FIRESTORM ADDS VETERAN SECURITY EXECUTIVES
JUNE 15, 2009 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ROSWELL, Ga. – Firestorm, a national leader in business continuity, vulnerability analysis, communicable illness planning and crisis management, has announced the appointment of John J. Enright and Al Kirkpatrick to its executive team.
Enright becomes Firestorm’s Chief Security Officer, and Kirkpatrick takes over the newly created position of Chief Information Security Officer. Both roles were previously filled by Don Huggins, who resigned to pursue other business interests, but will serve as a consultant on Firestorm’s Expert Council.
“Firestorm has been fortunate to have someone with Don’s expertise. While Don is pursuing his other business interests, I am glad he remains available to work with clients,” Firestorm President/COO James W. Satterfield said. “Don did an outstanding job handling both roles, but the rapidly increasing criticality of information security necessitated that Firestorm appoint someone whose sole responsibility will be to oversee that program.”
Similar to Huggins, Enright had a long and distinguished career in federal law enforcement, with the majority spent in the United States Secret Service, including five years on the Presidential Protective Division at the White House. He later developed an expertise in school security issues, working frequently with the Secret Service’s National Threat Assessment Center and on their widely acclaimed study on Targeted Violence in Schools. Upon his retirement from the Secret Service, he was appointed Director of Counter-Terrorism & Law Enforcement at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Rhode Island. He also served as the Acting Director of the Providence Emergency Management Agency.
As the founder and president of Enright & Associates, he has focused his consulting practice on post-9/11 security in diverse sectors of society, most recently conducting security assessments for school districts and advising communities nationwide on best practices in securing school buildings.
Enright said he was drawn to Firestorm by its position in the business continuity market and unique Predict. Plan. Perform. methodology.
“I don’t think there are any other firms that operate like Firestorm,” Enright said. “Many businesses, schools, churches and other institutions that I work with, while understanding and emphasizing security, fail to grasp the need for a comprehensive crisis plan.”
Kirkpatrick most recently was Vice President and Chief Information Risk Officer for The First American Corporation. In that role, he was responsible for maintaining appropriate information risk management programs for First American’s 250 subsidiaries, including significant international holdings. Kirkpatrick also supported the corporation’s global subsidiaries and customers regarding risks related to international operations.
Prior to joining First American, Kirkpatrick held chief information security officer positions at two large tech companies and various technology management positions, including the management of fossil and nuclear power plant information systems for the nation’s largest investor-owned utility company.
“We put the kinds of procedures and controls in place there that became the basis for what we now know as information security,” Kirkpatrick said. “With Firestorm, information security is an integral part of any vulnerability analysis and comprehensive continuity plan.”
Firestorm (www.firestorm.com) provided the on-site crisis management support at Virginia Tech after the tragic shootings in 2007. Its Expert Council includes Lt. Gen. Russel L. Honorè (U.S. Army, ret.) and former U.S. Surgeons General Dr. C. Everett Koop and Dr. David Satcher. Firestorm recently began awarding consulting franchises to better address the distinct local vulnerabilities and preparedness gaps that exist nationwide.
Satterfield can be reached at (800) 321-2219 ext. 211 or [email protected]. For more information on franchises, contact Executive Vice President Hutch Hodgson at (770) 643-1114 or [email protected].