Former TSA Executive Joins K2 Security Screening Group

K2 Security Screening Group, an industry leader in the planning, installation, integration and management of airport passenger and checked baggage security screening systems, today announced the appointment of Girard (Gerry) Phelan as the company’s senior director of Capability Delivery. After 21 years of dedicated service with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), Phelen will oversee an impressive portfolio of programs and projects, while also ensuring operational and financial efficiency.

Previously, Phelan served as the Federal Security Director (FSD) at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) in Houston. His innovative approach strengthened security operations and modernized screening technology and processes, including the integration of Automatic Screening Lanes and TSA’s first remote checkpoint screening. While there, he was recognized as the Federal Security Director of the Year in 2018, and under his leadership in 2019, IAH was named Airport of the Year. Before his Houston assignment, Phelan was the federal security director at Savannah International Airport and Southwest Regional International Airport in Fort Myers, FL.

Recently, Phelan led a team of inspectors and technicians responsible for the regulatory oversight, compliance, and enforcement of security measures for all modes of transportation in 10 counties in Central Florida. Prior to this assignment, he served as the TSA Representative and DHS Attaché in Sydney, Australia, where he worked closely with foreign government and embassy officials throughout the South Pacific. Phelan’s commitment to a more transparent exchange of ideas managed several groundbreaking projects which have had a significant global impact.

Before joining the TSA, Phelan worked in the private sector, serving as vice president of Human Resources/Facilities/Security for Evergreen International Aviation. He began his career in the Army Military Police Corp.

Featured

  • The Future is Happening Outside the Cloud

    For years, the cloud has captivated the physical security industry. And for good reason. Remote access, elastic scalability and simplified maintenance reshaped how we think about deploying and managing systems. But as the number of cameras grows and resolutions push from HD to 4K and beyond, the cloud’s limits are becoming unavoidable. Bandwidth bottlenecks. Latency lags. Rising storage costs. These are not abstract concerns. Read Now

  • The Impact of Convergence Between IT and Physical Security

    For years, the worlds of physical security and information technology (IT) remained separate. While they shared common goals and interests, they often worked in silos. Read Now

  • Unlocking Trustworthy AI: Building Transparency in Security Governance

    In situations where AI supports important security tasks like leading investigations and detecting threats and anomalies, transparency is essential. When an incident occurs, investigators must trace the logic behind each automated response to confirm its validity or spot errors. Demanding interpretable AI turns opaque “black boxes” into accountable partners that enhance, rather than compromise, organizational defense. Read Now

  • Seeking Innovative Solutions

    Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and Acceptance. You may recognize these terms as the “5 Phases” of a grieving process, but they could easily describe the phases one goes through before adopting any new or emerging innovation or technology, especially in a highly risk-averse industry like security. However, the desire for convenience in all aspects of modern life is finally beginning to turn the tide from old school hardware as the go-to towards more user-friendly, yet still secure, door solutions. Read Now

  • Where AI Meets Human Judgment

    Artificial intelligence is everywhere these days. It is driving business growth, shaping consumer experiences, and showing up in places most of us never imagined just a few years ago. Read Now

New Products

  • Camden CV-7600 High Security Card Readers

    Camden CV-7600 High Security Card Readers

    Camden Door Controls has relaunched its CV-7600 card readers in response to growing market demand for a more secure alternative to standard proximity credentials that can be easily cloned. CV-7600 readers support MIFARE DESFire EV1 & EV2 encryption technology credentials, making them virtually clone-proof and highly secure.

  • 4K Video Decoder

    3xLOGIC’s VH-DECODER-4K is perfect for use in organizations of all sizes in diverse vertical sectors such as retail, leisure and hospitality, education and commercial premises.

  • Unified VMS

    AxxonSoft introduces version 2.0 of the Axxon One VMS. The new release features integrations with various physical security systems, making Axxon One a unified VMS. Other enhancements include new AI video analytics and intelligent search functions, hardened cybersecurity, usability and performance improvements, and expanded cloud capabilities