NOVEMBER 11, 2025
GTSC’S HOMELAND SECURITY TODAY ANNOUNCES 2025 HOLIDAY HERO AWARD WINNERS
Non-profit, national awards recognize Federal, State and Local heroes from across the nation
Washington, D.C., November 11 — Homeland Security Today, the premier non-profit information source for homeland security news, analysis, and insights, announced selections for the 2025 Homeland Security Holiday Hero Awards, including Lifetime Achievement Award Winner Benjamine “Carry” Huffman, Acting Under Secretary for Management, and Director of Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers.
“The 2025 Homeland Hero honorees remind us that the strength of our homeland lies in the people who protect it—those who lead with courage, think beyond boundaries, and work tirelessly for the safety of others. Their impact resonates far beyond their agencies or organizations, shaping the future of national security for generations to come. America is stronger because of their work.” Said Kristina Tanasichuk, Executive Editor of Homeland Security Today and CEO of the Government Technology & Services Coalition.
The awards were established to celebrate the many disciplines that make up our homeland security mission—cybersecurity, infrastructure protection, intelligence, human trafficking prevention, border security, acquisition, and beyond. Too often, those who work tirelessly behind the scenes—analysts, program managers, data specialists, contract professionals, and others—don’t receive the recognition they deserve. These awards ensure that every individual safeguarding our nation, whether visible or not, is recognized as the hero they truly are.
In 2025, several awards were added: Excellence in Counterterrorism, Information Sharing, Training, Prevention, and Combatting Exploitation; and Most Valuable Player in AI & Tech Advancement, IT Modernization, Data Advancement, and Data Optimization.
HSToday selects a handful of exceptional leaders from hundreds of nominations submitted over a two-month period. Nominations are solicited from the readership of HSToday and the public. Both public and private sector nominees are considered.
This year’s Awardees include:
Homeland Security Lifetime Achievement Award
The Honorable Benjamine “Carry” Huffman, Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Under Secretary for Management, U.S. Department of Homeland Security; Director, Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers
Homeland Security Person of the Year – National
Dr. Ed Mays, Deputy Assistant Commissioner, Infrastructure and Support Services, Office of Information and Technology, U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Homeland Security Person of the Year – State
Karin Lodge-Hendley, Program Manager, Operation Drawbridge, Border Security Operations Center, Texas Department of Public Safety
Homeland Security Person of the Year – Local
Chief Anthony Marrone, Fire Chief, Los Angeles County Fire Department
Homeland’s Human Firewall
Vulnerability Response and Coordination Branch, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency
Excellence in Counterterrorism
Don Rassler, Assistant Professor, Department of Social Sciences and Director of Strategic Initiatives, Combating Terrorism Center, West Point
Excellence in Information Sharing – Corporate
AVANGRID, Corporate Security and Resilience Office
Excellence in Information Sharing – Government
Jorge Comas, Director, Counter-Network Division, National Targeting Center, U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Excellence in Training
Virtual Reality Training System, Distance Learning and Multimedia Branch, Federal Protective Service
Excellence in Prevention
Rick Shaw, Chief Executive Officer and Founder, Awareity
Excellence in Combatting Exploitation
Richard S. Fitzgerald, Assistant Director, Cyber and Operational Technology, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement
Excellence in Outreach
Blue Campaign, DHS Center for Countering Human Trafficking, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement
Acquisition Excellence
Amanda Duquette, Head of Contracting Activity, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
Isaac Kitchen, Program Manager, Linear Ground Detection Systems, U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Adam Reinbolt, Branch Chief, Office of Field Operations, U.S. Secret Service
Most Innovative Campaign to Increase Security
Dr. Tamara Schwartz, Associate Professor of Cybersecurity and Strategy, York College of Pennsylvania; Affiliate Researcher, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan Interdisciplinary Consortium for Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity, U.S. Air Force (ret)
Federal Small Business Champion
Reggie Mitchell, Small Business Specialist, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Backbone Awards
Carolyn Bednarek, Acquisition Program Manager, Technology and Innovation Directorate, Federal Protective Service
Ackie Jones, Portfolio Acquisition Executive, U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Thomas Rosner, Chief, Service Integration and Innovation Division, U.S. Department of State
Nora Shafakian, Section Chief, Diplomatic Security Bureau, U.S. Department of State
Most Valuable Player – Federal
Adam Stahl, Acting Deputy Administrator, Transportation Security Administration
Most Valuable Player – State
Christopher Blanco, Chief Financial Officer, New York City Emergency Management
Most Valuable Player – Local
Joseph Scaramucci, Director, Law Enforcement Training and Operations, Skull Games Solutions Deputy Sheriff, McLennan County Sheriff’s Office
Most Valuable Player – Biometrics
Timothy S. Murray, Executive Program Manager, Homeland Advanced Recognition Technology Program, U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Most Valuable Player – Border Security
Amanda Sviba, Program Manager, Cross Border Tunnel Threat Program, U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Most Valuable Player – Artificial Intelligence and Technology Advancement
Tyson Walker, Deputy Chief Technology Officer, U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Most Valuable Player – Information Technology Modernization
Ezekiel “Zeke” Maldonado, Executive Director for Information Technology Operations, Office of the Chief Information Officer, U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Most Valuable Player – Data Advancement
David Hong, Acting Chief Information Officer, Office of Intelligence and Analysis, U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Most Valuable Player – Data Optimization
FEMA Enterprise Data Analytics Modernization Initiative (EDAMI) Team
Dr. Julie Waters, Senior Technical Advisor, Joanne Neukirchen, Division Director and IT Program Manager; Irene Pan, Branch Chief, Business Architecture and Transformation; Marian Delligatti, Branch Chief, Product Development & Product Management
Mission Awards
Yodit Ayalew, Data Management Unit Lead, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Erik Gaull, Managing Director, Digby Group; Board Member, First Responder Net Authority, Maryland 9-11; Firefighter/Paramedic
Brian Harrell, Vice President and Chief Security Officer, AVANGRID; former Assistant Secretary for Infrastructure Protection, U.S. Department of Homeland Security; Editorial Board, Homeland Security Today
Erik Johnson, Director, Region 10 (Pacific Northwest and Arctic), Federal Protective Service
Samantha Jones, Human Resources Assistant, Transportation Security Administration
Martin Kihiko, Deputy Branch Chief, Cyber Resilience within Vulnerability Management, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency
Eric Leckey, Managing Director, Business and Government Relations, Ceres Environmental Services; Editorial Board, Homeland Security Today; former Associate Administrator for Mission Support, Federal Emergency Management Agency
Bryan Magers, Program Manager, Conveyance Identification Capability, U.S. Border Patrol
Clint McArdle, Assistant Chief, C-UAS National Operations Director, U.S. Border Patrol, U.S. Customs and Border Protection
John Meehan, Aviation Safety Analyst, Flight Standards Division, Federal Aviation Administration
Shelu Patel, Director, Operational Technology Division, U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Nael Samha, Executive Director, Targeting and Analysis Systems Program Directorate, U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Mathew Silverman, Chief Deputy United States Marshal, District of Maryland; National President, Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association
Christopher Wallace, Division Chief, Systems Delivery Division, Office of Information Technology, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
Kate Witt, Acting IDEA Chief, Refugee, Asylum, and International Office, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
Citizen of Mission
Eric D. Thomas, Director, Founder, and Chairman of the Board, CJ3 Foundation
Honorable Mention – Canine of Mission
Bear, Parks Enforcement Division, New York City
Market Maven
Daniel Odom, Director, Defense and Security Segment, Guidehouse; former Section Chief, Federal Bureau of Investigation
GTSC Small Business of the Year
BridgePhase
GTSC Mid-Tier Member of the Year
REI Systems
GTSC Mentor of the Year
Guidehouse
GTSC Strategic Partner of the Year
DRONERESPONDERS
GTSC Strategic Advisor of the Year
Rob Brown, Senior Vice President, National Security Solutions, Alpha Omega; former Chief Technology Officer, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
The awards will take place December 11th, 2025 outside of Washington, D.C. in Occoquan, Virginia and is open to the entire homeland security community. More information on attending or supporting is available here.
About GTSC:
The Government Technology & Services Coalition (GTSC) is a nonprofit, non-partisan 501(c)(6) association of companies that work with government partners to achieve mission. GTSC’s mission is to provide exceptional advocacy, capacity building, partnership opportunities and marketing in the Federal security space for small and mid-sized companies and to support and assist our government partners achieve their critical missions with the highest integrity; best and most innovative technologies; and results-based, quality products and services to prevent, protect against, mitigate, respond to and recover from any terrorist attack or natural disaster. For more information on these mentors and the Government Technology & Services Coalition, please visit www.GTSCoalition.com.
The Government Technology & Services Coalition’s Homeland Security Today (HSToday) is the premier non-profit information resource for the homeland security community, dedicated to elevating the discussions and insights that can support a safe and secure nation. Learn more at http://www.HSToday.us.
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