Brad Minnis, CPP

View from the Chair

Ready for a Great Year!

Happy New Year! I hope everyone had an enjoyable and relaxing holiday.

What an exciting finish to 2002 we had, with a fabulous holiday luncheon at the Aviation Library and Museum at San Francisco International Airport. We made our annual donations to the Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo counties, and to the San Francisco Food Bank, which helped feed more than two thousand individuals served by these organizations. We also had a great response to the Marines Toys for Tots Drive, with numerous people donating toys. The food was great, as was our guest speaker, Mr. Ed Gomez, Transportation Security Administration Director for SFO. The event was a sell out with almost 100 members and guests in attendance.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank outgoing Chairperson, Connie Vaughn, for her hard work in 2002, which resulted in a very successful year for the Chapter. Connie will be at the January meeting, so please come and say hello and help thank her for the wonderful year it was. I would also like to recognize JR Rucker and Julie Snipes for providing outstanding hospitality at the events. Plus thanks to all of the Committee Chairpersons and committee members for bringing several excellent events to the membership.

We now head into 2003, and your Executive Council and Committee Chairs are hard at work to continue to bring outstanding programs and speakers again this year. In fact, most of the volunteer positions within the Chapter have been filled, with only a few left vacant. (See www.sfasis.org for a list of volunteers and volunteer opportunities.

Starting with the January meeting which will be hosted by Symantec Corporation in Cupertino, we will have an excellent speaker with a very timely topic – Business Continuity Planning 101, presented by Xochital Monteon, Senior EHS consultant from EORM in Sunnyvale. Mrs. Monteon has over 10 years of Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) experience in the education, government, semiconductor, hospital and manufacturing industry sectors. In addition, she has over 6 years experience developing comprehensive emergency response, crisis management and business continuity programs for multinational organizations. The development of such programs has consisted of obtaining executive support, project initiation and management, conducting risk assessment and business impact analysis, recovery strategy determination and implementation, written plan development, plan testing, team exercises, and integration of plans into existing organizational processes.

This program is a must for those security professionals responsible for emergency response and disaster recovery for their respective companies.

Planning is also well underway for the annual Law Enforcement Appreciation Luncheon on March 20th. This years’ event, chaired by Art Lesser from Merit Security, will be held at the San Mateo Marriott Hotel and will feature some exciting speakers and displays, including pieces from the National Law Enforcement Museum currently in the construction planning process in Washington, DC., and will feature Mr. Craig Floyd, Executive Director from the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial.

Also in March, ASIS National is bringing the CPP Review Course and the Assets Protection Course I to the Crowne Plaza Hotel in San Francisco. The SFBA Chapter will be granting funds for 4 members of the Chapter to attend these courses, using moneys from our Jack Buckley Endowment Fund for these important courses. Look for more scholarships and grants throughout the year, as we move to expand our foundation activities.

Planning for the May Seminar is also proceeding well. Mr. Doug Nunes, retired inspector from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service is chairing the event, and will again be held in the Parkside Hall at the San Jose Convention Center. Bonnie Michelman, Chairman of the ASIS Foundation and 2002 ASIS Chairman of the Board will be the featured luncheon speaker, and look forward to some excellent seminar speakers and topics.

As you may have noticed, we listened to feedback from our San Francisco members, and have worked to hold more meetings in the San Francisco area, both the November membership meeting and the December luncheon, which were very well attended. We will continue to try to spread out the locations to make it more convenient for members to attend the meetings. Membership at our monthly meetings has been increasing over the last year, and our objective is to see that continue.

So a great start to the year already, and it is only the 7th of January! We will be looking for more opportunities to reach out in the Bay Area community and expand the activities and contributions of ASIS in our community. Improvements in the newsletter are forthcoming, as are the activities of our committees. Suggestions are always welcomed, and I encourage all of you to get more involved in the Chapter to help make 2003 the best year ever for the San Francisco Bay Area Chapter.

Suggestions and feedback should be directed to me at chair@sfasis.org.

I look forward to seeing you at the January meeting and throughout the year!

Sincerely,
Brad Minnis, CPP
Chapter Chairman

Copyright© by ASIS International, SFBA Chapter, 2003.

General Membership Meeting Minutes

San Francisco ASIS Chapter

General Meeting Minutes for the December 12, 2002 at San Francisco International Airport, Air Museum

The General Meeting of the San Francisco Bay Chapter of the ASIS International was called to order by Chapter Vice-Chair, Brad Minnis, CPP at 11:50 am.

Vice-Chair Minnis greeted the members and guests and called the meeting to order. Vice-Chair Minnis led the group in the Pledge of Allegiance. Ronald D. Westry, Chaplin, San Francisco Sheriff Department provided the Invocation.

Vice-Chair Brad Minnis, CPP, introduced our Luncheon Speaker, Mr. Ed Gomez, Federal Security Director, Transportation Security Administration (TSA) for the SF International Airport. Mr. Gomez, an ASIS Member, spoke on the role of the newly created TSA, its mission, organization, present status and future goals.

Mr. Gomez used a PowerPoint presentation to explain the various aspects of the TSA. He explained the need to set priorities in order to put the entire security program into place. It will take several phases in order to get all the desired protection into place as well as hire, train and staff the various functions. Ed mentioned that SF International Airport was a trial site for using private contract individual working for the TSA.

At the conclusion of his presentation, Mr. Gomez took questions from the group.

Vice-Chair Minnis presented Mr. Gomez with a “Certificate of Appreciation" from the Chapter.

The Lunch Buffet was opened and served by the Harper Village Chinese Catering Service, located in the Terminal.

After the luncheon, Vice-Chair Minnis read a message from Chair Vaughn, who was absent due to the recent death of her mother. The message is as follows:

”Happy Holidays to everyone.

It is with deep regret that I am unable to be there today. Brad has put together an awesome event. I had the pleasure of working with today's speaker, Ed Gomez, while he was with Allied and know you will find him both informative and entertaining. He is a good person--Enjoy!

Though I would find great comfort in being with my ASIS friends and colleagues, this is a time I must be with family. As some of you may know, my mother passed away the day before Thanksgiving. There is not much else to say, just that I need to be with my family at this time of loss. I know you all understand.

There were many items I wanted to cover in today's meeting. So many members to thank and recognize. Because I cannot be there, I will list those who come to mind now and recognize you all more appropriately at the January meeting. If I forget someone, please do not feel slighted.
There are so many hard-working volunteers to recognize that I know someone will be left out.

I would like to begin by naming our Corporate Meeting Hosts for 2002, they were:

Guidant Corporation, Patrick Sharkey
Alza Corporation, Ed Loyd, Merv Marty, and Rusty Kern
Adobe Systems, Marc Domnauer and Richard Ricca
Gilead Sciences, Lance Huntley
KLA Tencor, Jeff Grurule
Hitachi, Fred Smith

Thank you for providing excellent facilities and resources.

The Executive Council and Committee Volunteer Leaders have given so much that thank you seems inadequate. It is with deep gratitude and appreciation that I recognize the following individuals for their contributions this past, highly-successful year.

My Executive Council--what a team we are!

Brad Minnis, CPP, Vice Chair (and rock)
Ken Fauth, CPP, Secretary (and advisor)
Patrick Sharkey, CPP, Treasurer (and sounding board)

Committee Chairs:

Hospitality: JR Rucker and Julie Snipes. This is such an important committee and your cheerful demeanors and unwavering dedication have not gone unnoticed. You conscientiously support the chapter in positions that consume vast amounts of time. You are both an integral element of every single meeting and event.

Membership: Cindy Doyle. Competent and reliable, you have served SFASIS
loyally for several years.

St. Patrick's Day: Ed Loyd. Always eager to assist in any way needed.

IB Hale and Newsletter: Kathy Goelkel. What a huge job you accomplished! This is your third year doing these massive tasks and the first year I realized how much work these items are.

May Seminar and Exhibits: Denny Haw, Patrick Sharkey, Curtis Given, Carole Martins, and Lee O'Banion. What a task you took on! Congratulations again on your 30th Annual!

Budget and Finance: Denny Haw. Keeps us financially in check (pun intended).

Photographer: Ron Kane. You always remember!

Security Officer Appreciation Day: Patrick Sharkey, Brian Persing, and Brenda Knox. You established guidelines and criteria that will be used for many years to come.

Golf Tournament: Brad Minnis, Kris Rennett, and Larry Reid--I know there were others. You took a moderately successful event and made it an extraordinary, must-attend event. You deserve a pat on the back for your hard work and relentless energy.

CPP: Rudy DuBord. Your dedication to the furtherance of security professionalism and education is exceptional.

Library: Gary Sepulveda. Continues to maintain the chapter's copies of the various ASIS manuals, books, texts, and CPP materials.

Legislative Liaison: Greg Pera. Contributes to the chapter by researching legislation and other initiatives that affect us individually as security professionals and as a whole.

Placement: John Suhr. Maintains our database of job openings and available personnel.

Foundation: Brenda Knox and Art Lesser. You two have revived life into a committee in need of attention. 2003 looks very bright indeed for this committee.

Though not officially a committee, but such an integral part of our chapter, last, but certainly not least, Webmaster ( Extraordinaire ): Steve Duell has made our website the benchmark for the society. He is a joy to work with and thoroughly dedicated to the success of SFASIS, and ASIS Chapter websites everywhere.

I thank you all so much. To serve as "Madam Chair" with such an exceptional and extraordinary group of professionals is truly an honor. One I will cherish and remember for the rest of my life.

Happy Holidays to you and yours and a Prosperous New Year!

With warmest regards, Connie Vaughn, SFASIS Chair 2002”

Vice-Chair Minnis announced the next Chapter meeting will be held on January 16, 2003 at the Symantec Corporation, 20330 Stevens Creek Blvd, Cupertino. Xochital Monteon, Sr. EHS Consultant, Environmental and Occupational Risk Management (EORM) will be speaking on “Business Continuity Planning 101”.

Vice-Chair Minnis then announced that the Chapter as it has in the pass, tries to “give back to our own community” in which our members reside. Again this year, because the need in our communities to assist those less fortunate then us, it was decided that a donation in the amount of $500. Dollars would be made to the Food Banks serving the 3 counties where our members reside. Receiving the contribution for Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties, Second Food Harvest was Mary Ellen Reynolds. Receiving the contribution for San Francisco was Mr. Tony Tucher, SF Food Bank. Each expressed their gratitude on behalf of the needy of their service area.

In addition to the Food Banks, Vice-Chair Minnis introduced two US Marines, Sergeant Hieu Nguyen and Corporal Hector Sierra, Headquarters Company, 23rd Marines, San Bruno who accepted a Table full of toys brought by members for the “Marine Corps TOYS-for-TOTS Drive".

Vice-Chair Minnis asked for a motion to dispense with the reading of the previous meeting’s minutes and treasurer report as they are posted on the Chapter Web Site (www.sfasis.org). Motions were made, seconded and passed.

Vice-Chair Minnis announced that ASIS International President elect, Daniel H. Kropp, CPP, had appointed Connie Vaughn as the new Regional Vice President for our Region and Hawaii. President elect Kropp had also appointed our Webmaster, Steve Duell, as the National Assistant Regional Vice President for Chapter Internet Development.

Vice-Chair Minnis then called on “new Members” to stand and be recognized by the group.

Vice-Chair Minnis, in accordance with the Society’s By-Laws, asked the Nominating & Election Committee Chair, Dennis Haw, CPP, to come forward to administer the oath of office to the newly elected Chapter Officers for 2003. The following were elected at the last chapter meeting held on November 21st, Chair, Brad Minnis, CPP; Vice-Chair, Patrick Sharkey, CPP; Treasurer, Curtis Given, CPP, and Secretary, Larry Reid. Patrick Sharkey, CPP was unable to be present due to business demands and will be sworn in at a later date. The oath was administered and each answered in the affirmative and are duly sworn in to serve beginning January 1st, 2003.

Vice-Chair Minnis informed the group that applications were available at the registration table for the scholarships provided by the Jack Buckley Memorial Fund and available only to Chapter Members. The scholarships are available for members to attend professional workshops, such as the CPP Review Course and the Assets Protection Course.

Vice-Chair Minnis closed the meeting at 1:15 am.

A total of 88 members and guests were in attendance.

Respectfully Submitted,
Ken Fauth, CPP
SFBA Chapter Secretary

Featured CPP Profiles

Every month, we will be featuring one or two of our Chapter's CPP members in this forum.  We applaud their achievements and self-dedication to the Security Industry, and we would like to recognize their efforts with this special web page.

This month's Featured* CPP member is:
Ted P. Barron, CPP
     

Ted P. Barron
Principal
ASIS Member since 1980
Earned CPP in 2002
         

Membership Updates

New Members

Patrick D. Bryant
Bryant Network Security

Kristi M Fitzpatrick
Seagate Technology, LLC

David L. Lammert
Search West Exec Recruiting

Tappy Lee
Acufacts/Synopsys

Leaving our Chapter

Gary L. Williams
Interphase International, Inc.
(Retired)

By Cindy Doyle
SFBA Membership Committee

Internet Interests

Surfing Responsibly

Isn’t it odd how we, as security professionals, are careful to pay attention to what is happening all around us and yet, when we get onto the Internet, we all too frequently overlook the obvious warning signs and allow ourselves to be duped by unscrupulous anonymous sources?

For instance, we’ve all received email hoaxes telling us about how Microsoft was going to send us $245 just for forwarding an email. How many of us actually took the time wonder why in the heck Microsoft would make such an offer before going ahead and forwarding the email message to others in hopes that maybe it was true and that maybe some generous stranger was indeed going to send us money (even though we hadn’t given anybody a mailing address to send it to)? Did you take a moment to look and see if who sent you the message were anybody that you actually know before you sent it on to others? Did you check to see if it was a hoax? Did you look at the email header to see who else had been sent this same message? Did you realize that by forwarding the message, you are providing SPAMMERS with fresh email addresses for them to use?

We are usually diligent when it comes to Human Resources background checks but do you investigate and validate your Internet sources before committing yourself to them? Do you consider where the information is coming from and what the presenter’s motivations are before delving into the content that they are presenting? Do you watch for signs of bait-and-switch practices, hidden agendas, or collateral associations before you believe what they have to say? Do you ever check their references or cross-reference their information?

If we see a crime, we report it. When you come across a website that is committing a crime, do you report it? Do you warn others about what the website is doing illegally? Do you document your Internet crime reporting just in case you are ever asked to be a court witness? Do you attempt to immediately document what happened before reporting the crime? Do you try to get print-screens so that you can show others what to watch out for and what happened to you?

We are usually very protective of our personal confidential information and there are certain key pieces of information that we would never give to a stranger. Have you ever given away your “mother’s maiden name” while doing a genealogy search? Have you given away your social security number or taxpayer ID in order to get a “free credit report”? When was the last time you performed a virus check on your computer to make sure that someone hasn’t installed a virus that is recording your keystrokes when you are online and then sending them off to the culprit so that they might find out what your passwords are?

Summary
The point that I am trying to make is that the Internet is every bit as untrustworthy as our everyday lives. There is a mixture of both really good and really bad. There are criminals of all kinds in real life and there are criminals of all kinds and many new ones on the Internet. Whenever you are on the Internet you should always be wary of the information you are being given, as well as the information you are giving away.

Respectfully submitted by Steve Duell
SFBA Chapter Webmaster
2003 ARVP Chapter Internet Development
Send replies to webmaster@sfasis.org