vaughn baker

PRESIDENT

Vaughn Baker is president of Strategos International, a Kansas City, Mo.,-based firm that provides security training, consulting and executive protection services.

Baker has 20 years of experience in law enforcement including patrol, investigation, SWAT and special operations. He has trained thousands of school, health care, government, law enforcement and military personnel in security practices. Baker has also developed specialized intruder response curriculum for schools and churches, including some of the nation’s leading training on behavior pattern recognition. He is the author of The Church Security Handbook and, with Mark Warren, Active Threat.

In addition, he served as deputy director of training and as an instructor for the Surefire Institute, a California-based tactical lighting manufacturer and tactical training company.

He is also the director of security for a church of more than 7,500 in the Kansas City area, a position he has held for more than a decade.

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MARK WARREN

EXECUTIVE Vice President AND DIRECTOR OF TRAINING

Mark Warren is a former law enforcement officer in multiple jurisdictions including the Blue Springs, Mo., Police Department, where he finished his career with the rank of sergeant. He also served as an undercover officer for the Jackson County Drug Task Force. Before joining civilian law enforcement, he served in the  U.S. Army as a military police officer. He has trained thousands of students through Strategos, the Surefire Institute and the Western Missouri Public Safety Institute.

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REV. BARRY YOUNG

VICE PRESIDENT, OPERATIONS

Barry Young has dedicated his life to helping churches improve security. He has been the director of security at two churches in the Kansas City area and is a chaplain for the Independence, Mo., Police Department. He’s also a black belt in Sho-Lum-Tae Karate. Barry’s goal is for every church in the United States to have a comprehensive security plan and team that goes from the parking lot to the pulpit.

With a background in military and civil special operations, Beveridge is an internationally known trainer, speaker, professional security consultant and a licensed master peace officer in Texas. He is an expert in security management, crime, loss prevention, investigations, and crisis response. 

Beveridge has managed security projects, both national and international, for businesses that top the Fortune 500 list. He specializes in prediction, recognition, and evaluation of crime risk. 

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Todd Burke has served for 35 years as a police officer, firefighter and paramedic in both career and volunteer capacities. In those professions, he worked as a line officer, supervisor and chief officer. He holds a wide variety of certifications and instructor credentials and is a Certified Police Specialist and Generalist Instructor with the Missouri Department of Public Safety. Todd is also a published author and has been the director of The Tactical EMS School since 1993. He has provided expert witness testimony in high-profile felony and capital crime prosecutions. Todd has led the firearms and tactical-medical divisions for Strategos International since 2004.

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NICK SPENCER

LEAD INSTRUCTOR

Nick Spencer is a lead instructor and project manager for Strategos International. Nick began his career with the U.S. Army, where he served as a team leader for a tactical PSYOP team. During his 8-year enlistment, Nick obtained the rank of E6, Staff Sargent. He served in peacekeeping operations in Bosnia and spent 14 months in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

After his enlistment, Nick served the Blue Springs (Mo.) Police Department, where he spent seven years in patrol.  Nick was also a member of the department’s tactical team and was the training coordinator and a lead instructor.

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