2026 Results Are In — SBC Members Elect New Board Members

Posted on August 25, 2026

Voting in the 2026 election for the Safer Buildings Coalition Board of Directors closed at 23:30 PT on Thursday, August 20th. All ballots have been counted and certified. Three seats were on this year's ballot — Vice President, Treasurer, and At-Large [Odd Year Term] — and for the first time in recent memory, every one of them was contested. Eleven members put their names forward.

Each race was decided outright, so no run-off is required. Our new Board members will be seated at the first Board meeting of the new term on Wednesday, September 30, 2026.

Congratulations to those elected, and our thanks to every member organization that took the time to cast a ballot.

Meet Your New Board Members

Vice President: Mark W. Johnson

Vice President of Operations, Commdex, LLC — Candidate Page

Mark W. Johnson steps into the Vice President role after serving on the SBC Board as an At-Large Member, where he has also been an active voice in the Member Advocacy Work Group representing member company interests. He brings 36 years of public safety telecommunications experience spanning technology leadership, engineering, strategic planning, and business development.

At Commdex, Johnson directs operational functions with accountability for growth and profitability, and leads the engineering teams that design and install distributed antenna systems — work that has given him a working command of NFPA standards, IFC and IBC requirements, and the local rules that vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Coordinating with Authorities Having Jurisdiction nationwide has been a central part of his role. Before Commdex, where he previously served as Director of Engineering and Senior Account Executive, Johnson spent 27 years at Motorola Solutions (1990–2017) in engineering and commercial leadership positions, including managing a $52M P&L and leading a team of 22 engineers. He holds an MBA from the University of Miami and a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Cornell University.

Johnson has pointed to his experience across telecom OEMs, resellers, and integrators as the perspective he brings to the Board — an ecosystem-wide view aimed at fostering collaboration among the groups that have to work together to get in-building public safety communications right.

Treasurer: Brian Ensign, RCDD

Vice President, Sales – Americas, Nextivity, Inc. — Candidate Page

Brian Ensign takes on the Treasurer's seat with more than 33 years in information and communications technology and an unusually deep track record in association financial stewardship. He has served as Treasurer and later President of BICSI (2008–2018, including a term as Northeast Region Director), and currently serves as Board Chair of both ASHB and CCCA — experience he pledged to bring directly to SBC's finances and long-term planning.

Ensign's industry career spans sales, marketing, operations, and strategy, including Vice President roles at Superior Essex and Director positions at Legrand and Leviton. He holds RCDD, NTS, OSP, RTPM, and CSI designations from BICSI and is a voting member of NFPA 70 National Electrical Code Panel 16. He earned a B.S. in Electrical Engineering Technology from SUNY Polytechnic and an A.A.S. in Electrical Technology from Tompkins Cortland Community College.

At-Large [Odd Year Term]: Dr. Jeffrey L. Buchanan

Associate Director of Strategy and Development, FirstNet, Built with AT&T — Candidate Page

Dr. Jeffrey L. Buchanan brings the end-user perspective to the Board. A retired fire chief, he describes himself as arriving "with the perspective of a retired fire chief and public sector executive with extensive experience leading complex public safety and communications systems."

Dr. Buchanan served as Fire Chief of Las Vegas Fire & Rescue, leading more than 750 personnel and a budget in excess of $200M, and previously as Deputy Fire Chief of Clark County Fire Department and Interim City Manager and Fire Chief for North Las Vegas. He chaired the Southern Nevada Area Communications Council, where he oversaw a radio system serving more than 10,000 radios across 60-plus agencies — first-hand experience with the operational realities SBC's standards work is meant to serve.

He holds a Doctorate in Public Policy and a Master of Public Administration from UNLV, an MBA (summa cum laude) from Touro University International, and a B.S. from Michigan State University. He is a graduate of the National Fire Academy's Executive Fire Officer program, a Credentialed Chief Fire Officer (CFO), and a Professor of Practice at UNLV. On joining the Board, he committed to "strengthen collaboration, encourage innovation, and ensure that the voices of members are heard and valued," noting that frontline realities must inform the solutions this industry builds.

Thank You to All of Our Candidates

Every seat on this year's ballot was contested — a first in recent years, and a real sign of the energy in this Coalition. Standing for election takes time, preparation, and a willingness to be judged by your peers. We are grateful to each of the following members for stepping forward:

Vice President

Dominic Villecco – President – V-COMM, L.L.C. – Candidate Page
Dan Leaf – CEO – GUGLI Corporation – Candidate Page

Treasurer

James Martin – Chief Technology Officer – Wilson Connectivity – Candidate Page

At-Large

Elia Betbadal – Founder & CEO – DAS Systems, Inc. – Candidate Page
E. Wayne Dalton – Sales Representative – Summit Fire and Security – Candidate Page
Michael Murad – Sales Director – CTS – Candidate Page
Howard Buzick – SVP Business Development – American Bandwidth – Candidate Page
Brooks T. Shannon, ENP – Director of Emergency Communications Solutions – Esri – Candidate Page

A Record Turnout

Member participation in 2026 was the strongest we have seen in recent SBC history. Ballots were up substantially over past elections, and more than two dozen member organizations cast a ballot for the first time. Eleven members stood for election across three contested races.

"More candidates stood for election this year than at any point in recent SBC history, which tells you how deeply this industry cares about the work in front of us. Congratulations to our newly elected Board members, and thank you to every candidate who offered to lead — the Coalition is stronger for your willingness to serve."

— John Foley, Managing Director, Safer Buildings Coalition

Thank you for making your voice heard. A Coalition is only as strong as the members who shape it, and this year more of you did than ever.

Looking Ahead

With the 2026 results certified, the Board rotation continues as provided in the Bylaws. John Thompson (Mobile Communications America), elected Vice President in 2025, moves up to President, and Scott McClure (Alliance) becomes Immediate Past President. The full Board roster for the new term will be posted following the September 30th meeting.

About the Election:

ONE Representative from each Paid Tier Organization was eligible to submit a ballot.
Per the SBC Published Member Tiers and Benefits, votes are weighted by Member Type:
- Small and Medium Business Member Organizations get one vote per race, with each vote having a weight of one vote.
- Corporate and Wireless Carrier Member Organizations get one vote per race, with each vote having a weight of two votes.
Each Organization voted for ONE Candidate in each race.
The election was conducted by electronic ballot between July 27th and 23:30 PT on August 20th.
No race resulted in a tie, so no run-off election is required.
For complete information about SBC elections, please Download and Read the UPDATED Bylaws and Election Manual (Must be logged in to access this page).
To update your organization's Primary Point of Contact(s) ahead of next year's election, please contact us using the Contact Us form, Subject: UPDATE PRIMARY POINT OF CONTACT.

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