Female Leadership in Critical Infrastructure Protection
This dynamic panel of female leaders at the forefront of critical infrastructure protection in downtown Detroit, Michigan, will provide an inside look at the essential role of teamwork and collaboration in safeguarding the city’s key assets. From transportation hubs and public spaces to major entertainment venues and essential utilities, this session will explore the city’s complex security challenges while addressing women under representation in the security industry.
Panelists will share their experiences navigating the evolving threat landscape, leveraging cutting-edge technologies and fostering collaboration between public and private sectors. At the same time, speakers will highlight the importance of including female perspectives among leadership teams and breaking down the barriers that may impede them from sharing valuable expertise. Gain actionable insights into leadership in security, resilience planning and emergency response – while celebrating the vital role women play in shaping the future of critical infrastructure protection.
Speakers
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Melissa LesperanceDirector of the District Command Center, Ilitch Holdings/Olympia EntertainmentMelissa Lesperance is the director of the District Command Center security operations at Ilitch Holdings, Inc./Olympia Development of Michigan. She has held this position since May 2017. Lesperance began her career in law enforcement in 1996 at the Wayne State University Police Department, where she served as a student assistant cadet and was hired full time as a public safety dispatcher upon graduating from Wayne State in 1999. Lesperance has extensive experience in corporate security technology and operations. In 2014, she accepted the position of director of security systems at the University of Chicago’s Department of Safety and Security, where she was responsible for implementing security technology and ensuring the safety of students, staff and faculty at the main campus and eight extension campuses across the world. In her current role, Lesperance is responsible for and oversees all District Command Center Operations and supervises operations at partner Ilitch Company command centers as well. She oversees the security portion of fire life safety for all Ilitch owned venues, all security-related executive communications, criminal investigations, alarm monitoring for all venues and response for all equipped Little Caesars stores and Blue Line Distribution centers in the continental United States. Lesperance also works in partnership with local law enforcement on criminal investigations, intelligence gathering and dissemination and other professional sports league requirements. Lesperance graduated from Wayne State University with a Bachelor of Science in criminal justice and a two-year post-bachelor’s certificate in forensic investigation. She also obtained a project management certificate from the University of Chicago and a master’s degree in leadership development from St. Mary of the Woods. Lesperance is currently pursuing a global studies program in international security at Harvard University.
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Lori DillonDirector of Security, Detroit TigersLori Dillon was born and raised in the city of Detroit, Michigan, where she has worked her entire life in some form or fashion. She grew up going to work any chance she could with her father, who retired from the Detroit Police Department with 37 years of service.
From a young age, Dillon became passionate about protecting others. At the age of 18, she had her first security job at a local hospital until the age of 19, when she received a call from the Detroit Police Department informing her that even though they typically do not hire under the age of 21, she was accepted. Dillon started in 1996 and worked for just over 20 years, with assignments including patrol officer, Special Operations Unit, Morality Unit, Narcotics Unit and the Intelligence Section. She also worked as a Federal Task Force agent under the Federal Bureau of Investigations in the Violent Crime Task Force and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and possessed a Top-Security security clearance.
After retirement, Dillon was deputized and worked as a special agent for the State of Michigan Attorney General’s Office on the Flint water crisis for two and a half years. She also worked security at a local high school and as a part-time private investigator.
Dillon was hired by Ilitch Sports and Entertainment in September 2021 as a security event coordinator, was promoted shortly after to a manager and now holds the title (along with very few other women in Major League Baseball) as director of security for the Detroit Tigers.
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Afia PhillipsChief Information Security Officer, Little Caesars Pizza -
Kirstin MooneySecurity Control Center Supervisor, Corporate Security, DTE EnergyKirstin Mooney serves as the Security Control Center supervisor within DTE Energy’s corporate security and has been with DTE since 2015. Her role includes day-to-day oversight of Security Control Center operations, as well as risk mitigation though several activities, including conducting security risk assessments at DTE facilities, coordinating programs including workplace violence and insider risk, and overseeing security compliance related to the Transportation Security Administration and the Maritime Transportation Security Act.
Mooney has a Master of Science in intelligence analysis, a Master of Science in security administration and a Bachelor of Arts in criminal justice, all from the University of Detroit Mercy. She is also certified as a Physical Security Professional (PSP) by ASIS International.