Squires to be Honored at National Conference with Milton E. Ahlerich Distinguished Leadership Award

Fri, 05/03/2024 - 08:53am | By: NCS4 Staff

William “Bill” Squires, Founder/President of The Right Stuff Consulting, Inc., and Venue and Operations Consultant for the New York Football Giants, will be presented with the Milton E. Ahlerich Distinguished Leadership Award during the 2024 National Sports Safety and Security Conference & Exhibition on July 9-11 in Phoenix, AZ.

The event is presented annually by the National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security (NCS⁴) at The University of Southern Mississippi (USM).

The Milton E. Ahlerich Distinguished Leadership Award recognizes a professional whose career includes multiple achievements and contributions to sport safety and security. The recipient’s service, commitment, ingenuity, and integrity must have elevated the profession to new levels to warrant this prestigious honor. The recipient is selected by a panel of subject matter experts on behalf of the NCS⁴ and awarded annually at the National Sports Safety and Security Conference & Exhibition.

“Milt is someone for whom I have the ultimate respect for. I was not surprised when this award was named after him, and I have seen so many individuals who are friends that I look up to who have received this award”, said Squires. “It’s quite an honor to receive this award in Milt’s name, but looking at my predecessors, who are icons in the industry, it is even more of an honor.

Added Squires, “The work I have done during my career was not for recognition. I did the things I did and continue to do things for this industry because I work hard at what I do. I care deeply about the safety and security of our fans, performers, event staff, and anyone else who visits our venues.”

Squires is a United States Naval Academy graduate who served on active duty as a naval aviator for 12 years beforejoining the Naval Reserves. He retired from the Naval Reserves as a Commander after 24 years of service.

In 1987, Squires made the difficult decision to leave active duty to work for the New York Yankees after the owner of the Yankees, George M. Steinbrenner III, offered him a job. He has held top-level positions with the following facilities:

• Yankee Stadium
• Giants Stadium (two tours)
• Cleveland Browns Stadium
• ESPN Wide World of Sports

“Bill thoroughly deserves this award for all his contributions to the sports safety and security field. He has been a leader in this space for many years and continues to advance the industry with his unique knowledge and skillset. The NCS⁴team is excited to be recognizing Bill for his hard work and dedication,” said Dr. Stacey Hall, NCS⁴ Executive Director and Professor of Sport Management.

Squires is a member of the Sports League Sports Council. The Council includes senior security officials from sports leagues and organizations that work with the Department of Homeland Security on security issues involving the safety and security of sports and entertainment venues.  He is also a Past President of the Stadium Managers Association.

He is an adjunct professor in the Master of Science in Sports Management at Columbia University and has taught the Sports Facilities and Events Management course since 2007. He will co-teach a new graduate course, Sustainability in Sports, in the fall of 2024.

Squires’, Sean, has cystic fibrosis, and Bill and his family are among the country’s top fundraisers for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. He is currently the president of the New Jersey Chapter of the Foundation’s Board of Directors.

Squires’ consulting business features clients like the New York Football Giants. He is the liaison between the team and the New Meadowlands Stadium Company, which operates MetLife Stadium. Squires also works as an expert witness in lawsuits involving sports teams and venues.

Significant events Squires has worked on include:

• Nelson Mandela’s first major public appearance in the United States at Yankee Stadium in 1990

• 1994 FIFA World Cup (Giants Stadium - seven matches, including the semi-final match)
• Major League Baseball games, including the 1987 World Series
• National Football League regular season and playoff games
• Super Bowl games (2014 - 2023)
• College football games
• Major concerts
• Pope John Paul II Mass (1995)
• Miami F1 Grand Prix (2022 -2024)
• T-20 ICC Cricket World Cup matches (2024)

Squires was recently hired to work with the 2026 FIFA New York/New Jersey Men’s World Cup Host Committee (MetLife Stadium – eight matches, including the final)

He also serves on the NCS⁴ Professional Sports Advisory Committee. Squires began working with the NCS⁴ in 2007 when he recruited the organization to affiliate with the Stadium Managers Association.

The award will be presented at the annual Awards Luncheon on the second day of the conference. The luncheon is sponsored by Evolv Technology, which provides weapons detection systems for security screening.

Please make plans to join us and register now. The deadline to register for the conference is June 7.

About the 15^th Annual Conference
The National Sports Safety and Security Conference & Exhibition will be held July 9-11 at the JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort & Spa in Phoenix, AZ. The conference will attract over 450 attendees and 70 exhibitors representing professional sports, intercollegiate athletics, interscholastic athletics, marathon and endurance events, sports and entertainment facilities, and those who provide safety and security products and services to the industry. You can visit the conference website for more information.

About NCS⁴
Established in 2006, the National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security (NCS⁴) is the nation's only academic center devoted to the study and practice of sports safety and security. The NCS⁴ is partially underwritten by grants from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The NCS⁴mission focuses on three key pillars – Training and Education, Research, and Outreach. For more information about NCS⁴, call 601.266.6183.