Don W. Walker

It is with profound sadness that we announce the sudden passing of Don W. Walker, 80, at his home in Naples, Florida, on October 13, 2022. Don—or Donnie as he was known then—was born in Louisville on the day the U.S. entered World War II, but moved to Bowling Green, Kentucky in 1955, after the passing of his father when Don was just twelve years old. Southern Kentucky held a special place in Don’s heart because despite a difficult transition due to a bout of rheumatic fever that left him home bound for most of his 8th grade year, it was there that, in his words, he learned “the basic values and lessons of life that guided me throughout my career.” Donnie attended Bowling Green High (Class of 1959 and 2000 Hall of Honor Inductee) where he played on the football team and was an Eagle Scout, before going on to the University of Louisville where in 1965 he earned a Bachelor of Science in Commerce.

While in college, Don worked night shifts as a clerk for the FBI in their Louisville office, his performance there earning him an invitation to Quantico after graduation where he became a Special Agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Upon completion of his training, Don was excited to receive his first assignment, listening intently as his friends’ names were read aloud alongside exciting destinations like Miami or Washington, DC. Much to Don’s dismay, his first assignment was Buffalo, New York, something he would later recount as the best thing that ever happened to him because it was there that he met the love of his life, Mary Caputo.

After nine years with the Bureau offices in Louisville, Buffalo, Milwaukee, and Portland, Don took a position at First Trust & Deposit in Syracuse, NY, where he rose to Assistant Vice President and Corporate Security Director. After that, the young family of three moved to Cleveland, Ohio, where Don worked as the Manager of Corporate Security, Safety and Personnel Services at Addressograph Multigraph and two more daughters and a ball-playing poodle joined the household.

In 1976, the family moved to Nashville, Tennessee, where Don worked at Genesco, joining the company as their Corporate Security Director and later as Assistant General Counsel upon earning his law degree in 1982, graduating with Honors after attending classes at night while also working a full-time job that required extensive travel.

Don founded Business Risks International in 1985, quickly developing it into a global consulting and investigations business. With over 400 employees operating in 9 countries, BRI was well recognized around the world as one of the highest quality, results-oriented consulting firms in the security industry. In 1991, BRI was acquired by Pinkerton’s, Inc. and Don was appointed Executive Vice President of the Americas. Don and Mary moved to Los Angeles a few years later and in 1999 Don was named President of Pinkerton. Shortly thereafter, Pinkerton’s was acquired by Securitas AB, prompting a move to Chicago as Don was named President and Chairman, a position he held until his retirement in 2017.

Security was an industry Don loved because of the people who worked in it, something he demonstrated time and time again via his involvement and continued commitments to its various organizations. Don joined the American Society for Industrial Security (ASIS) in 1968, working tirelessly on various committees before joining their Board of Directors and, in 1978, becoming their youngest International President at only 36, a title he holds to this day. He continued to be heavily involved with ASIS over the span of his career, co-founding the ASIS Standards & Guidelines Commission as well as the ASIS/CSO International Roundtable. His contributions to the organization were so significant, and his reputation and integrity so well-known, that in 2012, ASIS established the “Don Walker Award for Enterprise Security Executive Leadership.” True to form, Don fought the idea of an award in his name, but his colleagues persisted and, according to remarks by recent recipients, it is one of the most treasured awards in the industry.

Don was also a member of ISMA, NASCO, The Society of International Business Fellows, Leadership Nashville, and the Nashville Chamber of Commerce. He served on the Board of the International Association of Credit Card Investigators and Nashville Crime Stoppers as well as the Nashville Chapter of the American Cancer Society and was a member of the original Bank Administration Institute Security Committee.

In 2004, Don testified in front of Congress to improve and advance efforts to screen security officers and was instrumental in the passing of the Private Security Officer Employment Authorization Act of 2007, establishing a national criminal history background check system and criminal history review program for private security officers.

But Don was so much more than his impressive resume, something that has been evident from the cards and emails that have been flooding our mailboxes and inboxes over the last two months. While the words “icon” and “legend” were mentioned over and over, they were always paired with more personal sentiments. Many have referred to Don as their mentor, guidepost, or teacher, calling him a gentleman or a fine man. In these letters, the phrase “a truer friend there never was” appeared again and again with one person stating Don was “someone who believed in you when you didn’t believe in yourself” and another, perhaps most profoundly, stating that he was “an individual who embodied all of the life values to which one aspires.” Professional accolades and awards were well-deserved, but these are the words that would have meant the most to Don.

In a speech he wrote in 2000, Don said, “I firmly believe that when people are properly trained, encouraged to have a positive attitude, and given the opportunity to succeed, along with the freedom to make a mistake, amazing things can happen.” This ethos was what guided Don not only in his professional life, but his personal life as well. Whether you called him Donnie, The Chief, Mr. Chairman, Mr. Security, Dad, Bobo/Grandpa or simply Don, to know him was to know you were not only loved, but that someone had your back. Always. His death has left a gaping hole in many hearts, but none more so than his beloved Mary. As we try to move forward, we can take solace in something Don said after the death of his mother in 2001. “All we can do is try to love each other the best we can.”

Don is survived and missed greatly by Mary, his wife of 55 years, and their 3 daughters, Ann Marie Walker, Donna Walker Olson, and Kathryn Walker Griswold (Joel) as well as 11 grandchildren: Jack, Kiley, Maggie, and Ryan Roache along with their father John; Ben, Grace, Max, and Sam Olson along with their father Mike; and Winston, Noah, and Ace Griswold; and, of course, his beloved goldendoodle, Wilson.