June 24, 2021 - The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) completed the election of its current slate of directors, including one new member, during the organization’s virtual annual meeting this week.
Amy Acton, a burn survivor, former burn nurse and nurse manager, and CEO of the Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors, is serving her second year of a two-year term as chair. Acton became the second female chair of the NFPA Board in the organization’s 125-year history last year.
The affirmed slate of officers includes Russell Leavitt as first vice chair, R. David Paulison as second vice chair, John Bonney as secretary, Donald Cook and Kwame Cooper as assistant secretaries, Roger Montembeault as treasurer, Michael Wallace as assistant treasurer, and Keith Williams as immediate past chair.
Photo is available; please contact publicaffairs@nfpa.org.
Raj Arora was elected as a new director on the NFPA Board. Arora has more than 20 years’ experience working in all facets of fire protection. He is the CEO of Jensen Hughes – a safety, security, and risk-based engineering, and consulting firm based in Baltimore, Maryland, a role he has held since 2019. Before that, Arora served as the consultancy’s president of strategy and business development, leading the company’s software innovation, business development, marketing, communications, strategy, and mergers and acquisitions operations. His first professional role upon graduating college was at Tyco International, a firm he returned to (now Johnson Controls) five years prior to joining Jensen Hughes, where he ultimately rose to vice president and general manager of fire detection and special hazards products. Arora also spent 10 years as executive vice president of Arora Engineers and Arora Systems Group, overseeing profit and loss operations, quality assurance and control, and business development.
A University of Maryland graduate, Arora has been recognized with multiple awards during his years in the fire protection industry, including Johnson Controls’ Chairman’s Award for Accountability in 2016, the company’s highest employee honor. Arora has also been honored with the University of Maryland Clark School of Engineering’s Early Career Award, the Tyco CEO Award for Teamwork, Consulting-Specifying Engineer Magazine’s Top 40 under 40, and The Engineers Club of Philadelphia Young Engineer of the Year award in 2008.
Arora joins NFPA Board of Directors members Brion Callori, Reginald Freeman, William Fries, and Lou Paulson, who were elected to their second three-year terms.
For this release and other announcements about NFPA initiatives, research, and resources, please visit the NFPA press room.
NFPA®: 125 Years of Protecting People and Property
The National Fire Protection Association® (NFPA®) is a global self-funded nonprofit organization devoted to eliminating death, injury, property, and economic loss due to fire, electrical, and related hazards. The association began its work to solve the fire problem in a young, industrialized nation in 1896 and is recognized around the globe as a leader in advocating for safety. NFPA delivers information and knowledge through more than 325 consensus codes and standards, research, training, education, outreach, and advocacy; and by partnering with others who share an interest in furthering the NFPA mission. In celebration of its 125th Anniversary, NFPA will be hosting a Conference Series and other initiatives that reflect the steadfast commitment to advancing fire and life safety by the association for the next 125 years and beyond. For more information or to view NFPA codes and standards for free, visit www.nfpa.org.
Contact: Lorraine Carli, Public Affairs Office: +1 617 984-7275