Mark Herrera

Director of Education and Life-Safety, International Association of Venue Managers

Mark Herrera is the director of education and life-safety for the International Association of Venue Managers (IAVM). As part of his duties, he teaches Situational Awareness-Mindset training, which includes how to mitigate risks and control extreme situations. In his role at IAVM, Herrera works in collaboration with the Department of Homeland Security to identify capability gaps across soft target community, counter threats to the pattern of life, research technology to mitigate risk, and provide information to protect our Public Facility Assemblies and all critical infrastructures.

Herrera is a seasoned law enforcement officer and trainer, having spent 20 years with the Hobbs, N.M., Police Department in numerous roles, including Supervisor of the Crime Prevention Division and Tactical Sergeant for a Special Operations Unit known as S.W.A.T. Upon retiring from the police department, he implemented security policies, procedures and training programs for the oil and gas industry. He later worked as an instructor for the Department Homeland Security, training 3,000 armed pilots to defend against acts of terrorism involving criminal violence or air piracy.