Ashlee Thomas
Ashlee Cervantes Thomas is a seasoned physical security executive, entrepreneur, and industry advocate with more than 15 years of experience in private security, business operations, and risk management. Based in Sacramento, California, she serves as Chief Executive Officer of Guardian Protection Force and Founder of Guardian Secure Solutions, a technology-driven security company focused on Security Operations Center services and modern physical security solutions. Throughout her career, Ashlee has built a reputation for combining operational excellence with innovative thinking to protect people, property, and communities.
Ashlee began her career in retail loss prevention before transitioning into human resources and administrative leadership within the security industry. She steadily advanced through business development, operations, and executive management roles at Guardian Protection Force, ultimately becoming CEO in 2022. In her leadership roles, she oversees business development, security operations, human resources, and intelligence consulting, while also driving the growth of Guardian Secure Solutions. She is especially passionate about leveraging technology, AI, surveillance systems, and cloud-based tools to strengthen physical security strategies and improve service delivery.
In addition to her executive work, Ashlee is an active leader in the security community and a strong advocate for women in business. She serves as Vice President of CALSAGA and has held leadership roles with ASIS International in Sacramento. Ashlee frequently speaks on topics including workplace violence prevention, executive protection, startup growth, women in leadership, and emergency preparedness. She earned her MBA from University of California, Davis Graduate School of Management and has been recognized for her contributions to the industry, including being named Woman Innovator of the Year by the Sacramento chapter of National Association of Women Business Owners.
• CPR Certified
• University of California, Davis - Graduate School of Management- M.B.A.
• Woman Innovator of the Year by the Sacramento chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners
• Girls on the Move
What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to perseverance, hands-on experience in loss prevention and human resources, and earning my MBA, which gave me the business foundation and credibility to lead with confidence.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
My high school yearbook quote was 'quitters never win, and winners never quit,' and it was very much a mantra that I deeply believed at that point in my career. It's a good one. But at some point in my career, I realized that acknowledging that something is no longer for you is not the same as quitting. When a thing no longer serves you, it's okay to walk away from it. Marie Kondo says it best, right? She says, tell the thing that no longer serves you goodbye, thank it for what it brought to your life, and then throw it in the trash. That's pretty much how that goes. Once I realized that was okay, I quit holding onto things that were actually holding me back from success in my business career. So that was a really cool moment. It is true, quitters never win and winners never quit, but saying goodbye to something that doesn't serve you is not the same as quitting it.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
First of all, enter it! Enter it, please! We have so few women in this industry, and it breaks my heart. I spend a lot of time mentoring and recruiting young women. The biggest thing I would say to women entering the field today is that this field can easily be a stepping stone into other things. We get a lot of folks that come into security for initial training before they apply to the academy to go into law enforcement, or they're getting ready to jump into their military career, which is phenomenal, and we love serving people at that stage of their life. We also get folks who can retire so young out of the military and law enforcement, so we get retired folks who come to us. That's all fine and well. But if you find the right company, you can also build a career in this field. We love helping people do that, and I think there's such a need for highly qualified women in private security that have chosen to make this their career. It's a matter of finding the right company, because unfortunately there are bad actors out there. A lot of people go to work for some large-scale security company, and they're like, yeah, this is my job in between until I find my next job, which it certainly can be that. It's a great stepping stone, but I think it gets lost on people that you can actually have a career in this field as well, if it's something that calls to you and you find the right company.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
One of the biggest opportunities in the security industry right now is the growing need for qualified women leaders and the ability to create more professional, long-term career paths in private security. At the same time, challenges include the perception of security as temporary work, the presence of poor employers in the industry, and the ongoing fundraising demands required to grow technology-driven security startups.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values that guide me most are a commitment to people and service, mentorship and developing others, persistence, and the discernment to let go of things that no longer support professional growth. These principles shape both my work and personal life.