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Advisory Council

Independent of CCFS's sponsors, the Advisory Council provides valuable strategic vision and wisdom to the Board of Directors and CCFS. The council’s members are experts and leaders in corporations, industry, and public service. They have encompassed CCFS's core values and through their business knowledge, professional careers, contacts, and personal beliefs, work hard to champion the mission of CCFS as well as fire and life safety. 

Lorraine Carli
Vice President - Outreach and Advocacy
NFPA

Lorraine Carli is vice president of Outreach and Advocacy for the National Fire Protection Association where she oversees media, public affairs and advocacy activities; the organization’s magazine NFPA Journal; and NFPA’s Wildfire, Public Education and US/Canada Regional Operations Divisions.

Carli is president of the Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition and past president and current member of the Board of Directors for The Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors. In addition, she is a member of the Board of Directors for the National Fallen Fire Fighters Foundation and serves on the executive committee of the Electric Safety Foundation International (ESFI) board of directors.

Carli holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Northeastern University and a master’s degree in education from the University of Massachusetts. She is also an adjunct professor at Suffolk University in Boston, teaching graduate public relations courses. 

 

Amy Daley
Commercial Insurance Client Executive
Fred C. Church Insurance

Amy Daley is a Commercial Insurance Client Executive, Education Practice at Fred C. Church Insurance. Daley works primarily with clients in the company’s education practice and serves the insurance and risk management needs of education institutions across the U.S., including K-12 independent schools, colleges, universities, public schools, and more.

With more than three decades of insurance industry experience, Daley previously served as healthcare and education practice leader and account manager at FM Global. Prior to joining the mutual insurer in 2010, she held positions as a property and casualty reinsurance underwriter, broker and commercial underwriter, as well as a loss control specialist. She is an undergraduate of Grand Valley State University, Allendale, Michigan and received her MBA from the University of Hartford, Hartford, Connecticut. Amy also has an Associate in Risk Management designation from the Insurance Institute of America, as well as an insurance producer Property & Casualty license. Amy is actively involved in URMIA and The Center for Campus Fire Safety, as well as a volunteer at several non-profits in the community.

John Fellers
CSHEMA Special Representation Liaison and Immediate Past President
Campus Safety Health and Environmental Management Association (CSHEMA)

John Fellers has been working in higher education and campus fire safety for more than twenty years. John is currently an Assistant Director in Environmental Health & Safety at Texas A&M University (TAMU). He is also a Charter Member of the Center for Campus Fire Safety and is the 2020-2021 President of the Campus Safety Health and Environmental Management Association (CSHEMA). John began his career in higher education as an apprentice working on fire safety systems and later crossed over into fire code compliance. John has served in several capacities in higher-ed including Director of EHS and Security, Authority Having Jurisdiction, and Fire Marshal. In addition to this experience, John has more than five years of experience in non-profit association leadership serving on the Board of Trustees for CSHEMA. In his time volunteering at CSHEMA John has led conference planning, multiple communities of practice and committees, promoted professional development, and worked to enhance overall member experience and engagement. 

John holds a Master of Science degree with an emphasis in safety management, is a Certified Safety Professional, Certified Fire Protection Specialist, Certified Fire Inspector, and holds licenses with the State of Texas as a Registered Accessibility Specialist, Flame Effects Operator and Pyrotechnic Special Effects Operator.

Jesse Ferri
Resident Assistant of Vroman Hall
Information Technology, BTB
Campus Engagement Board Leader 
SUNY Cobleskill ITS Helpdesk Assistant

Jesse Ferri, is a current student at SUNY Cobleskill studying Information Technology. He holds many leadership positions on campus such as a Resident Assistant, a Campus Engagement leader, and he also works at the student help desk on campus. Some fun things he likes to do on his free time is to hang out with friends, work on his hydroponic tower garden, and listen to music.  Jesse is a student member of CCFS.
 

 

 

 

 

John Foley
Managing Director
Safer Buildings Coalition (SBC)

John serves as Managing Director of the Safer Buildings Coalition. John serves the SBC mission through policy, regulation, and code development, by solidifying member services and value, and by establishing a strong operational and financial base as tools to propel SBC’s mission. John has held key business development, operations, engineering, and executive roles at telecom service companies such as Level 3 Communications, MFS, and MCI. John was a co-founder of XO Communications where he was VP of Operations and Engineering, and later VP of International Network Development. John led dark fiber provider City Signal Communications in the position of President and CEO. John served as Capture Director for specialty construction firm Henkels and McCoy, a leading DAS Integrator. John also spent several years in television and video production services with PMTV, developing and managing complex video production projects including sports and corporate simulcasts and broadcasts. John participates on the TIA Smart Buildings Working Group and Public Safety Subgroup, and the Smart Cities Council/WIA City Networks Task Force.

John comes from a family with a tradition of first-responder service, with his grandfather, great uncle, brother, and son all serving in the Philadelphia Police department. 

Raymond Patterson
Life Safety & Fire Protection Sales Specialist
Siemens Industry

Raymond is a life safety and fire protection sales specialist for Siemens Industry in Dallas Texas. Raymond has been with Siemens twenty years providing quality fire and life safety systems for general contractors and end users though out Texas. These systems have included clean agent fire suppression systems, fire sprinkler, nurse call, fire detection system, mass notification systems, and firefighter enhancement radio systems. Mr. Patterson understands the complete building and system must work together to provide a quality and safe building for the occupants. Raymond began his career at Carter and Burgess Engineers in Fort Worth Texas in 1979. He was provided with the opportunities to learn how buildings are designed and built. The training and mentorship that was provided, allowed him to gather the expertise in many of the building systems. This includes how they all work together to provide an overall life safety system. At Freese and Nichols Engineers in Fort Worth, he was a senior electrical design engineer. Raymond’s duties included all aspects of electrical systems and fire safety for industrial plants, commercial facilities and K12 education facilities. Raymond is an advocate for fire and life safety. He provides assistance with the Siemens Industry Affairs team on a local and national level. As a member of the Texas Fire Marshal Association, he is able to gain a better understanding the issues fire fighters and inspectors have with building and fire codes.

Mr. Patterson is NICET certified in all three of the fire life safety categories. He is certified as Fire Plans Examiner and Fire Inspection II in Texas (TCFP). He serves as an Alternative Member of the NFPA 1221/1225 committee, representing NEMA. Raymond is a 30-year member and director of the Fort Worth Red Helmets, the volunteer rehab support for the Fort Worth Fire Department. He has been on the North Lake College, Construction Education Foundation (CEF) Advisory council for 20 plus years. The CEF provides training and apprenticeship programs in all aspects of the construction industry.

Chief Shane Ray
President
National Fire Sprinkler Association (NFSA)

Shane Ray began his fire service career in 1984 and worked through the ranks of career and volunteer organizations serving from firefighter to chief. Shane currently serves as President of the National Fire Sprinkler Association, headquartered in Maryland. Shane served 13 years as Fire Chief, and he served six years as the mayor in his hometown of Pleasant View, Tennessee. He also held the position of Superintendent of the South Carolina Fire Academy and as South Carolina State Fire Marshal.

Chief Ray is a graduate of Eastern Kentucky University, Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, the University of Maryland’s Leadership Development Program, and the National Fire Academy’s Executive Fire Officer Program. 

Shane’s education not only comes from universities and institutions but from practical experience as well. Chief Ray currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Congressional Fire Services Institute and remains very active at the local, state, and federal levels involving legislative and regulatory issues impacting the fire service and fire protection.  

Shane was selected as Fire Chief Magazine’s Volunteer Fire Chief of the Year for 2005 and Eastern Kentucky University’s Distinguished Alumnus of the Year award for 2006. He was also selected as Tennessee Fire Chief of the Year in 2011. He was awarded the Order of the Palmetto by Governor Nikki Haley in June of 2014.

Shawn Simons
Motivational Speaker and Fire and Life Safety Educator
After The Fire

Shawn Simons is a burn survivor and an international Motivational Speaker who delivers a first-hand account of surviving a tragic residence hall fire at Seton Hall University in New Jersey when he was a college freshman. Because of a fraternity prank gone wrong, 3 lives were lost and both he and his roommate as well as two others, were severely burned. He now travels the world educating and motivating young adults in colleges and high schools as well in corporate settings that despite the challenges and adversities we all face, we can overcome anything with the right tools. He lives by the motto “Your scars are a reminder that you’re an overcomer and serve a greater purpose.”

Shawn resides in Roselle, NJ where he is married to his wife, Dr. Chinaire Simons, and has two teenage sons, Tamir and Jaylen. Shawn is the one of the main subjects of the New York Times Best-Selling book “After the Fire: A True Story of Friendship and Survival” and the subject of the award-winning documentary “After the Fire: A True Story of Heroes and Cowards.” More of his mission can be found at www.alandshawn.com

Michael Spaziani 
Assistant Vice President, Senior Staff Engineering Specialist, FM Global 

MICHAEL SPAZIANI joined FM Global in January 2000 as a field engineer in Boston Operations. In 2008 Mike took on the role of Manager, Office Engineering & Training in Boston Operations which he held until he moved into account engineering in 2013. Since 2015 Mike has been a member of the Fire Hazards & Protection team within Chief Engineer’s Group. Michael currently holds the position of Assistant Vice President, Manager of Fire Service programs which includes working with fire service agencies worldwide to help them better understand fire protection systems and the commercial/industrial occupancies that they protect. He has worked in the fire service for more than 25 years as a firefighter, officer, fire marshal, and instructor. Michael has a bachelor’s degree in fire science from the University of New Haven. 

L. Vance Taylor
Chief, Office of Access and Functional Needs
California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services

 

Luis “Vance” Taylor is the Chief of the Office of Access and Functional Needs at the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services. Vance leads the team responsible for ensuring the needs of individuals with disabilities and persons with access or functional considerations are identified and integrated into the State’s emergency management systems before, during, and after disasters. Vance was appointed by President Biden to serve as a member of the President National Infrastructure Advisory Council (NIAC) in 2022. As a member of the NIAC, Vance advises the White House on how to reduce physical and cyber risks and how to improve the security and resilience of the nation critical infrastructure sectors. Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Vance was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy as a child and uses a power wheelchair. He has worked in Washington, D.C. as an advisor for two different members of Congress, directed security policy at a national water association, and been a principal at a ranked homeland security and emergency management consulting firm. Vance is a nationally recognized public speaker and advocate for individuals with disabilities. Vance has a Master’s degree in homeland security from the University of Connecticut and an undergraduate degree from Brigham Young University in communications. He is married to his sweetheart, Casey, and they have two wonderful daughters. Vance and his family live in Rancho Cordova, CA.