About
Lanterns guide us when the path blurs and remind us we are never alone. Vocal Lanterns gathers voices across the security field to share candid stories, practical advice, and hard-won lessons, illuminating the path forward for women in the security industry. You'll hear from women protecting CEOs, blocking cyber threats, guarding corporate assets, and launching bold security start-ups, along with allies who have taken the torch to light the way for new voices.
Proceeds from this book support Girl Security, a non-profit organization that prepares the next generation of women in security through mentorship, training & career opportunities.
Topics you will discover:
Diverse journeys
Origin stories showing many paths into security.
Career advancement
Practical ways to enter, grow your network, own your strengths & build your personal brand.
Navigating challenges
Strategies for bias, stereotypes & microaggressions, while staying authentic.
Mentorship & allyship
How support opens doors & how we lift as we climb.
Well-being in security
Boundaries for a 24/7 field, easing guilt & everyday self-care.
Entrepreneurial ventures
Stories for building your own venture & redefining leadership.
Shaping the future
A shared vision where inclusion is the foundation.
About
Lanterns guide us when the path blurs and remind us we are never alone. Vocal Lanterns gathers voices across the security field to share candid stories, practical advice, and hard-won lessons, illuminating the path forward for women in the security industry. You'll hear from women protecting CEOs, blocking cyber threats, guarding corporate assets, and launching bold security start-ups, along with allies who have taken the torch to light the way for new voices.
Proceeds from this book support Girl Security, a non-profit organization that prepares the next generation of women in security through mentorship, training & career opportunities.
Topics you will discover:
Diverse journeys
Origin stories showing many paths into security.
Career advancement
Practical ways to enter, grow your network, own your strengths & build your personal brand.
Navigating challenges
Strategies for bias, stereotypes & microaggressions, while staying authentic.
Mentorship & allyship
How support opens doors & how we lift as we climb.
Well-being in security
Boundaries for a 24/7 field, easing guilt & everyday self-care.
Entrepreneurial ventures
Stories for building your own venture & redefining leadership.
Shaping the future
A shared vision where inclusion is the foundation.
About
Lanterns guide us when the path blurs and remind us we are never alone. Vocal Lanterns gathers voices across the security field to share candid stories, practical advice, and hard-won lessons, illuminating the path forward for women in the security industry. You'll hear from women protecting CEOs, blocking cyber threats, guarding corporate assets, and launching bold security start-ups, along with allies who have taken the torch to light the way for new voices.
Proceeds from this book support Girl Security, a non-profit organization that prepares the next generation of women in security through mentorship, training & career opportunities.
Topics you will discover:
Diverse journeys
Origin stories showing many paths into security.
Career advancement
Practical ways to enter, grow your network, own your strengths & build your personal brand.
Navigating challenges
Strategies for bias, stereotypes & microaggressions, while staying authentic.
Mentorship & allyship
How support opens doors & how we lift as we climb.
Well-being in security
Boundaries for a 24/7 field, easing guilt & everyday self-care.
Entrepreneurial ventures
Stories for building your own venture & redefining leadership.
Shaping the future
A shared vision where inclusion is the foundation.
Editors
Arian Avila currently leads Workplace Services Technology and Security Operations for a major technology and financial institution. Her journey into corporate security began while pursuing her Ph.D. in Criminology at Northeastern University, when Bank of America offered her a position as their first crime analyst, charged with reducing bank robbery numbers. That opportunity launched her into a distinguished career in private sector safety and security.
Her leadership extends beyond corporate walls as a founding member of Global Security Pride, an organization dedicated to supporting and elevating the LGBTQIA+ community within the security field. She also supports private-public partnerships through leadership involvement in the FBI’s Domestic Security Alliance Council (DSAC) and increasing engagement and advancement through her work with The Security Foundation (TSF). In 2024, she was named by Security Magazine as one of the Most Influential People in Security.
She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Master’s degree in Criminal Justice from California State University, Long Beach, and is currently finishing her Doctorate at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. When not immersed in security strategy or doctoral studies, she enjoys gaming with her kids, browsing independent bookstores, and indulging in musical theater and 80s pop culture.
Jennifer Walters is a security leader based in Charlotte, NC. Her decades-long career leading corporate security teams—focused on strategy, innovation, and risk mitigation—has been fueled by her core values: protecting the people, operations, and assets of major financial institutions.
She is a vocal champion for advancing diversity in the security industry, working to challenge traditional norms and empower underrepresented professionals to thrive in security roles. Through her writing, speaking engagements, and mentorship, she inspires current and future security leaders to think differently and embrace diversity not only as a value—but as a strategic advantage.
Jennifer is a single mother of four, with a grandchild on the way. She is an avid reader, enjoys writing whimsical short stories about her life’s adventures, and maintains a rotating catalogue of hobbies. She strives to live by the words “find joy,” and enthusiastically encourages everyone in her life to do the same.
Foreword Author
Girl Security’s mission is to empower girls and young women from underrepresented communities with the skills, experiences, networks, and support to pursue national security careers, which lead to job sustainability and greater societal impact.
Prior to founding Girl Security, Lauren Bean Buitta served as a management consultant, providing strategic and analytical support to clients on local policy issues, including exclusionary land use policies and racial segregation in Chicago for over a decade. From 2002–2007, Lauren served as a national security policy analyst with a Chicago-based think tank, where she specialized in national security law.
In 2022, Lauren was named “One of the Most Influential People in Security” by Security Magazine. She was named “One of 50 Women Making the World a Better Place” by Instyle Magazine in 2021 and awarded the 21st Century Leader Award by the National Committee on American Foreign Policy. Lauren is a former Fellow with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (2003), Truman National Security Project (2006), American Bar Association Standing Committee on Law and National Security (2012) and a former Emerging Leader with Chicago Council on Global Affairs (2017).
Editors
Arian Avila currently leads Workplace Services Technology and Security Operations for a major technology and financial institution. Her journey into corporate security began while pursuing her Ph.D. in Criminology at Northeastern University, when Bank of America offered her a position as their first crime analyst, charged with reducing bank robbery numbers. That opportunity launched her into a distinguished career in private sector safety and security.
Her leadership extends beyond corporate walls as a founding member of Global Security Pride, an organization dedicated to supporting and elevating the LGBTQIA+ community within the security field. She also supports private-public partnerships through leadership involvement in the FBI’s Domestic Security Alliance Council (DSAC) and increasing engagement and advancement through her work with The Security Foundation (TSF). In 2024, she was named by Security Magazine as one of the Most Influential People in Security.
She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Master’s degree in Criminal Justice from California State University, Long Beach, and is currently finishing her Doctorate at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. When not immersed in security strategy or doctoral studies, she enjoys gaming with her kids, browsing independent bookstores, and indulging in musical theater and 80s pop culture.
Jennifer Walters is a security leader based in Charlotte, NC. Her decades-long career leading corporate security teams—focused on strategy, innovation, and risk mitigation—has been fueled by her core values: protecting the people, operations, and assets of major financial institutions.
She is a vocal champion for advancing diversity in the security industry, working to challenge traditional norms and empower underrepresented professionals to thrive in security roles. Through her writing, speaking engagements, and mentorship, she inspires current and future security leaders to think differently and embrace diversity not only as a value—but as a strategic advantage.
Jennifer is a single mother of four, with a grandchild on the way. She is an avid reader, enjoys writing whimsical short stories about her life’s adventures, and maintains a rotating catalogue of hobbies. She strives to live by the words “find joy,” and enthusiastically encourages everyone in her life to do the same.
Foreword Author
Girl Security’s mission is to empower girls and young women from underrepresented communities with the skills, experiences, networks, and support to pursue national security careers, which lead to job sustainability and greater societal impact.
Prior to founding Girl Security, Lauren Bean Buitta served as a management consultant, providing strategic and analytical support to clients on local policy issues, including exclusionary land use policies and racial segregation in Chicago for over a decade. From 2002–2007, Lauren served as a national security policy analyst with a Chicago-based think tank, where she specialized in national security law.
In 2022, Lauren was named “One of the Most Influential People in Security” by Security Magazine. She was named “One of 50 Women Making the World a Better Place” by Instyle Magazine in 2021 and awarded the 21st Century Leader Award by the National Committee on American Foreign Policy. Lauren is a former Fellow with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (2003), Truman National Security Project (2006), American Bar Association Standing Committee on Law and National Security (2012) and a former Emerging Leader with Chicago Council on Global Affairs (2017).
Editors
Arian Avila currently leads Workplace Services Technology and Security Operations for a major technology and financial institution. Her journey into corporate security began while pursuing her Ph.D. in Criminology at Northeastern University, when Bank of America offered her a position as their first crime analyst, charged with reducing bank robbery numbers. That opportunity launched her into a distinguished career in private sector safety and security.
Her leadership extends beyond corporate walls as a founding member of Global Security Pride, an organization dedicated to supporting and elevating the LGBTQIA+ community within the security field. She also supports private-public partnerships through leadership involvement in the FBI’s Domestic Security Alliance Council (DSAC) and increasing engagement and advancement through her work with The Security Foundation (TSF). In 2024, she was named by Security Magazine as one of the Most Influential People in Security.
She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Master’s degree in Criminal Justice from California State University, Long Beach, and is currently finishing her Doctorate at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. When not immersed in security strategy or doctoral studies, she enjoys gaming with her kids, browsing independent bookstores, and indulging in musical theater and 80s pop culture.
Jennifer Walters is a security leader based in Charlotte, NC. Her decades-long career leading corporate security teams—focused on strategy, innovation, and risk mitigation—has been fueled by her core values: protecting the people, operations, and assets of major financial institutions.
She is a vocal champion for advancing diversity in the security industry, working to challenge traditional norms and empower underrepresented professionals to thrive in security roles. Through her writing, speaking engagements, and mentorship, she inspires current and future security leaders to think differently and embrace diversity not only as a value—but as a strategic advantage.
Jennifer is a single mother of four, with a grandchild on the way. She is an avid reader, enjoys writing whimsical short stories about her life’s adventures, and maintains a rotating catalogue of hobbies. She strives to live by the words “find joy,” and enthusiastically encourages everyone in her life to do the same.
Foreword Author
Girl Security’s mission is to empower girls and young women from underrepresented communities with the skills, experiences, networks, and support to pursue national security careers, which lead to job sustainability and greater societal impact.
Prior to founding Girl Security, Lauren Bean Buitta served as a management consultant, providing strategic and analytical support to clients on local policy issues, including exclusionary land use policies and racial segregation in Chicago for over a decade. From 2002–2007, Lauren served as a national security policy analyst with a Chicago-based think tank, where she specialized in national security law.
In 2022, Lauren was named “One of the Most Influential People in Security” by Security Magazine. She was named “One of 50 Women Making the World a Better Place” by Instyle Magazine in 2021 and awarded the 21st Century Leader Award by the National Committee on American Foreign Policy. Lauren is a former Fellow with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (2003), Truman National Security Project (2006), American Bar Association Standing Committee on Law and National Security (2012) and a former Emerging Leader with Chicago Council on Global Affairs (2017).