Kansas City - Circle of Trust
Kent Harris
Founder and Principle Security Advisor, Apex CEO Security
Travel Security & Executive Protection Strategist
Trusted Member of the Epic Explorations Circle of Trust
Kent Harris understands that meaningful exploration requires more than a compelling destination—it requires thoughtful preparation, situational awareness, and people who take a traveler’s well-being seriously. His decades of experience in emergency response, explosive ordnance disposal, diplomatic protection, global risk assessment, and executive security make him a trusted voice whenever safety and travel intersect.
Meet Kent Harris
Kent Harris is the founder and principal security advisor of Apex CEO Security, a Kansas City-based security firm specializing in executive protection, global risk intelligence, travel security coordination, workplace violence intervention, vulnerability assessments, and strategic security planning.
Kent’s knowledge is not merely academic. It was formed through years of working in environments where preparation, judgment, and attention to detail could make a very real difference.
His background includes service with the Olathe Fire Department and the Olathe Bomb Squad, where he developed extensive experience in emergency response, fire and explosion investigation, and explosive ordnance disposal. He later worked internationally in connection with the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, contributing to security assessments, protective operations, and threat-management efforts in complex environments around the world.
That combination of local emergency response, technical EOD experience, international security work, and private-sector consulting gives Kent an unusually broad perspective. He understands both the visible and invisible sides of security—from responding when something has already happened to identifying vulnerabilities long before they become emergencies.
Apex CEO Security reflects that preventative philosophy. The company provides customized protection strategies designed to help executives, organizations, families, and travelers remain secure without allowing security to unnecessarily restrict their lives or mobility. Its guiding belief is that genuine protection begins before a threat appears—with preparation, awareness, discretion, and intelligent planning.
Kent has also captured many of those principles in his book, The Executive Security Code: Eliminate Risk, Prevent Family Exposure, and Protect Your Legacy. Drawing upon real-world operations and private-sector experience, the book explores how executives and other highly visible individuals can recognize exposure, reduce vulnerabilities, protect their families, and approach security as an essential part of responsible leadership.
Our guests should experience the confidence that comes from being prepared without becoming fearful. Kent helps people understand that travel security is not about expecting the worst everywhere they go. It is about recognizing their surroundings, making informed decisions, and developing habits that allow them to move through the world with greater freedom and assurance.
What Kent Brings to an Epic Explorations Journey
Kent brings professional judgment shaped by decades of experience in emergency management, bomb disposal, protective operations, international risk assessment, and executive security.
His involvement can help us look beyond the surface of an itinerary and consider questions most travelers never think to ask. How will guests move through an unfamiliar destination? Where could unnecessary vulnerabilities arise? What local resources are available? How should an emergency be handled? What information should travelers understand before they leave home?
Kent brings:
- Extensive experience in travel security and global risk assessment
- A background in emergency response and crisis management
- Experience with explosive ordnance disposal and bomb-squad operations
- Knowledge of executive protection and protective intelligence
- International experience in politically sensitive and higher-risk environments
- An understanding of emergency planning and business continuity
- The ability to translate complex security concerns into practical guidance
- A calm, measured approach that supports confidence rather than fear
- Discretion when working with executives, public figures, families, and private groups
- A prevention-first philosophy built around awareness and preparation
Most importantly, Kent understands that security should support an experience—not overwhelm it. The best protective planning often remains quietly in the background, allowing guests to remain present in the journey.
What Kent May Help With
Kent and Apex CEO Security may help with:
- Predeparture travel-security briefings
- Destination and itinerary risk assessments
- Executive and VIP travel planning
- Personal-security and situational-awareness education
- Emergency-response and communication planning
- Protective intelligence and threat assessment
- International travel-security coordination
- Security planning for corporate retreats and incentive journeys
- Vulnerability assessments for individuals, families, and organizations
- Workplace violence prevention and response planning
- Private-residence and corporate-facility security reviews
- Crisis preparation and business-continuity planning
- Customized training for travelers, leadership teams, and private groups
The exact level of involvement will depend upon the journey, destination, group, and individual needs. Sometimes Kent’s contribution may be direct and visible. At other times, his greatest value may be helping us ask better questions and quietly strengthening the planning behind the experience.
Why Kent Is Part of the Circle of Trust
I first met Kent while we were developing our travel-safety course for Traveling Aware. From the very beginning, I knew he was someone who took security seriously—not as a marketing phrase, but as a professional responsibility.
His background with the Olathe Fire Department, the Olathe Bomb Squad, EOD operations, and the Diplomatic Security Service certainly supported that first impression. But credentials alone are not what earn someone a place in our Circle of Trust.
Kent understands the responsibility that comes with protecting people. He approaches security deliberately, discreetly, and without unnecessary drama. He recognizes that the objective is not to frighten people away from exploring the world. It is to give them the awareness, preparation, and confidence to explore it more intelligently.
That philosophy has remained closely aligned with my own belief that safe travel should never mean timid travel.
Kent’s Perspective
Kent approaches security as a proactive discipline rather than a reaction to danger. True protection begins by understanding exposure, identifying vulnerabilities, anticipating potential problems, and creating a plan before those problems have an opportunity to develop.
His perspective is especially valuable for travelers and leaders because he understands that modern security extends beyond a single person. Decisions involving travel, technology, public visibility, family routines, residences, workplaces, and social media can all create interconnected vulnerabilities.
At the same time, Kent recognizes that security should enable people to live, lead, and travel confidently. Thoughtful protection should preserve freedom of movement—not unnecessarily limit it. Preparation provides options, and awareness creates the space to act before a difficult situation becomes a crisis.
I have spent much of my career encouraging people to leave their comfort zones, explore unfamiliar places, and see the world through a different lens. I also believe we have a responsibility to prepare our guests for those experiences honestly and thoughtfully.
Kent understands that balance.
When I first began working with him on the Traveling Aware travel-safety course, I quickly saw that his recommendations came from genuine field experience. He was not repeating generic travel tips or using fear to make a point. He understood how situations develop, how vulnerabilities are created, and how simple changes in awareness and preparation can reduce risk.
His career with the Olathe Fire Department and Bomb Squad, his work in EOD, and his experience connected to the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service all demonstrate how seriously he has taken the protection of others. But what I appreciate most is his ability to bring those lessons into the real world in a practical and understandable way.
We do not want our guests traveling in fear. We want them traveling with confidence. There is a tremendous difference between the two.
Kent helps us remember that awareness is not anxiety, preparation is not paranoia, and good security does not have to interfere with a meaningful experience. In fact, when it is done well, it creates the confidence that makes deeper exploration possible.
That is why Kent Harris belongs in our Circle of Trust.
Experience Kansas City
Experience Kansas City through the perspective of professionals like Kent Harris, whose work demonstrates how Midwestern integrity, global experience, and quiet preparedness can help people travel, lead, and live with greater confidence.