Teri SEAGO, ITG 3

Benefits of Training to a Higher Standard


How does one go from wanting to be Jacques Cousteau to being a highly respected protective services agent and security manager? To find out, ask Teri Seago, graduate of three International Training Group™ courses.

“I went to Nathan Hale High School in Seattle, Washington and that’s where I started being interested in Marine Biology,” Teri said recently. “I wanted to be Jacques Cousteau, but then found out I couldn’t be, because there already was a Jacques Cousteau.”

Adjusting slightly, Teri then went to the University of Washington, with a double major in Horticulture and Zoology, in hopes of one day working on the Cousteau scientific vessel, the Calypso. Although the Calypso did not turn out to be in the cards, Teri does say that college taught one lesson that has been vital to her in the security / protection industry. That lesson was “discovering that I could understand people better once I understood rats better.”

What derailed the path to Marine Biology glory? In August of 1991 Teri started training in the Martial Arts. She fell in love and that training has continued to this day. Teri currently holds an Eighth Degree Dan in Bujinkan, a combination of nine martial traditions from Japan’s Civil War Period.

Teri explains that, “It is a pre–sport Martial Art and includes, among other things, the traditional Ninjitsu skills emphasizing surveillance, surveillance detection, blending in with one’s surroundings, and keeping a low profile.” Teri believes that these are essential skills for a security professional operating in any protective services environment.

Although her work schedule makes it difficult, whenever she can Teri continues to train with the crème de la crème of Bujinkan instructors and, over the last couple of years, has added training in the Russian form of combat training known as Systema. What’s the best compliment Teri has gotten from one of these instructors? “You’re not so bad for a girl.” That’s right, if you had not guessed from the spelling of her name, Teri Seago is a female protective services agent and security manager at a truly high risk location here in the United States.

How did this happen? In Teri’s own words: “I found that I was, by nature, a ‘protector.’ After the horrific events of 9/11, I was compelled to reconsider my purpose in life. I then met Dave Johnson (now the President of ITG Consultants, Inc.) for the first time in June of 2002. When I found out that he was going to be in San Francisco presenting a training seminar called, ‘Introduction to Protective Services,’ something told me that I needed to be there. To my surprise, Dave took me seriously. Not only did I attend the training, but he also encouraged me to pursue a career in Executive Protection. As a female looking to enter into a male-dominated business, I was deeply honored that someone of his professional standing took such an interest.”

Fast forward to November of 2004 - Teri had been paying her dues with occasional special-event security work for one company, while also performing shift-supervisor duties at a convention security firm in San Francisco. Working show after show and dealing with a steady stream of untrained, unmotivated guards, she was becoming frustrated and dangerously close to burn-out.

She says that “what was even worse was the feeling that I was not totally prepared for those frequent occasions when boredom suddenly gave way to total panic. We dealt with medical emergencies, fires, and protest activity on a fairly regular basis. Frankly, each time I encountered those things I had the uneasy feeling that my skill set wasn’t cutting it. In other words, I had just enough knowledge to know what I didn’t know.”

When Teri received the opportunity to attend the International Training Group’s 12-Day Executive Protection Agents’ Training Course, she could not resist. “Although I was more than a little nervous at being such a ‘newbie’ in a class with many experienced operators, the instructor cadre expressed their faith in me. Their confidence was infectious. I found myself diving into each day of training with anticipation and joy. I kept experiencing ‘Ah-HAH!’ moments throughout the program. These were moments where the questions I had not even been able to articulate were fully answered.”

Teri was somewhat surprised by the intensity of the training, but realizes now that this prepared her for the reality of protective operations. “The days were very, very long. There were several occasions when I thought I had reached my limit. Amazingly enough, one of the instructor team would magically appear to give me a pep talk, cajole, or tell a story. They made me laugh, and helped me to find my feet and keep going.”

She recalls being “astounded” by the depth of the instructors’ experience. But, she says, “Their humility was unbelievable as they continually reminded us that all of the curveballs they threw at us during training scenarios and the Practical Exercise were events which had actually occurred to them and their associates on real-world operations. They taught us to learn from their mistakes so we would not make them ourselves.”

No only did Teri graduate from the 12-day Executive Protection Agents’ Training Course, she also completed the three-day Executive Protection Handgun Training Course. Thoroughly convinced that the International Training Group™ program of instruction was what she needed for her professional development, the following March she attended the three-day Surveillance Detection Training Course as well.

Naturally, her employers at the convention security firm were more than happy to exploit her new skills, and as a result she began to receive Executive Protection and High-Value Asset Protection assignments during the course of each convention. Suddenly, she found herself protecting visiting CEO’s, dignitaries, and celebrities who were making appearances at the conventions. She remembers being “delighted” to have the opportunity to secure an exhibition of Salvador Dali’s works and memorabilia valued at close to $50 million, during which time her security team was credited by the San Francisco Police Department for detecting and defeating a pre-robbery surveillance attempt.

She recently recounted another situation where she credits the knowledge she gained from the International Training Group™ with her success. “When King Abdullah II of Jordan was scheduled to speak at Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco, my company gave me only two days’ notice of the visit and my responsibility for it. But because ITG® had trained me in Advance Operations in accordance with U. S. Federal Protective doctrine and methodology, our team was totally ready. We impressed both the United States Secret Service detail and the Jordanian Consular Security personnel who were assigned to the event.” Not only did she receive a letter of commendation from the Secret Service, she also feels the networking skills she learned at ITG® were invaluable in establishing a mutually beneficial relationship with the San Francisco Field Office. Teri has worked with agents from this office on several occasions since and knows that her success on that first assignment, in challenging circumstances, has led to the respect she is given today.

Her current duties began in July of 2005, when she received an assignment to take over a contract as the Security Manager for the largest HIV / AIDS service agency in San Francisco. Her self-described mission is “not only to provide an oasis of safety for the 121 staff and volunteers, but also to protect and work directly with the clients of the agency.” This is easier said than done, as the agency’s offices are located in the area of San Francisco with the highest violent-crime rate in the city.

In that area of high risk, she has dealt with staff members being stalked; shoot-outs in the street; police officers inadvertently pointing their weapons at her protectees; decisively subduing a 6 foot 2 inch tall, 200 plus pound male after forcing him to cease his assault on another man; and the occasional "psychotic, delusional, speed-freaks with guns." In her response to these incidents she credits “my training at ITG® with several direct ‘saves.’ These were situations where I’m pretty sure that I would have been either seriously injured or killed had I not known what to do. I’ve sent several notes to Dave and the team that pretty much say it all. They know how much I appreciate what they have taught me.”

Teri’s job also includes coordinating security for the myriad fund-raising events her agency conducts throughout the year. This requires that she coordinate protection with local law enforcement, Executive Protection teams (government, corporate, and private), and, as mentioned earlier, occasionally the US Secret Service. She is such a believer in ITG®’s training that two of the agents she has selected for her travel team are also ITG® alumni.

Additionally, Teri knows that the Tactical Medicine training she received at ITG® has been useful on many occasions. This she says is “Due to the fact that our lobby’s street-level entrance is at a major intersection in this high crime area, we often have injured people stumble in. Frequently they are seriously wounded, but I always remember that it’s necessary to first secure the situation tactically, as their attacker may be right behind them. I keep a Dyna-Med trauma bag at my desk and I’ve already had to refill the contents a couple of times.”

In addition to the myriad responsibilities she fulfills in her current job duties, she also finds time to serve as a role player in numerous scenarios for several different ITG® course offerings. It is extremely valuable to the International Training Group™ that former students like Teri frequently return to assist in the training of future protective service agents. This adds to the specificity and realism of ITG®’s training courses as well as to the camaraderie within the ITG® Alumni Association.

Teri herself, sums up her ITG® experience better than anyone else could do it for her. “I would like to thank Dave Johnson and the entire ITG® team for encouraging me to pursue a career in Protective Services, while at the same time giving me the skills necessary to survive it. Not only was the ITG® training superlative, but I have been blessed to have the benefit of their continuing mentoring and friendship. I may not be jetting around the world protecting celebrities right now, but in the future, who knows? What I do know is that everything I learned at ITG® is working to keep both myself and my clients safe and happy in a very, very uncertain world.”