special Report / Women in Security 2022

Women in Security 2022: Nicole Schmitt, Wireless Vision

Nicole Schmitt is passionate about having a positive impact on people’s lives through better safety, security and emergency response.

By Maria Henriquez
Schmitt

Bio image courtesy of Schmitt

Background image courtesy of Dean Mitchell / E+ / Courtesy of Getty Images

July 1, 2022

 Growing up, Nicole Schmitt, Director of Asset Protection at Wireless Vision, wanted to be the next Katie Couric — an intelligent woman whom people found trustworthy and invited into their homes every day.

She had a passion for the news but then experienced a loss that made her reevaluate a career in journalism. “I knew I still had this fire inside me to ask questions, seek truth, and be a person folks can depend on during tumultuous times,” she says. After reflecting, she remembered growing up with a pride for her father, a police officer. Inspired by him, she decided to study criminal justice, fully expecting to pursue a career in law enforcement.

Then, a professor pulled her aside and informed her about a role in Nordstrom’s loss prevention (LP) department. The opportunity to work for an organization that has such a wide reach as Nordstrom was something she couldn’t pass up. “It made sense,” she says.

Nordstrom’s loss prevention program was a well-built program supported by a talented group of security leaders, which really inspired Schmitt. After nearly a decade at Nordstrom, she became an expert in LP and asset protection, from identifying, investigating and tracking the closure of all potential incidents to maintaining store safety and security, developing and facilitating LP, fraud prevention, and emergency response training.

There, she also found her passion for making a positive impact on people’s lives and in training and developing teams on emergency response. “It’s really about helping make people’s lives better,” she says.

In 2016, Schmitt moved to Wireless Vision, T-Mobile’s largest third-party retailer. She has been instrumental in helping Wireless Vision achieve milestones and boost asset protection and emergency preparedness. Now, as Director of Asset Protection, Schmitt currently leads all asset protection and crisis management within Wireless Vision’s 700-plus retail locations in 28 states and the District of Columbia.

One of Schmitt’s biggest accomplishments at Wireless Vision thus far has been identifying a proactive fraud prevention program. Schmitt and her team partnered with corporate peers to be better informed about different fraud metrics. After dissecting the information, she incorporated additional indicators of potential fraud or loss and set thresholds for each of those metrics.

Based on the metrics, Schmitt and her team created a ranking system to determine high-risk locations, institute action plans for teams in stores and the field leaders, and provide consistent education for store employees on how to prevent fraud and best practices. “We allow the data to truly be our driver, and we have seen tremendous improvements and reductions in losses,” says Schmitt. The program has resulted in millions of dollars in savings year over year, both internally and externally.

When establishing a loss prevention program, she believes one of the most important aspects for continued success is to never remain static. In her fraud prevention program, she continues to make adjustments to the metrics and thresholds. “Some of those thresholds are dynamic to ensure we’re staying in tune with business trends, improving employee and customer experience, and helping to reduce losses,” she says.

For Schmitt, people’s safety is another area that she’s passionate about, which includes creating an environment where the employees are safe to reach their fullest potential, and also an environment where customers are safe to enjoy their shopping experience. To this end, Schmitt has built Wireless Vision’s crisis management program from the ground up.

To build the company’s crisis management program, Schmitt first focused on creating store emergency procedures. Schmitt and her team developed an all-encompassing guide with 16 different emergency incident scenarios that employees may encounter, such as robberies, fires or severe weather. The guide includes a series of steps store employees should take during a critical event to ensure safety and minimize the impact on critical operations.

In addition, Schmitt has instituted multiple emergency preparedness months throughout the year to help ensure Wireless Vision teams are prepared to respond to any incident. Emergency scenarios, evacuation drills, lockdown drills, active shooter drills and severe weather drills are conducted throughout the year. The focus is on education as a means of preparation and prevention. “We want to be at the forefront of security and safety trends. We can’t remain static,” she says.

Outside of Wireless Vision, Schmitt belongs to Global Women in Security — an intimate group of international female professionals who gather monthly to discuss trends in asset protection, share insight into solutions and cultivate relationships with one another. “It’s inspiring to be in the company of talented and creative women. We need to support and uplift one another,“ she says. “This is important for women. Stepping into our power and bringing our whole selves to the table is not only inspiring for other women, but to others within the organization.”

To continue broadening and leading within the security industry, she is an active member of the ASIS Detroit Chapter and other security-focused organizations, and regularly attends conferences, such as the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) Conference.

KEYWORDS: business continuity loss prevention risk management security leadership security management security operations Women in Security

Share This Story

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

Maria Henriquez is a former Associate Editor of Security. She covered topics including cybersecurity and physical security, risk management and more.

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...
    Cybersecurity
    By: Security Staff
  • cyber brain

    The intersection of cybersecurity and artificial intelligence

    Artificial intelligence (AI) is a valuable cybersecurity...
    Security Enterprise Services
    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

Laptop in darkness

Verizon 2025 Data Breach Investigations Report shows rise in cyberattacks

Coding on screen

Research reveals mass scanning and exploitation campaigns

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

  • rice

    Women in Security 2022: Laureen Stephens-Rice, US Department of State

    See More
  • 2022 women in security

    Security’s 2022 Women in Security

    See More
  • Cheatle

    Women in Security 2022: Kimberly Cheatle, PepsiCo

    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