Leadership Team
Our executive management team and senior supervisors are respected, expert security professionals. They have experience running event staff and security operations with respected clients and organizations of all types and sizes. With over 100 years of combined security experience, our leaders provide expertise in all areas of event operations, security planning, and security operations.
Focused, Elite Professionals
Our Team
Kevin Cheney
Kevin W. Cheney is a security and crowd management expert with 35 years of experience, including the last 30 years as President/CEO of Green Mtn. Concert Services, Inc. (GMCS). He is a specialist in crowd management, risk assessment, and safety procedure design and execution. He is a leader in the industry and his expertise and consultation is sought after by other leading industry professionals.
Mr. Cheney became the Security Director for Phish’s Lemonwheel in 1998 and since has been Security Director or Security Consultant for large-scale events such as, but not limited to: Phish’s multi-day festivals, Gathering of the Vibes, Bonnaroo, ESPN Great Outdoor Games 2000-2002, ESPN Winter X Games 2000-2001, 2007 Fed Cup, Garden of Eden Festival, Lake Champlain Maritime Festival, and many more. Few other security professionals have as much experience and knowledge as Mr. Cheney in providing security to large-scale, multi-day festival-style special events. He is at the top of the profession in this area and has an impeccable reputation. This specialized experience provides him with exceptional insight and expert knowledge, making him an authority in crowd management, risk assessment, and security planning. Whether Mr. Cheney is protecting dignitaries such as President Clinton, Supreme Court Justice John Roberts, and Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, creating a security plan for special events, or running the Red Light Management compound at Bonnaroo, he uses his advanced training, knowledge, and experience to provide added value to his clients. His charisma is infectious and inspires a productive environment. He understands events from many perspectives and is a dynamic asset on any event team.
Prior to a career as a safety professional, Mr. Cheney spent six years in the Vermont Army National Guard as a Combat Medic / Medical specialist in the 3rd Battalion 172nd Infantry Regiment (Mountain Battalion) and completed the Mountain Warfare School summer phase. He uses the discipline and attention to detail he learned from his military training as a guide to each security job – careful planning, precise execution, and thorough “post-op” analysis and reporting.
Mr. Cheney is a dedicated community leader. He serves on the Board of Directors for First Night Burlington, the Hinesburg Recreation Commission, and the Hinesburg Development Review Board, and is a founding member on the Advisory Board of the White Ribbon Campaign of Vermont. He helped establish the Lake Champlain Maritime Festival to celebrate Lake Champlain and the Burlington Waterfront. As a local business owner, he believes in supporting area businesses and uses, almost exclusively, Vermont companies when needing to outsource a project. In addition, he and his wife founded the Green Mountain Autism Foundation to provide support to Vermont families with children on the spectrum.
Other accolades and achievements of Cheney’s include receiving a national certification from the IAVM’s Academy for Venue Safety & Security (years 1 and 2); attending the IAVM’s International Crowd Management Conference (2002 – present); acting as a Vermont State certified trainer in security and Vermont State certified trainer in temporary traffic control. He has also completed an Executive Protection course offered by R.L. Oatman & Associates in 2002 in Towson, Maryland. He has completed certifications in the Sport Event Risk Management Workshop by the Department of Homeland Security and a training course in Hospitality Operations Security Techniques (HOST™) by San Diego Police Department Veteran, Robert Smith. He was also awarded the Certificate of Recognition and Appreciation in 2007 from the University of Vermont Department of Police Services.
Robert Sinkewicz
Robert W. Sinkewicz, CPA, CGMA joined GMCS in October 2008. He is a Certified Public Accountant and Chartered Global Management Accountant with 25 years of executive financial management experience across many different industries. Prior to joining GMCS he worked in the aerospace manufacturing sector as a Controller for the Goodrich Corporation. He has also spent time as a financial leader in the healthcare industry with Fletcher Allen Health Care, the State of Vermont – Agency of Health and Human Services, and in the public accounting industry with KPMG and Gallagher Flynn
Christina Lord
Christina Lord is a Human Resources and Project Management Professional with over 20 years of experience in full life cycle recruitment, training, and professional management. Ms. Lord joined GMCS in 2014 and has had a significant impact on employee recruitment and retention, office communication, employee life cycle procedures, and ensuring the company’s compliance with current state and federal laws. She’s made improvements and clarifications to company policies and procedures and helped leverage new sourcing technologies and social media trends to help GMCS meet corporate recruiting and hiring goals.
She is an active member of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) national group and serves as the president of the Vermont Chapter of SHRM. Ms. Lord serves on the board of directors for the Lake Champlain Community Sailing Center and her tenacity and charisma has had positive influence on company culture, both in the office and in the field.
Kenneth Schneider
Kenneth A. Schneider is a security expert with over 40 years of experience in crowd management and concert event security. Mr. Schneider is the Senior Vice President of Security Operations for GMCS, responsible for overseeing the company’s global security operations. During his distinguished career he has run security at venues such as, but not limited to: Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC), PNC Bank Arts Center, Montage Mountain, AC Casino’s (Trump, Borgata, Showboat), Boardwalk Hall AC Convention Center, Madison Square Garden (MSG), Wells Fargo Arena, Spectrum, Giant Stadium, Veterans Stadium, Hard Rock Café NYC, House of Blues NJ. In addition he has been the security director at The Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, NY, Darling’s Waterfront Concert Pavilion, Bangor, ME, , Rock The River Festival, MT, Country On The River, WI, Midland Country Festival, TX, and for the Mtn. Jam Festival and Taste of Country Festival. Mr Schneider has also toured as the security director on a number of national tours for multiple top billing acts.
Mr. Schneider’s accolades and credentials include: Certified in Homeland Security – Level III (Security, Emergency Management/Preparedness & First Responders): ACFE; Certified Instructor: State of New Jersey Department of Law & Public Safety Division of the State Police – S.O.R.A.; NRA Firearms Instructor, Certified Instructor: State of Florida, Vermont, New York, Connecticut; Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services – Security Officer Training; Certified in Handcuff, Aerosol Pepper, MEB: Sepulveda, Inc.; Certificate of Completion Awarded: Training Crowd Managers: IAVM 3/01; Certificate of Completion Awarded: Crowd Management Training: IVAM; Certified in CDT Non-Deadly Force Techniques: Compliance and Escorts; Certificate of Completion Awarded: International Crowd Management Conference: IAVM 10/07; Certificate of Completion Awarded: Community Emergency Response Team Train-The-Trainer Course (G317) NJ State Police; Certificate of Attendance Awarded: Terrorism Abroad/ Terrorism at Home/ Understanding the Linkages: U.S. Attorney’s Office; Certificate of Attendance Awarded: Proactive Approaches to Global Terror: U.S. Attorney’s Office & DHS; Advanced Analytic Techniques Workshop DHS/FEMA; MGT-335 Rural Domestic Partnership/DHS : Event Security for Public Safety Professionals; Public & Private Partnerships in Public Safety; New Jersey Regional Intelligence Academy NSJP/OSHP; RIA Analyst Leadership Course; New Jersey Regional Intelligence Academy NJSP/OSHP; Memberships: IAVM; ASIS; ACFE; US Navy League (Life Member).
KJ Magaziner
KJ Magaziner joined the GMCS team in 2012. A Nationally Certified School Psychologist and Diplomate of Clinical Forensic Counseling she is NJ-SORA, NYS, and CT certified in security. Her formal education and experience in the areas of crowd assessment, crisis intervention, de-escalation, plain clothes/UC operations, and staff development training/quality control in the public/private sectors for the past three decades makes her one of the companies “go-to” experts. She is a valuable leader who ensures quality from each employee and brings out the best in each of her subordinates. Ms. Magaziner can manage staff services for 80,000 capacity venues and has been instrumental in promoting the GMCS mission.
Prior to employment with GMCS she consulted with local, city, state, and federal law enforcement agencies on multiple situations/events. This expertise has been sought after especially post-9/11, when she was trained as a provider in CISM (Critical Incident Stress Management) for victims and first responders through UMBC. She has worked for major event security companies throughout her career and it was her background, coupled with her unique experience/qualifications, which lead to her role as Director of Training/Quality Control for Strike Force Protective Services, Inc. A contributor to Security Management (a publication of ASIS), KJ has worked in a variety of diverse venues (including, but far from limited to: Atlantic City, NJ-Boardwalk Hall, AC Convention Center, Borgata, Taj Mahal, Trump Marina, etc.; The Meadowlands-East Rutherford, NJ; SPAC-Saratoga Performing Arts Center in NYS; Montage Mountain-Scranton, PA; PNC Bank Arts Center- Holmdel, NJ; State Theatre of New Jersey; Theater of Living Arts-Philadelphia, PA; John Harms Theatre, Englewood, NJ, Mountain Jam & Taste of Country-Hunter Mountain, NY; numerous colleges; etc.) in multiple roles (as Event Manager, Operations Manager, Area Manager, Senior Supervisor, Supervisor, Team Leader, Staff), and at an array of events (from Miss America to Ozzfest). She has both the technical classroom knowledge, as well as the boots on the ground experience. Over the years, KJ has worked in most every position that any staffer would ever be assigned and in extreme conditions (weather; length of hours). In addition to working in venues, she has also worked band side for Matchbox Twenty, Rob Thomas, and a number of others.
Jamie Dautrich
Jamie Dautrich brings over 12 years of dedicated experience in event security and crowd management to our team at GMCS. Throughout his various interactions with not only the public but clients, he has developed a comprehensive skill set in various aspects of event security, including crowd management, risk assessment, emergency response, and security planning. His passion is to ensure the safety and well-being of all event attendees.
Prior to joining GMCS, Jamie Dautrich successfully managed security operations for a diverse range of events, from large-scale festivals and concerts to corporate gatherings and community functions. He is currently licensed in NY and NJ.
Marie McCourt
Marie McCourt is the Regional Manager for the GMCS Eastern and Western combined region covering Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. Joining the GMCS team in 2017, Ms. McCourt’s leadership and management skills lead her to quickly advance from a field manager role to the regional administrative position.
She holds active security licenses in New Hampshire, New Jersey and Connecticut and a Crowd Manager certification in Massachusetts . Marie carries multiple degrees which include a BSBA in Business Administration and Human Resources Management, a master’s degree in Education Management and is awaiting her doctoral degree in Management and Leadership to be conferred. She has been teaching and training adults for over 20 years in various fields such as IT, communications, team leadership, and First Aid/CPR.
Before coming to GMCS Ms. McCourt worked in industries including IT & cybersecurity, hospitality, engineering recruiting, education, and non-profit management. She has also been an advocate and community leader for over 25 years, volunteering with her local food pantry and Councils on Aging, being an elected official, and is currently a Commissioner on The Commission on the Status of Women and Girls, in the State of MA.
Jeff Schipper
Jeff Schipper serves as the Regional Manager for GMCS Upstate New York operations. Mr. Schipper joined GMCS in 2022 bringing with him a wealth of experience and expertise from a career in public safety. Mr. Schipper has enjoyed a 21 year career as a New York State Trooper along with serving as a Public Safety dispatcher, and a town police officer in Maybrook, NY. His wealth of public safety knowledge is invaluable to GMCS operations company wide and he is a strong team leader in the field.
[Staff Name] brings over [X years/months] of dedicated experience in event security and crowd management to our team at [Company/Organization]. Throughout their career, [Staff Name] has developed a comprehensive skill set in various aspects of event security, including crowd control, risk assessment, emergency response, and security planning. Their passion for ensuring the safety and well-being of event attendees drives their commitment to excellence in every project.
Prior to joining [Company/Organization], [Staff Name] successfully managed security operations for a diverse range of events, from large-scale festivals and concerts to corporate gatherings and community functions. They excel in assessing potential security risks, implementing effective crowd management strategies, and coordinating seamless security operations. [Staff Name]’s hands-on experience and strategic approach make them a valuable asset in maintaining a secure environment for events of all sizes.
Paul Young
Paul Young brings over 8 years of dedicated experience in event security and crowd management to our team. Throughout his career, Mr. Young has developed a comprehensive skill set in various aspects of event security, including crowd management, risk assessment, emergency response, and security planning. He has fostered excellent relationships with front line staff and his clients who call on him for his expertise.
James Baker
James Baker serves as GMCS Lead Trainer, managing the internal training department to ensure all GMCS staff have the highest level of licensing, training, and professional development in the industry. Mr. Baker has been with GMCS since 2014, working his way up from security guard to event manager and lead trainer. James’s experience in education and training is invaluable to GMCS, providing staff with the knowledge and skills required to successfully service our clients and the general public.