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, has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Executives for dedication, achievements, and leadership in public safety, operations and logistics.
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 expertise, he began his career as a special agent in the FBI in 1995, where he spent over 20 years on assignments out of the bureau’s Houston field office. Today, he leverages his extensive background at Avangrid Management Company, a member of Spain’s Iberdrola Group and a leading energy services and delivery company, since 2021. As such, Mr. Hersem prioritizes the security of its power grid and identifies and addresses potential threats to cyber and physical security 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 companies.
Following his role as a special agent with the FBI from 1995 to 2004, Mr. Hersem became a team leader and 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 joined the CIA as the deputy director of community HUMINT until 2018. After exiting the government, Mr. Hersem briefly worked for the entertainment company Live National Worldwide Inc. in Beverly Hills, California, as its senior director for global security operations from 2017 to 2018.
After graduating from Saginaw Valley State University in Saginaw, Michigan, Mr. Hersem continued his studies, completing 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 addition to his college education, Mr. Hersem received numerous professional credentials as an insider threat program manager through Carnegie Mellon University, with a security leadership essentials for managers designation from SANS Technology Institute, and various other accreditations through organizations like LinkedIn, the Yale School of the Environment and the George C. Marshall European Center for Securities Studies.
Mr. Hersem remains at the forefront of his industry as a professional member of the Domestic Security Alliance Council. Civically, he gives back to various initiatives, such as being an advisory board member for Defy Photo Shield LLC and volunteering with local Catholic 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 Osama bin Laden. He is presently working on a new film about the USS Cole bombing in Aden Harbor, Yemen.
Honoring his accomplishments, Mr. Hersem received a Recognition Award from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. However, the highlight of his career has been the impactful work he has been a part of in preventing acts of terrorism against the U.S. He played a critical role in thwarting an attack on the U.S. Capitol by an individual who had been radicalized. He was also fortunate to work alongside several exceptional individuals in special missions and operations units during his service in conflict zones as part of an FBI counterterrorism expeditionary team. Moreover, Mr. Hersem’s tenure in the FBI saw him involved in significant counter-narcotics investigations, including a cocaine distribution conspiracy in southwest Houston that was operated by the Gorillaz Southwest Guerrillas.
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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