The National Retail Federation will honor two veteran loss prevention professionals for their outstanding contributions to combat retail crime on June 23 during the annual NRF PROTECT Conference in Cleveland.
“Loss prevention professionals embody the courage and character necessary to protect retail company assets, employees and customers from evolving threats,” NRF Chief Marketing Officer and Executive Vice President of Content and Membership Martine Reardon said. “We are proud to honor and celebrate this year’s Ring of Excellence honorees for their significant and lasting impact on loss prevention and the retail industry.”
The Ring of Excellence Award is reserved for distinguished professionals who have shaped the loss prevention industry through their leadership and innovations. This year’s recipients are Van Carney, senior security and loss prevention consultant for Keiser Communications and Security LLC, and Alisa Dart, group vice president for asset protection for Albertsons Companies.
Carney spent nearly three decades leading loss prevention, safety and security for Domino’s corporate headquarters as well as its largest franchise, MSK Management. He is now employed at Keiser, where he developed the company’s physical security requirements and executive protection program. He recently uncovered a major embezzlement scheme, recovering a substantial portion of the $117,000 loss.
Carney is member of the NRF Loss Prevention Advisory Board and a former member of the board’s Legislative Committee. He is also a former vice president and board member at the Restaurant Loss Prevention & Security Association. He is a graduate of the FBI’s Domestic Security Alliance Council executive training program and has held the designations of Certified Protection Professional and Certified Fraud Examiner.
Dart has been in the asset protection field for more than 25 years. She oversees asset protection functions for more than 2,200 Albertsons Companies stores across 34 states, and is a leader in defining standards and analytic functions to identify and reduce shrink. She has also held the positions of director of store loss at Nordstrom and national vice president of operations and asset protection at Macy’s Inc.
Dart highly values diversity and inclusion and has leveraged that sense of purpose to attract new talent to the industry. She has been credited with paving the way for other female leaders in the field and has mentored hundreds of asset protection professionals, many of whom now serve in executive positions.
Retail security executives from across the country are expected to attend NRF PROTECT at Cleveland’s Huntington Convention Center June 21-23 for three days of content with 29 sessions, more than 100 speakers and 200 exhibitors. Topics will cover the most important aspects of retail security, including workplace violence, cybersecurity, organized retail crime, return fraud, and more.