Regional Safety & Security Liaison
Rick Burkhead retired in December 2019 after 24 years of FBI service as an investigator, crisis management coordinator and critical incident and counterterrorism supervisor.
While in the FBI, Burkhead supervised day-to-day functions, response and leadership of the FBI Dallas Critical Incident Response Team, encompassing response to 125,000 square miles of territory, and 137 counties with a total population of 10.5 million. He designed, developed, implemented and led FBI Dallas Critical Incident Response Team structure for Dallas Division as modeled nationally by the FBIHQ Critical Incident Response, Crisis Management Group.
Burkhead served in leadership roles for critical incident response, to include behavioral analysis, bomb management, crisis management, crisis negotiations, evidence response team, firearms and tactical, hazardous evidence response team, SWAT, special events, and tactical medical. He also managed and led global national, regional and local critical incident law enforcement preparedness and response.
He has led regional operational planning of security structure, assignments and budget for large-scale special events, to include: Super Bowl XLV, NFL Draft, NBA All-Star Weekend, NBA Finals, NHL All-Star Game, College Football National Championship Game, PGA Colonial and Byron Nelson Events.
Burkhead has an integral working knowledge and understanding of professional and college special event security interaction and the dynamics associated with leveraging this association. Through his experience, he has an essential and fundamental understanding of the multidisciplinary leadership, coordination and collaboration needed between safety, security, human resource, legal, media and executive management to have an integrated approach to achieve a successful safety and security program.
Subsequent to retirement in 2019, he launched the company B.E.S.T. Executive Security Team. As the CEO/President and Lead Security Consultant with B.E.S.T., he has created a strategic security partnership with the College Football Playoff (CFP), PGA Byron Nelson Golf Tournament, PGA of America, FIFA, Trident Response Team (TRG), Environmental Intelligence (Cyber Security Group), State Fair of Texas (Texas – OU), private sector corporations and the NFL as the Lead North Texas Security Representative. With a wide range of special event security design experience and leadership, B.E.S.T. has flourished by providing next level service and a family / team of diverse security professionals with exceptionable abilities and extensive global contacts.
Burkhead graduated from Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) with a Bachelor of Science Degree and is currently working on a master’s degree in Safety & Security from EKU. Rick is married to his wife Robyn and they have two children, Ryan and Rex, two daughter-in-laws Danielle & Catherine, two grandsons, Jett & Steel, and mentioned last but not least, our young lady, Riley (dog).
