Cybersecurity Awards Presented to EnergySec Honorees

CLACKAMAS, Ore., Sept. 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- On August 24, EnergySec honored three individuals at this year's 12th Annual Security and Compliance Summit held at the Disneyland Resort Hotel: Reid Wightman as EnergySec's Cybersecurity Professional of the Year, Benjamin Beberness as EnergySec's Cybersecurity Executive of the Year, and Leonard M. Ketchens (Mike) as EnergySec's first Physical Security Professional of the Year.

Each year, EnergySec gives special recognition to individuals who have stood out among their peers in displaying EnergySec's core values of service, innovation, and excellence. In addition to our existing award categories of Cybersecurity Professional and Executive of the Year, for 2016 a third award, Physical Security Professional of the Year, was added.

Reid Wightman was honored as EnergySec's Cybersecurity Professional of the Year for his work as a security researcher and consultant focused on industrial control systems security since 2007. Reid recently founded RevICS Security in Indianapolis, IN, which provides in-depth testing and security analysis of Industrial, IOT, and medical products.

Benjamin Beberness, Chief Information Officer at Snohomish County PUD, was honored as EnergySec's Cybersecurity Executive of the Year for his 20+ years of information technology experience, and strong leadership on cybersecurity issues. He was recognized by Puget Sound Business Journal as the 2015 Outstanding CIO of the Year. Benjamin currently serves on the Electric Information Sharing and Analysis Center (E-ISAC) Member Executive Committee and on the SAP Advisory Customer Council Utilities (ACCU). Beberness has written numerous articles on cybersecurity, including his latest published in Energy Central in March entitled "Changing from CIO to CDO."

Leonard M. Ketchens (Mike) was honored as EnergySec's first Physical Security Professional of the Year for his work in physical security. Mike may be a man of few words but not of experience, racking up more than 40 years in the electric and gas utility sectors. Mike has served as chair of the Physical Security Subcommittee of the American Gas Association (AGA), as a member of the Edison Electric Institute's (EEI) Physical Security Subcommittee, and as a member of the NERC Physical Security Guidelines Working group developing guidance for CIP-014.

About EnergySec

The Energy Sector Security Consortium, Inc. (EnergySec) is a United States 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation formed to support energy sector organizations with the security of their critical technology infrastructures. Through our membership program, we support collaborative initiatives and projects that help enhance the cybersecurity resiliency of these organizations.

Media Contact
Steve Parker, President, EnergySec, 503-905-2923

SOURCE EnergySec