Board of Advisors

Rich Davis is a seasoned security executive with over four decades of leadership in aviation security, risk management, security operations and business continuity. He worked for United Airlines for forty years, thirty of those years in the security department and the last twenty-two of those years as the Chief Security Officer (CSO). As civil aviation has been a primary target of terrorists, Mr. Davis had to work very closely with multiple government entities including the FBI, U.S. State Department, DHS, TSA, U.S. Customs and the Intelligence Community.

As the former Chief Security Officer (CSO) of United Airlines, he was responsible for overseeing all aspects of the airline’s global security strategy, including physical security, crisis management, regulatory compliance, investigations, and insider threat program. His leadership played a critical role in safeguarding United’s passengers, employees, corporate assets, and operations across more than 350 destinations worldwide. In 2015, Security Magazine named Rich Davis as ‘One of the most influential people in security’.

His leadership extended to national security councils and industry associations. He served on the U.S. State Department’s Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC) from 2007-2018, the FBI’s Domestic Security Alliance Council (DSAC) from 2007-2018, and was on DSAC’s Executive Committee from 2010-2018. He was also a long-time member and board director of the International Security Management Association (ISMA). In 2023, he was presented with the prestigious George P. Schultz Award for Excellence to OSAC for leadership and outstanding contributions to protecting our country.

Mr. Davis served as President and Board Member of the International Security Foundation (ISF) and sat on the Boards of the Domestic Security Partnership (DSP) and The Security Foundation—nonprofits supporting OSAC and DSAC.

In the aviation sector, he chaired Airlines for America (A4A) six times and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) two times. He was also vice chair of both organizations multiple times. In 2018, he joined the Blue Ribbon Task Force on Unmanned Aerial Systems to address drone-related airport risks.

Mr. Davis is a frequent public speaker on topics such as organizational resilience, threat mitigation, and leadership under pressure. He has advised boards including International SOS, ACTS Aviation Security, and Ontic, and remains active as a mentor to emerging security professionals.

Mr. Davis is a graduate of DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in History.