Senior Advisor, Global Security and Protective Services, Center for Personal Protection and Safety

Dave Benson is an accomplished security professional with over 30 years of Public and Private Sector expertise in the areas of Security Management, Protective Operations, Contingency Planning and Vulnerability/Risk Assessment & Mitigation.

As a Global Security Consultant, Dave specializes in partnering with clients to develop Strategic Solutions to support individual, group or organizational goals.

Dave founded D J Benson and Associates after an acclaimed career with the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Diplomatic Security (DS) as a Senior Special Agent.  Prior to his government service, Dave served in various management positions for Walt Disney World Security, in Orlando Florida.

In his last position with the Department of State, Dave served as the Director of the Diplomatic Security Training Center in Washington DC where he was responsible for the All Security, Engineering, and Law Enforcement training within the Bureau.

Dave’s other career highlights include:  Protective Security for numerous Secretaries of State & Foreign Dignitaries; overseas assignments in Egypt, Sri Lanka, Finland, and Bangladesh; and oversight of the DS planning and coordination for the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.

An accomplished martial artist, Dave hold’s Black Belt certifications in Tae Kwon Do and Choi Kwang Do International—as a Chief Instructor—and is a certified firearms instructor.

Dave is also the co-founder of  “Securing Souls Safety and Security Ministries”—which provides safety and security consulting and training to churches and other faith based organizations—and the Director of Safety and Security for Celebrate Church in Celebration Florida.