Our Team
What makes our company so great is most certainly the people here who are dedicated to providing you the best experience possible.
Danielle Armstrong
President
Danielle brings extensive experience in the alarm industry, having started her career as an alarm monitor in 1995. She joined Southwest Dispatch Center in 2010 as the Monitoring Manager and has since advanced to her current role as President. Danielle oversees daily operations across all departments, ensuring efficient functionality of the Richardson and Spring locations. Known for her commitment to providing quality service to customers and dealers, Danielle played a key role in designing and launching the Spring, TX, location in 2019. Danielle places great value on her relationships with both family and colleagues, viewing her team as an integral part of her life.
Brant Pierce
Vice President of Marketing and Product Development
Brant joined Southwest Dispatch Center in 1995. He is actively involved with the North Texas Alarm Association, the Texas Burglar and Fire Alarm Association and the Northeast Chapter of the TBFAA. He currently is licensed by the Private Security Bureau as an Alarm level One, Level K and Level H instructor, as well as, being a SIA Certified trainer. Brant also serves as Treasurer for Dallas County Judge Jim Foster.
Malcolm Reed
Vice President of Sales
Malcolm has spent the most recent forty-plus years working in the electronic security industry. He started his career with Smith Alarm Systems in the 1970’s before he and Bryan McGee started Knight Security Systems in early 1983. After selling Knight Security Systems, Malcolm joined Southwest Dispatch Center, which has serviced Knight’s customer base since 1989. Malcolm states, “It was an easy decision to join Southwest Dispatch because of their commitment to the alarm dealer and its customers, which I experienced firsthand. Their innovative approach towards technology and solutions are a big reason for the success Knight Security Systems experienced for more than twenty years.” Malcolm brings a dealer’s perspective to the team at Southwest Dispatch Center, along with a long history of alarm-industry association work with the North Texas Alarm Association, the Texas Burglar and Fire Alarm Association and the National Burglar and Fire Alarm Association.
Kathy Catron
Vice President of Technology and Support Services
Kathy brings nearly twenty years of experience to the Support Manager role at Southwest Dispatch Center. Prior to earning her stripes in the wholesale monitoring industry, Kathy served America in the United States Marine Corps specializing in aviation electronics. This discipline serves Kathy well while supervising a staff of dealer service technicians and data entry personnel focused on providing our Dealers with naltrexone online daily support services. Kathy also lends her time and knowledge to Southwest Dispatch Center’s sales team during industry trade shows and distributor counter day events. During her spare time, Kathy enjoys spending time with her son and family.
Sam Pieczynski
Account Executive
Sam joined Southwest Dispatch Center in 2010 after working in the healthcare industry, and in very short order put her creative and organizational skills to work. Sam’s primary goal is to keep our dealers informed of our existing and new service offerings. As a critical member of the Southwest Dispatch Center sales team, Sam is well equipped to assist a dealer in any way possible.
Mary Edmonson
Account Executive
Mary has worked in the wholesale alarm monitoring industry in the greater Houston area for more than twenty years and started her career with Southwest Dispatch Center in the fall of 2016. Initially her background was in billing and that transitioned throughout the years as liaison between the dealer and central station. You most likely have met or crossed paths with Mary during any number of trade industry events, or during one of the many Texas Burglar & Fire Alarm Association or Houston Gulf Coast Alarm Association events as she has held positions both boards for several years. She has served as Regional Director, Membership Director, Editor, Secretary and Vice President. She currently serves as Convention Chair for TBFAA’s Annual Convention.
Ken Walker
Systems Support Associate
Ken Walker joined Southwest Dispatch Center after serving the electronic security industry for more than three and a half decades. Ken is a native Texan, grew up in the Dallas and Houston areas, and later attended Sam Houston State University. Ken’s initial entry into the electronic security industry was with a small installing company as an installer. Within a few years he had accepted an opportunity with a large regional integrator in Richardson, where he spent the next thirty-plus years, and managed several operations within that organization. He is trained and/or factory certified by many of the industry’s top equipment manufacturers, including Bosch, DSC, Kantech, Fire-Lite, Silent Knight, and EST. Ken has managed access control, intrusion, fire, video, intercom, and structured cabling installations and service operations, and has leveraged his extensive training, including the National Burglar and Fire Alarm Association’s Certified Level 1 and Advanced Electronics Level II programs. Ken was one of the first individuals to complete “Southwest Dispatch Center’s AES Certification Technician” training program. Ken’s area of responsibility with Southwest Dispatch Center is continued enhancement to the “Southwest Dispatch Center’s AES Certification Technician” training program, as well as daily management of Southwest’s extensive AES IntelliNet Mesh Networks and related systems.
Karen Patino
Monitoring Manager – Richardson
Karen began her career at Southwest Dispatch Center in February, 2014 as a Bilingual Dispatch Operator. By the end of 2014 she was promoted to Lead Operator and to Supervisor in 2015. As the opportunity for expansion and growth arose for Southwest Dispatch, Karen began her training for the Central Station Manager position in 2017. She has since relocated to work with our Management team to help oversee the designing and planning of our new location opening late 2019. In her new role as the Central Station Manager for our Houston office Karen will oversee the day to day operations of Alarm Dispatch, amongst additional roles. During her spare time, Karen attends college to complete her Bachelor’s degree, enjoys traveling and spending time with family and friends.
Jessica Schlagal
Monitoring Manager – Houston
Jessica joined the Southwest Dispatch Center’s team in 2018 as a Dispatch Operator. Jessica used every opportunity to show her desire for growth within the company. This ambition lead to her promotion to Training Assistant in just 6 short months. In February of 2021, Jessica went through extensive Lead & Supervisor training as well as IT and Data Entry training. Shortly after she began training other Leads for their new positions. In October of 2021, Jessica took over the position of Houston Central Station Manager. Jessica spends every spare moment making the newest location of Southwest Dispatch Center a great place to work for all of her operators.