Each month IFCPP chooses a member that exemplifies what being an outstanding cultural property security professional is all about. From these excellent candidates we will choose our annual IFCPP Security Professional of the Year Award recipient. 

Jeff Strong has been a Utah State Certified Police Officer since 1985. He initially served for 3.5 years with Sandy City Police Department in Salt Lake County, then accepted employment with Brigham Young University Police Department in Provo, Utah; December 1988. Jeff currently holds the rank of Sergeant in the Police Department with his primary assignment serving as the Directing Supervisor of Museum Security for The Museum of Art at BYU. He has a combined time of supervising divisions of security in Cultural Property Protection at the Museum and Harold B. Lee Library with their large Special Collections Department for 10 years.

While working for the University, Jeff completed a Bachelor of Science Degree in Marriage, Family and Human Development; and a Master Degree of Public Administration. Jeff has been a member of the International Foundation for Cultural Property Protection for four years and certified CIPM-I and II. Jeff served on the Advisory Board for the creation of the new CVRS (Certified Visitor Relations Specialist) Certification for the IFCPP. Jeff presented in 2016 at the National Conference on Cultural Property Protection of the Smithsonian on the concept of enhanced customer service brings about a higher level of security to an institution. Jeff has hired, helped train, and supervised over 350 part-time student security officers in 15 years of leadership in various Security Divisions on Campus. Jeff incorporated the training concept for Security to be the front line representation for the entities they protect on campus. The Museum of Art at BYU is favored and attended well within the community due in part to the level of customer service performed by the Security Staff.

Brigham Young University Police Department has certified Sergeants which supervise over all the satellite locations of campus which involve a Security Division. All the Security Officers of these Divisions are full time students attending the University. The Officers are trained in house at their specific assigned areas and complete a Security Academy created for all Divisions of campus. Jeff serves in the Police Department as an Emergency Vehicle Operations Instructor, Background Investigator, and as a State Certified Crisis Intervention Team Officer. He has been awarded various Leadership and Service Awards from Brigham Young University, The Museum of Art at BYU, the Harold B. Lee Library on campus, BYU Police Department, and the Mountainwest Campus Law Enforcement Association.

Jeff’s personal life is involved with what he and his wife Debbie feel is the most important in life. After having four children born to them; Jeff & Debbie have adopted fifteen additional children over the years. Jeff is sometimes asked if any of his children have special needs, and he replies “yes, all children have special needs”, and laughs. To note, of the fifteen adopted children; ten have specific disabilities of varying natures. Jeff & Debbie have felt inspired to bring these children together as family, and felt with each child the strong desire to care for them. Three of Jeff & Debbie’s special needs children have passed on. Three of the nineteen total children are married, and they have two grandchildren with one on the way. Currently ten children still live at home with Jeff & Debbie. Jeff enjoys the time with his family, sports (playing/watching when time permits), repairing many things and helping the daily operation of the house and family move forward.

The IFCPP conference team was very proud to award Jeff with an IFCPP Good Samaritan Scholarship to attend this year’s Hearst Castle conference for all that Jeff does to promote best practices in cultural property protection, and good will on campus, in the community, and at home.  We’re honored to work with Sergeant Strong, a true inspiration to us all!

Please join us in congratulating Corey Burrage on his recent promotion to Director of Operations in the Department of Protection Services at The Art Institute of Chicago.   Corey was with us at our 19^th Annual Conference at the Hearst Castle and Cambria Pine Lodge in October. 

AIC Vice President of Operations Russ Collett said “Corey is the ultimate ambassador to The Art Institute of Chicago, a valued asset to museum operations and a devoted colleague to everyone.  Corey’s bold and trusted leadership and collaborative, pragmatic approach to strategy, tactics, problem- solving and reducing complexity has helped the AIC continuously increase their security talent, program responsibilities and respect.  Corey’s partnership with DoPS Executive Director of Operations Lu Ventura is driving positive business transformation and furthering the AIC mission.” 

For the past 10 years, Corey successfully served as a DOPS Security Manager on both the day and midnight shifts.   His responsibilities included operations, oversight of gallery, event and escort security, and staffing, scheduling and training. 

Corey exemplifies excellence in leadership – he is genuine, humble and collaborative.  His professional approach has helped raise the performance of the AIC officers, supervisors and managers which in turn has elevated their customer service and security programs to new and improved levels.   The AIC was the TripAdvisor #1 Museum in 2014 and remains one of the “Top 25 Museums in the World.”

Corey studied business administration at North Park University in Chicago, obtained a Criminal Justice Diploma from Stratford Career Institute, and maintains an IFCPP Certified Institutional Protection Manager II Certification.