Mark Camillo to be Presented with NCS4 Lifetime Achievement Award
Wed, 06/25/2025 - 11:06am | By: NCS4 Staff
Mark Camillo will be recognized with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2025 National Sports Safety and Security Conference and Exhibition on June 30-July 2 in San Antonio, TX. The event is presented annually by the National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security (NCS4) at The University of Southern Mississippi.
The Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes the long-term accomplishments and contributions of an individual who has earned the respect and admiration of professional colleagues in the sports safety and security community. The award was developed to commemorate exemplary talents and contributions as demonstrated by the nominee’s dedication, loyalty, ability and integrity. The award is sponsored by Meridian Rapid Defense Group, which provides SAFETY Act Certified barriers for major sporting events across the U.S.
“It is a true honor to be selected as the recipient of this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award,” said Camillo. “I find this prestigious award particularly gratifying, being bestowed by NCS4, a nationally recognized thought leader in advancing efforts to maintain safe and secure environments at sporting events.”
Camillo is a well-known and respected subject matter expert in critical infrastructure protection and emergency preparedness, with several consulting clients in the commercial facilities sector associated with sporting events, public venues, and outdoor entertainment events. He leverages his unique blend of government, academia, and industry experience when speaking on topics related to protecting patrons and spectators.
He began his career in law enforcement as a special agent in the U.S. Secret Service, where he completed a distinguished 21-year career that included three separate assignments at the White House. Specialized assignments at the White House required protecting four U.S. presidents and family members in various capacities and ultimately being head of the White House Security Branch, which encompassed the supervision of daily security, emergency preparedness and all-hazards operations at the White House Complex.
Camillo held several key positions during his career in major event planning, but the most notable was being appointed the Olympic coordinator for the 2002 Salt Lake Winter Olympics. Under his direction, the Secret Service executed its mission through a Presidential Executive Order to design, plan and implement the federal operational security plan for the games.
After entering the private sector, he initially worked in the technology space with Lockheed Martin Corporation, followed by an executive position with Contemporary Services Corporation, a crowd management provider. He chaired the Public Assembly Facilities Subsector Council from 2013 to 2017, part of the Commercial Facilities Sector, established by the U.S. Government in 2003. From 2015 to 2017, Camillo served in an appointed position of distinguished lecturer at the CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice, New York City, serving as a professor and mentor within the department of security, fire and emergency management.
Camillo is a frequent guest presenter at major league sporting organization security seminars, with past presentations on topics including inner-perimeter security, the insider threat, drone countermeasures, and red team assessments. Other specialty public speaking topics include protecting large-scale events, public venue threat assessment briefings, and conducting emergency response exercises. Camillo has been a past contributor to collegiate-related conferences, trade publications and interviews with major media outlets.
He is a lifetime member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police. He has served as the chair of the DHS-sanctioned Commercial Facilities Sector Coordinating Council (2018-2022), co-chair of the DHS-sanctioned Vehicle Ramming Prevention & Mitigation Working Group (2018-2023), and as an appointed member of the American Society of Industrial Security (ASIS) Global Terrorism, International Crime & Political Instability Council (2002-2020). Camillo serves as a faculty member at the Academy for Venue Safety & Security, hosted by the International Association of Venue Managers.
“The NCS4 team is pleased to recognize Mark for his contributions to the field. He is a highly respected figure within our industry, with an abundance of experience and expertise,” said Dr. Stacey Hall, NCS4 executive director and professor of sport management. “He also kindly shares his time and wisdom with emerging leaders in the industry. He continues to serve the industry through working groups, task forces, and publishing in security outlets, ensuring lessons are learned and increasing awareness of the evolving threat landscape in sports. Mark has been a supporter of NCS4 since its inception, and we thank him for his service.”
Camillo will be recognized at the awards luncheon during the conference. The luncheon is sponsored by Evolv Technology, which provides weapons detection systems for security screening.
Click here for more information about the conference and to register. Click here for more information about the awards.
About the 16th Annual Conference
The National Sports Safety and Security Conference and Exhibition, sponsored by CSA360
Software, will take place June 30-July 2, 2025, at the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill
Country Resort in San Antonio, Texas. The conference will attract more than 500 attendees
and 70 exhibitors representing professional sports, intercollegiate athletics, interscholastic
athletics, marathon and endurance events, sports and entertainment facilities, and
those who provide safety and security products and services to the industry. Visit
the conference website for more information.
About NCS4
Established in 2006, the NCS4 is the nation’s only academic center devoted to the study and practice of sports
safety and security. The NCS4 is partially underwritten by grants from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The NCS4 mission focuses on three key pillars – Training and Education, Research, and Outreach.
Click here for more information about NCS4, call 601.266.6183.