Title: Senior Director of Corporate Security and Resilience
Company: Avangrid
Location: Great Falls, Virginia, United States
Steven W. Hersem, Senior Director of Corporate Security and Resilience at Avangrid Management Company, has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Executives for dedication, achievements, and leadership in public safety, security operations, and risk management.
Mr. Hersem is an experienced leader who has devoted his career to public safety, celebrating three decades of continued success. Commended for his bravery and investigative expertise, he began his career as a special agent in the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in 1995, spending over 20 years on domestic and international assignments. Today, he leverages his extensive background at Avangrid, a member of Spain’s Iberdrola Group, a leading energy services and delivery company since 2021. As such, Mr. Hersem prioritizes the security of its electric power grid and identifies and addresses potential threats to cyber and physical security operations, leveraging intelligence to drive operations.
Besides his work at Avangrid, Mr. Hersem has become a consulting partner at PAX Group LLC in Chicago. Since 2023, he has been instrumental in propelling the global crisis and conflict consultancy forward in its mission to assist leaders and organizations in flourishing and developing healthy, resilient public institutions and private companies.
Following his role as a special agent with the FBI from 1995 to 2004, Mr. Hersem became a team leader for the FBI’s Counterterrorism Fly Team until 2009, a supervisory special agent between 2009 and 2013, and a section chief of the FBI’s International Operations Division in Washington, D.C., from 2013 to 2015. Mr. Hersem’s career with the Bureau culminated as the deputy assistant director of the operations branch within the Counterterrorism Division, where he remained until 2017. Adding to his remarkable tenure, he was detailed to the CIA as the deputy director of community HUMINT until 2018. After exiting the government, Mr. Hersem worked for the entertainment company Live Nation Worldwide Inc. in Beverly Hills, California, as its senior director for global security operations from 2018 to 2021.
After graduating from Saginaw Valley State University in Saginaw, Michigan, Mr. Hersem continued his studies, completing graduate coursework in public administration at the University of Michigan. He also obtained a master’s degree in security and risk analysis at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. In addition to his college education, Mr. Hersem received numerous professional credentials, including a graduate certificate in organizational leadership from IE University in Madrid, Spain, a program manager’s certificate through Carnegie Mellon University for mitigating insider risks, and various other accreditations through organizations like the Yale School of the Environment and the George C. Marshall European Center for Securities Studies, in Garmisch, Germany.
As a professional Domestic Security Alliance Council member, Mr. Hersem remains at the forefront of his industry. Civically, he gives back to various initiatives, such as being an advisory board member for Defy Photo Shield LLC and volunteering with the local fire department and various Christian charities.
Recognized for his creative side, Mr. Hersem was a contributor to “Terrorism Close Calls,” a collaboration with Big Media Productions, and for another documentary on the hunt for Osama bin Laden. He is presently consulting on a new film about the USS Cole bombing in Aden Harbor, Yemen.
Honoring his accomplishments, Mr. Hersem received a commendation from FBI Director Louis Freeh for his investigative work in the 1997 William Lewis Reece serial killer investigation in Houston, Texas, a unit citation award from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) for his counternarcotics work during the Southwest Border Initiative, and a commendation from NASA for his recovery work in a hazardous environment after the crash of Space Shuttle Columbia. Additional highlights of his career include impactful work preventing acts of terrorism against the U.S.
Mr. Hersem was awarded the FBI’s Shield of Bravery for his actions while embedded with a U.S. Army Special Forces Unit in Afghanistan. He later played a critical role in thwarting an attack on the U.S. Capitol by a radicalized individual intent on killing U.S. Congressmen and civilians. He considers himself fortunate to have worked alongside exceptional agents, analysts, soldiers, and sailors during his service in conflict zones as part of an FBI counterterrorism expeditionary team. Grateful for his continued success, Mr. Hersem’s future includes promoting stronger collaboration between the private and public sectors, especially in areas related to national security.
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