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Cybersecurity Expert Selected as President of Jewelers’ Security Alliance
Jennifer Mulvihill, the first woman to lead JSA in the organization’s 141-year history, takes over for the retiring John Kennedy.
Jennifer Mulvihill is the new president of the Jewelers’ Security Alliance.
New York—The board of the Jewelers’ Security Alliance announced Monday that it has chosen a new president following a comprehensive national search.
Jennifer Mulvihill has taken over for John Kennedy, who announced earlier this year that he would be retiring after more than three decades at the helm of JSA.
She is the first woman to head the organization in its 141-year history.
Like her predecessor, Mulvihill was born in the Bronx and attended both undergrad and law school in New York City. She graduated from Columbia University and the Cardozo School of Law.
In an interview with National Jeweler Monday, Mulvihill said in law school, she focused on intellectual property law.
Her graduation from Cardozo in 2000 coincided with the rapid rise of the internet, and she began to see that more of the trademark and copyright infringement cases she was working on were happening online, forming her introduction to the field that would become her specialty—cybercrime.
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Jennifer Mulvihill has taken over for John Kennedy, who announced earlier this year that he would be retiring after more than three decades at the helm of JSA.
She is the first woman to head the organization in its 141-year history.
Like her predecessor, Mulvihill was born in the Bronx and attended both undergrad and law school in New York City. She graduated from Columbia University and the Cardozo School of Law.
In an interview with National Jeweler Monday, Mulvihill said in law school, she focused on intellectual property law.
Her graduation from Cardozo in 2000 coincided with the rapid rise of the internet, and she began to see that more of the trademark and copyright infringement cases she was working on were happening online, forming her introduction to the field that would become her specialty—cybercrime.
Mulvihill’s experience includes five years as the complex director for Tech E&O (errors and omissions) at insurance company AIG and nearly five years as the senior director of cybersecurity at Kroll.
She also has written, lectured, and taught about cybersecurity, including at Columbia and Hunter College.
Mulvihill currently is pursuing a master of laws degree in cybersecurity and data privacy online at Albany Law School and started her own not-for-profit a little over 5 years ago, Women in Cyber Leadership Corp.
“The JSA board is unanimous and enthusiastic that Jennifer is the right person to lead JSA in this time of rapid change,” JSA Board Chair Alan Zimmer said in the release about her appointment.
“JSA has a remarkable crime team, and Jennifer has the talent and experience not only to help advance JSA’s traditional effectiveness, but also to lead the organization in new paths as the jewelry industry faces a threatening array of growing high-tech crime.”
The new JSA president’s first day was Monday. Kennedy will remain on through the end of the year to aid in the transition.
In addition, the JSA board announced that Scott Guginsky, who has been the organization’s vice president for 12 years, has been promoted to executive vice president.
Zimmer described Guginsky as an “irreplaceable” part of JSA and said his work has been central to the organization’s growth and success.
“I’m excited to see what we are going to do in the upcoming years because the crimes are becoming more complex,” Mulvihill said.
“There’s a crossover between physical crime and cybercrime. JSA is going to be there to support the law enforcement community and the jewelry industry.”
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