2023 ACCSSO Conference
This year’s conference was held at Cape Fear Community College: Union Station in Wilmington, NC on April 25-27. 2023 showed us the bright future of ACCSSO at this year’s conference as lots of interaction and support could be seen throughout. Last year’s attendees were pleased to see that ACCSSO quickly outgrew last year’s venue and looked forward to seeing what the future holds.
Day one started off with the annual ACCSSO business meeting at the Union Station Conference Center. Chris Schott presented on the Readiness Assessment Report about the visit that key staff of ACCSSO made at Wilson Community College to assess the safety and security of Wilson Community College on September 13, 2022.
ACCSSO President Zac Schnell (Pamlico CC) introduced the vote for a new Treasurer, as Chris Schott (Wayne CC) will be stepping down. Chris gave an overview of the position and its responsibilities and standing. Chris nominated Melissa Wilson (Central Piedmont CC) for Treasurer. Melissa accepted the nomination and the motion was passed unanimously. More nominations were also made including:
New Executive Board Members:
New Vice Treasurer: Damita Reed (Fayetteville Technical CC)
New District II Representative: Wyatt Cumbo (Wake Technical CC)
Day 1: Escape Room Team Building
ACCSSO and Vendors at the Green Light Escape Room in Downtown Wilmington
Day 2 began with interactions with our vendors followed by a series of informative presentations including:
Brooks Network Services (Gold Sponsors)
Verkada Security Systems (Platinum Sponsors)
Building a Campus Police Department: Chief Mike Penry
Large Campus Safety: Jeff Campbell (UNCW)
Storm Spotter: Victoria Oliva (NWS Wilmington)
Campus Security Q&A Session
Day 2: Bowling at Cardinal Lanes
Zac Schnell takes us behind the scenes of his family’s bowling alley.
Day 3 started with a Hazard Communication Management presentation by Ted Hendrix. (NC OSHA). After the presentation, an NC OSH Q&A session where everyone had the opportunity to ask OSHA compliance questions to Ted Hendrix and Jill Warren from NC DOL. After the Q&A session, Salient Systems presented an informative presentation on what they provide and how they can contribute to the security of college campuses. Lockdown International presented its ABC’s Active Threat Response Plan training with an impactful speech giving us insight into the importance of preventing school shootings. The day ended with closing remarks by our President, Zac Schnell, and a drawing for a variety of prizes provided by our generous vendors.
We sincerely appreciate the hard work and support of everyone involved. We hope everyone enjoyed themselves at this year’s conference and appreciate everyone’s support. We hope to see everyone again next year. Check-in with our Calendar page to keep track of the dates and activities that are being planned for the next conference in Asheville, NC as we get closer to April.
A big thank you to our vendors for their generosity and support. Your contributions are vital to continue our important work. The growth of ACCSSO would not be possible without the generosity of supporters like you.
