"We're here to keep you safe."
Bringing centuries of Secret Service experience and modern security expertise, SEC develops comprehensive, prevention-focused safety and security programs for businesses.
When it comes to protecting those who matter most, our mission is to treat for your business, your facilities and your people like the president. Our array of services is intended to give your organization an actionable, layered security posture, from site assessments and in-person trainings to ongoing support and online membership.
Meet our team
Our team has over 100 years of combined expertise at the highest level of security and law enforcement. No team is more highly trained and no team is more experienced at providing custom safety and security solutions.
Jason Russell
A former Secret Service agent, Jason Russell brings White House-level security expertise to every one of our clients. Since SEC’s inception in 2013, Jason has provided hundreds of security assessments to schools, businesses and organizations across the United States. and in several other countries – and has been called in to assist during crisis situations, including mass shootings and security threats. He has worked with the Michigan Legislature to bring forward critical funding for site assessments at K-12 schools throughout the state and serves on Michigan’s School Safety and Mental Health Commission. He also is a frequent keynote speaker at conferences across the country on topics such as emergency preparedness, active shooter response and safety and security procedures. Before joining the Secret Service, Jason served as an officer with the Lansing (Michigan) Police Department. The mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School that left 26 people dead – mostly children younger than 7 – and questions about his own children’s safety at school inspired Jason to start Secure Environment Consultants.
Marc Connolly
A highly accomplished security and law enforcement professional, Marc Connolly spent 27 years with the Secret Service, rising to deputy assistant director and retiring as deputy special agent in charge of the presidential protection division. Marc planned, directed, coordinated and implemented protective operations for the president and was instrumental in developing contingency plans and overseeing threat assessment for Secret Service protectees. He supervised a workforce of more than 1,000 law enforcement officials protecting the White House and supervised the development and deployment of technological advances to further the Secret Service’s mission. Marc has directed and implemented security at the highest level – and brings his commitment to security to SEC.
Dave Pass
VP of Professional Services
A longtime educator and school administrator, David Pass wanted to make an even greater impact in the lives of students and staff following the mass shooting at Oxford (Michigan) High School, so he joined the SEC team. David began his career as a middle school math teacher in the Waterford (Michigan) School District and later became an assistant middle school principal, elementary school principal, director of employee services in the Troy (Michigan) School District and then deputy superintendent of human resources at Oxford Community Schools. In this role, he was able to assist with employee needs to ensure they had the support they needed to serve students. At SEC, he leans on his experiences in education and unique perspective as a teacher, administrator and human resources professional to work with school districts toward lasting impact on policies and procedures around school safety and security, firmly believing preparation saves lives. David has a doctorate in education from Oakland University and holds a School Administrator Certificate with a Central Office Endorsement and a Michigan School Business Officials Human Resources Specialist certification.
Shane Davis
Senior Lead Consultant
Shane Davis brings Army Special Forces experience to our clients, helping them develop and maintain situational awareness, assess and address security risks and, most importantly, make their facilities safer. Shane says: “Teachers and administrators aren’t in the business of building highly secure schools – they’re in the business of teaching. That’s why site assessments are so important for schools. Site assessments help administrators know where to focus their funds and energy to make their schools more secure. They are also a good way for districts confirm what they are doing well.” Before joining SEC, Shane spent five years in the United States Army Special Forces and then more than a decade as a government contractor and another 10+ years as a business owner.
Pete Gerkin
Senior Lead Consultant
As a 26-year veteran of the Kent County (Michigan) Sheriff’s Office, Pete Gerkin served in several roles, including as a member of the Investigations Division for a decade and tactical team for 12 years – including six as its leader. He later served as a lieutenant assigned to the Community Services Division, where he supervised KCSO’s community engagement efforts and school resource officer program, which consisted of 16 SROs across 12 school districts. In this role, Pete worked with district administrators to define the role of SROs in education and, most importantly, the safety and security of students, staff and facilities. He also led the department’s de-escalation and implicit bias training programs. At SEC, he brings a strong commitment to ensuring students have a safe environment to learn and grow as well as an appreciation for the opportunity to work closely with school staff and administrators toward this shared goal. Pete is an accredited implicit bias and de-escalation instructor and has received numerous letters of recognition and commendation as well as department awards from the Kent County Sheriff’s Office and Grand Rapids (Michigan) Police Department. He is a member of the National Tactical Officers Association and National Association of School Resource Officers.
James Klawitter
Senior Lead Consultant
A longtime interest in forensics and crime-solving TV shows led James Klawitter to pursue a degree in criminal justice at Michigan State University and later a career in federal law enforcement. For the next 34 years, he served as a special agent with Homeland Security Investigations, where he specialized in human trafficking and human smuggling investigations. He finished his career at HSI as undercover operations manager in its Detroit office and a recipient of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement Protecting the Homeland Commissioners Award. At SEC, James appreciates the opportunity to work with school administrators to help them make their school system as safe as it can be.
Jason Louwaert
Senior Lead Consultant
Growing up, Jason Louwaert was bothered whenever he watched a crowd gather and do nothing to help someone who was injured or needed assistance – and he knew he wanted to be a person who arrived and made the situation better. A career as a first responder allowed him to do just that – first as a police officer in Saginaw, Michigan, and later as a 25-year deputy/detective with the Oakland County (Michigan) Sheriff’s Office. During his law enforcement career, he worked in corrections, patrol investigations and training, as a member of the SWAT team and later as the school resource officer for Oxford (Michigan) Community Schools. Jason has completed advanced training in the investigations of child abuse, forensic interviewing of children, interview and interrogation and active shooter prevention and response. He also has received numerous awards, including citations for valor, bravery, meritorious service, excellence in professionalism and investigator of the year.
Dan Savage
Senior Lead Consultant
Dan Savage retired as deputy chief of the Grand Rapids (Michigan) Police Department after a distinguished 36+ years in law enforcement. The vast majority of his career was spent on GRPD’s full-time Special Response Team, holding every rank and position, including Commander for many years. Dan is certified and has instructed on numerous areas of law enforcement, including firearms, less-lethal munitions, electronic control weapons, distraction devices, tactical chemical agents, patrol operations, tactical team operations and active violence response, providing training across the United States and parts of Europe. He has served on National Institute of Justice technical working groups for Less-Lethal Technology and Special Response Team (SRT) as well as on training advisory boards for TASER® and BolaWrap®, and advisory panels for the National Tactical Officers Association. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy Session 217 and USSS Protective Seminar 202-16. Dan has been with SEC since 2017, working directly with our clients to assess their security strengths and weaknesses, implement policies and protocols to address shortcomings, and train for and respond to critical incidents.
Shawn Smith
Senior Lead Consultant
Before joining the SEC team, Shawn Smith spent 20 years in the Secret Service protecting lawmakers, political candidates and foreign dignitaries. Drawing on decades of security assessments, personal physical protection, investigative and risk mitigation work, Shawn has trained local and state law enforcement on protective and threat investigations. He also has taught investigations at the International Law Enforcement Academy in Budapest, Hungary. In addition to his role at SEC, Shawn manages corporate security and works to mitigate risk for a multimillion-dollar international corporation with business interests in more than 50 countries.
Troy Woodwyk
Senior Lead Consultant
An honorable and rewarding career that would enable him to see firsthand the positive impact of his work drew Troy Woodwyck to law enforcement. He would spend the next 27+ years with the Kent County (Michigan) Sheriff’s Office serving the community as a sergeant, lieutenant, captain and later as chief deputy of enforcement and corrections. Troy spent most of his career with the KCSO in patrol operations and was assigned positions within the detective bureau and traffic investigations. At SEC, he brings his decades of law enforcement experience and passion for collaboration to our clients, helping them identify and bridge security gaps to ensure a safe environment for all stakeholders. He’s a firm believer that every organization – big or small – needs to make safety and security a top priority. Troy is a graduate of the Grand Rapids Police Leadership Institute and Michigan State University Staff and Command School. He also is a member of the National Tactical Officers Association.
