LEADER SPOTLIGHT: Jeremy Rodrigues, ISF Donor and Member

Gifts by individuals to the International Security Foundation are as critical as corporate support. We talked with Jeremy Rodrigues, Associate Director of Global Security at Pratt & Whitney and former OSAC foreign affairs officer about why he supports OSAC through the ISF.

You worked at OSAC when the ISF was founded. How has the ISF impacted OSAC’s ability to serve the security personnel in the private sector?

I was there before the ISF was created, and I saw firsthand how Regional Security Officers’ (RSOs) and OSAC leaders’ hands were tied [financially] when it came to holding and marketing Country Council and Regional Council events. OSAC can’t use its budget to support event and marketing costs for these groups, due to the Federal Advisory Committee Act. In some cases, RSOs and OSAC program officers had to fund the events themselves. Even when the OSAC event was successful because of an RSO’s personal funds, it wasn’t a coordinated or replicated effort throughout OSAC.

When the ISF was formed, I saw the change with funds [given to the ISF for OSAC programs] that could be used for Country and Regional Council event logistics and promotion. RSOs and OSAC officers now have funds available to them for events.

How do OSAC programs help you in your work?

I lead Pratt & Whitney’s global site security services across the Americas. I keep up with OSAC’s Google Groups and participate in Regional Council events located near our facilities outside of the United States. I’ve utilized OSAC’s analysts to ground truth from what I hear from our security vendors and within my own network.

Networking is an unsung benefit of being an OSAC member. It’s been extremely helpful to build a network of peers across industry and geographically. OSAC is such a great resource for the private sector. In addition to its incredible network, another benefit is the relationships that OSAC has with other government agencies, including their responsibility to convey threat information to American companies operating overseas.

How has OSAC been a lifeline to so many during the pandemic with vital information?

OSAC served as a bell weather of what was to come. Since security practitioners were communicating within OSAC channels two months before the shutdown here in the United States, we were better prepared.  In early January, we were getting notifications from our industry colleagues in Asia about the impacts of COVID-19, including the measures that RSOs were taking to protect American interests. We were also able to benchmark with industry peers on how government-imposed travel restrictions were impacting their business operations and protecting their employees.

 Why do you support the ISF through membership and outright gifts?

I have seen personally the difference ISF funding makes to create better OSAC programs. And, now that I am in the private sector, I benefit from that enhanced programming. This is the first year that I donated as an individual. I have used Amazon Smile to support the ISF for a while, and I have made a push on social media [to bring awareness of the ISF] on #GivingTuesday and on LinkedIn. There are multiple options for donations, from direct support and different levels of memberships.

I’ve been to every ISF annual dinner, and they’re awesome! I know that the ISF might face financial challenges as a result of the pandemic so I hope other individuals follow my lead and donate to this fantastic organization!

Thanks, Jeremy, for your support! Learn more about ISF membership.

About Jeremy Rodrigues

Jeremy Rodrigues is an Associate Director of Global Security at Pratt & Whitney, a leading aerospace manufacturer of commercial and military aircraft engines. He is responsible for the implementation of the global security program and strategy throughout the Americas. Prior to joining Pratt & Whitney in 2019, he created the global security operations center at The Boeing Company and served as a foreign affairs officer at the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security, where he worked at the Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC) and the Office of Intelligence and Threat Analysis. He began his civil service career as a border patrol agent in southern California.

A commissioned officer in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve, Jeremy began his military service as a maritime law enforcement specialist conducting counterdrug operations throughout Latin America. As a reservist, Jeremy has served as an intelligence officer at Sector San Diego, a counterdrug analyst at the Coast Guard’s Intelligence Coordination Center and at a U.S. Navy coastal riverine squadron during Operation Enduring Freedom. He is currently assigned as an intelligence staff officer at the Coast Guard’s First District in Boston.

Jeremy teaches homeland security and emergency management as a faculty associate at Arizona State University’s Watts College of Public Service & Community Solutions. He is a member of ASIS International’s Chief Security Officer (CSO) Center for Leadership & Development and the Phoenix Committee on Foreign Relations. He holds a M.S. in Homeland Security and a B.A. in International Security & Conflict Resolution, both from San Diego State University and graduated from the ISMA Senior Executive Leadership Program at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. He and his family reside in South Glastonbury, Connecticut.