Nick has worked in the smoke and fire detection industry for over 25 years. He started as an electrical engineer and progressed into sales and marketing. Most recently he served as Senior Vice President, Sales & Marketing of BRK Brands, Inc. a subsidiary of Newell Brands Inc. (NYSE: NWL), a Fortune 500 diversified manufacturer of First Alert® safety and security products for the home. As Senior Vice President of Sales & Marketing, he directed the Division’s sales and marketing efforts in the U.S., Latin America, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Nick earned his MBA from Northwestern University and holds a BS of Electrical Engineering from Illinois Institute of Technology. He was formerly convener of the ISO Working Group on residential smoke alarms, and an active participant in fire detection Standards harmonization efforts.

Philicia McCauley recently accepted the position of Finance Manager, with the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, in Emmittsburg, MD and has 35 years of accounting experience. During the period of 2003 – 2017, Philicia worked with a worldwide humanitarian non- profit organization. The last few years, she served as Manager, Domestic Finance, responsible for investments and annuity funds, in excess of $200 million, as well as donor trusts and bequests.

Beverley Walker serves as the Director of the Fire and Emergency Services Administration degree program at East Georgia State College in Swainsboro, Georgia. Beverley has 25 years of experience as a career firefighter and officer, with a major focus in the area of fire and life safety education and prevention. Beverley has a Master’s of Science degree in Public Administration, as well as a Masters of Education degree. She is a graduate of the Executive Fire Officer Program at the National Fire Academy. Beverley has been involved in instructional design and curriculum development for the Georgia Fire Academy and the National Fire Academy. She is a contract instructor for the National Fire Academy as well. Beverley has been a technical writer for several training publications, and is a contributing author to the textbook Firefighter Safety and Survival by Ford.

Kelly Church, a graduate of Wake Forest University, has worked over 25 years in Information Technology at Lowe’s, beginning as a computer programmer and progressing to an IT project manager. Throughout her career, she has led department service projects to support schools, to assist underprivileged families, and has supported a children's homes and a soup kitchen. After her retirement, she started a new career at Wilkes Community College, where she is currently the Bookstore Manager. Kelly has owned two Dalmatians, Cody and Dino, and loves the breed. Her love of Dalmatians led to her support of Molly, her predecessors and KKFSF.

Dee Forbush, wife of a firefighter, has worked in the pediatric medical field the past 26 years.

Over the years she has served on numerous boards and committees for non-profit organizations. With the fire service being an important part of her life, she loves working with the Keep Kids Fire Safe Foundation.

Proactive and fire-safety orientated, Roxann Grzetich worked well especially with children of all ages, through her efforts with Lockport Fire Dept. During that time, she was awarded “Citizen of the Year” for her work on the Department promoting fire safety on Crest Hill Community Television. Roxann and her Firefighter husband were also proud owners of a Dalmatian, “Sparky” for 16 years. Fire safety, especially for children, has been and continues to be Roxann’s passion.

Julie Haden is an educator in first grade at Freedom Crossing Academy in St. Johns County, Florida. Julie is known for creating a fun and inviting classroom for her students through a variety of modalities. Julie can be found on any given day using Skype in the Classroom, integrating music within her lessons, and incorporating a variety of technology tools with her students. In addition, Julie is a Seesaw Ambassador and an Edcamp St. Augustine organizer.

Firefighter Dayna Hilton and her fire safety dogs have made it their mission to save lives, reduce injuries and decrease property loss from fire for almost two decades. As a second generation firefighter, Hilton joined the fire service in August 2000 and is recognized as one of the leading fire safety educators in the country. Hilton is Founder and Executive Director of Keep Kids Fire Safe® Foundation, owner of Firehouse Dog Publishing, LLC® and the author of the award- winning, critically acclaimed children's fire safety book and audio book, Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog.