Lifetime Achievement Award
Each year CFCA will be recognising individuals for the Lifetime Achievement Award.
In over 35 years since CFCA was founded, CFCA have been privileged to have many amazing individuals who have contributed to CFCA in driving initiatives forward and expanding our collaboration within the industry. These individuals as part of CFCA have assisted bringing people together across the telecoms and financial sectors to discuss, educate, learn and understand the challenges facing telecom operators around the world.
The Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes these individuals who have contributed significantly in a long career working in the industry, domain or within CFCA. These individuals have significantly added to the advancement of fraud controls and risk management, detection improvements, industry collaborations, education, mentorship and more and have gained the respect and recognition from their peers in their proactive endeavours.
The individuals being awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award will be nominated and voted for by the CFCA membership.
2025 Inductee
Dieter Zeller
Significant International CFCA and industry Contributor
CFCA Member 1999 – 2014, Board Member 2005-2006
Dieter Zeller worked for Deutsche Telekom for 37 years in the security sector, with various key responsibilities including fraud detection, fraud investigation, fraud prevention, and emergency and crisis management. During this time, Dieter was actively involved in various national and international committees dedicated to combating telecommunications abuse.
Among other achievements, he co-founded the German Fraud Forum in 1998 with colleagues from other telecommunications companies. He led the German Fraud Forum as its Chairman for many years. In 1999, Dieter became a member of the CFCA (Communication Fraud Control Association). From 2005 to 2006, Dieter served on the CFCA Board of Directors and was a long-standing member of FIINA (Forum for International Irregular Network Access) and ETNO (European Telecommunications Network Operators).
Establishing and managing the Security Situation, Emergency, and Crisis Management department within Corporate Security were among the challenges he successfully mastered. His responsibilities at Deutsche Telekom included handling incidents within the group and further developing national and international crisis management. After leaving Deutsche Telekom, Dieter spent two and a half years at Boehringer Ingelheim, where he established crisis management within the corporate security department.
From 2019, Dieter was responsible for Corporate Crisis Management and Travel Risk Management in the Corporate Security department of Fresenius SE & Co. KGaA (e.g., Fresenius Medical Care, Helios, Quirónsalud, Fresenius Kabi).
After his retirement on July 1, 2022, Dieter was appointed to the University of Public Administration in Bremen, where he teaches in the Risk and Security Management degree program.
Dieter now brings his professional experience and voluntary commitment as a lecturer to the Steinbeis University Berlin, Institute for Public Health and Healthcare, Essen, and the German Red Cross Academy, North Rhine Regional Association, in the part-time Bachelor of Arts degree program with a specialization in Emergency and Crisis Management.
Within the German Business Travel Association (VDR), Dieter is a member of the Security Expert Committee and an expert in Travel Risk Management. Through the VDR Academy, Dieter regularly conducts training seminars on ISO 31030 “Travel Risk Management” for travel managers in SMEs, also giving presentations on situation management and travel security at the Simedia Academy, where he conducts intensive training sessions for Travel Risk Managers.
In 2025, Dieter was appointed to the advisory board of the Association for Security Technology, a position he holds on a voluntary basis.
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2024 Inductee
Travis Russell
Significant CFCA and industry Contributor
Travis Russell has been in telecommunications more than 40 years, with experience in radio, voice and data networking. As a cyber security professional and technologist, Travis has a long career focused in telecommunications cyber security and fraud, with expertise in a number of telecom technologies.
He participates in a number of standards bodies and trade associations, including the 3GPP, GSMA, and IETF. Travis serves on several advisory councils, including the FCC Communications Security, Reliability, and Interoperability Council (CSRIC).
Travis has authored several technical books, including “Signaling System #7,” “Session Initiation Protocol,” “IP Multimedia Subsystem,” and “LTE Signaling With Diameter,” all published through McGraw-Hill. His book, “Telecommunications Protocols” is still used in colleges and universities today for teaching the fundamentals of telecommunications, and is printed in four languages.
Travis holds several patents focusing on cyber security and fraud solutions, and has lectured at colleges, universities, and industry events all over the world. He is currently the head of the Cybersecurity Office at Oracle Communications.
2023 Inductee
Mark Churches
Significant International CFCA Contributor
CFCA Board Member 2010 – 2016 Spark NZ Fraud Service Manager 2004 – 2023
Mark served 26 years in the New Zealand Police and was a Senior Detective specializing in corporate fraud investigations, organized crime, child abuse/paedophile investigations, and internal affairs.
After leaving the police force Mark spent three years as a regional officer of the Commerce Commission before moving to Telecom New Zealand, now Spark in 2004.
Mark joined CFCA in 2008 and was a board member for six years between 2010 and 2016 contributing to a number of fraud initiatives and representing international telecoms experiences at CFCA.
Mark holds an Undergraduate degree in Business Studies, Post Graduate Diploma in Management and a Bachelor of Arts – Organisational Studies and Political Science.
2022 Inductees
Mark Zmigrodski
Contribution to International Fraud Prevention
CFCA Board Member 2010 – 2022
AT&T Fraud Investigations Manager 1989 – 2021
ACFE CFE 2001 – 2011
Mark Zmigrodski was a Specialized Manager for AT&T Network Security, performing telecommunications fraud investigations and compiled extensive cases for law enforcement prosecutions that involved multiple countries and continents. Mark’s investigations resulted in the successful prosecutions of many telecommunication fraud perpetrators and notorious hackers located around the world.
A particular case in 2014 involved the arrest of 6 Filipinos nationals in a complex and long investigation involving Philippine National Police (PNP) Anti-cyber Crime Group (ACG).
Mark held a Master’s Degree in Psychology and is a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE). Mark had over 30 years of fraud investigation experience and was an active member of the New York Electronic Crimes Task Force (NYECTF), the Manila Electronic Crimes Task Force (MECTF), the European Electronic Crimes Task Force (EECTF) and a member of the Communications Fraud Control Association where he served on the board and also was the chair of the Communicator newsletter.
Dana Bruce Berry
Outstanding Contribution to CFCA
CFCA Board Member 2000 to 2011
CFCA President 2000 and 2006 – 2008
Dana Bruce Berry began her career in the communications security industry in 1984 with Teleconnect, a regional Interexchange Carrier located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. In 1988 Dana supervised the Central Division of MCI Systems Integrity Investigations Group. In 1993 she accepted a position with LinkUSA, a provider of enhanced calling card services, as Manager of Corporate Security. Frontier Communications purchased LinkUSA in 1997.
Dana was promoted to Director of Corporate Security at Frontier and in 1999 Global Crossing purchased the company. She remained with Global Crossing until March of 2002 and then Manager of Risk Management at PowerNet Global Communications.
Dana was an active member of CFCA since the start of the Association in 1985. She has served in many positions on the board of directors as Director, Secretary, Vice President and was President for three terms. She received the CCSP designation in 1994, served as the editor for the Communicator newsletter and was the author of the CCSP Handbook, Communications Fraud the Bottom Line.
Dana previously received the CFCA Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association in June 2002 in recognition of her work for the Association.
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