FEMA-FICO
National Advisory Board Member
Jeff Pauley (Chair) is a retired public and private fire investigator and internationally recognized expert in fire service safety and health. He is a senior partner and the manager of the Fire Group at Pacific Pointe Consulting, Inc. in Summerfield, NC, and serves on multiple fire service safety research project advisory boards. He holds a master's degree in occupational safety and health from Columbia Southern University and two undergraduate degrees from the University of Maryland. He is a member of the North Carolina chapter of the International Association of Arson Investigators and the American Society of Safety Professionals.
Brad Creasy is the Executive Director of the Virginia Department of Fire Programs, an agency responsible for firefighter professional development and the code enforcement through the State Fire Marshals Office. He is an accomplished public safety professional with three decades of Fire and EMS experience, including twenty-one years with the City of Roanoke Fire Department and fifteen years as the fire chief for the Town of Bedford. Creasy is a graduate of Liberty University and holds the Chief Fire Officer designation from the Center for Public Safety Excellence.
James H. Shanley Jr. is an internationally recognized fire, arson, and explosion investigator, forensic engineer, and licensed Professional Engineer with more than 30 years of experience in fire and explosion forensics. He recently retired from Travelers Insurance after a 25-year career leading global fire investigations and forensic engineering operations. Shanley has testified extensively as an expert witness in U.S. and Canadian courts and currently serves as Chair of the NFPA Technical Committee on Fire Investigation. He holds degrees from Villanova University and Worcester Polytechnic Institute and remains active as Chief of the Pleasant Valley Volunteer Fire Department and Emergency Management Director for Barkhamsted, Connecticut.
Casey D. Stotts is an experienced public safety professional with a distinguished background in fire service, law enforcement, emergency management, and fire investigation. He currently serves as Deputy Sheriff and Emergency Management Director for McLeod County, Minnesota, and previously held leadership roles, including Assistant Chief of the Hutchinson Fire Department and Minnesota Deputy State Fire Marshal–Investigations. A Certified Fire Investigator (CFI), licensed firefighter, and POST-certified police officer, Stotts has also served as an instructor for FEMA, the National Fire Academy, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and the Minnesota State College system.
Scott Shear (Co-Chair) is the Western Vice President of the New York Chapter of the International Association of Arson Investigators. He Chairs the Training and Education Committee and is responsible for providing training to all its members. Scott was a Fire Investigator with the Monroe County Sheriff's Office, Rochester, NY until he retired in 2016. He currently is the Northeast Manager and Senior Fire Investigator for Fire Research and Technology in NY. Scotts holds the IAAI-CFI(V) designation with the International Association of Arson Investigators.
Sunnie Batson has served her home county fire department since 2004, progressing through multiple leadership roles to her current position as Deputy Fire Marshal. Her responsibilities include fire investigations, fire inspections, construction plans review, and code compliance inspections. In 2023, Batson was diagnosed with complex cystic thyroid nodules, resulting in surgery to remove part of her thyroid. After learning that two fellow fire service peers had received malignant thyroid cancer diagnoses, she became a strong advocate for occupational cancer awareness and prevention within the fire service community, particularly among fire investigators. She remains committed to education, prevention, and firefighter health advocacy.
Nicole Brewer is a certified fire and explosion investigator and instructor with over 29 years of fire service experience, including 18 years with Portland Fire Investigations. She has investigated more than 3,500 fire-related incidents and holds multiple national certifications through IAAI and NAFI. As an advisor to the research committee, Nicole contributes both practical experience and technical expertise to efforts focused on improving fire investigator safety.
Robert Duval serves as the New England Regional Director and Fire Investigator for the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), a global nonprofit dedicated to reducing fire, electrical, and related hazards. In his role, he leads investigations of significant fire and emergency incidents throughout the New England region to identify critical lessons learned that can improve emergency response and strengthen NFPA codes and standards. His work includes analyzing emergency response operations, incident conditions, structural factors, and contributing causes. Through collaboration with fire departments and stakeholders, Duval helps translate real-world incidents into actionable fire safety improvements nationwide.
Tom Mooney has 30 years of various experience in the fire service. Tom has worked as a firefighter/EMT, rope rescue technician, confined space technician, HazMat Technician, ARFF firefighter, 911 dispatcher, fire inspector, fire investigator and deputy fire marshal. Tom currently works as the Fire Marshal for Redmond Fire & Rescue in Oregon. Tom also serves on the NFPA Respiratory Protection Committee, serves as Chair for the International Association of Arson Investigators Health & Safety Committee and currently serves on the Oregon Fire Service Health & Safety Collaborative.
Eric Valliere has served in the fire service for more than 34 years, beginning with the Mesa Fire Department in 1991 before joining the Scottsdale Fire Department as a Battalion Chief in 2005. He currently serves as Assistant Fire Chief over Professional Services, overseeing training, administration, fleet operations, resource management, and safety and wellness programs. Valliere has been a leader within the Fire Department Safety Officers Association (FDSOA) since 2013 and currently serves as Board Chair. He is widely recognized for advancing firefighter safety culture, health initiatives, and regional and national safety collaboration programs.
Shawn Johnson dedicated more than 19 years to the fire service as a firefighter, fire inspector, and certified fire investigator. A National Association of Fire Investigators (NAFI) Certified Fire and Explosion Investigator (CFEI) since 2011, he served on a 25-member public fire investigation team in Hennepin County, Minnesota, supporting a community of nearly 1.3 million residents. Johnson was also an active member of the International Association of Arson Investigators (IAAI) and served as 2nd Vice President of the Minnesota Chapter. Following his stage 4 cancer diagnosis in 2024, he became a passionate advocate for cancer awareness and prevention in the fire service community. Shawn Johnson passed away in February 2026, leaving behind a legacy of dedication, leadership, and commitment to firefighter health and safety.
John S. Cunningham is the Executive Director of the North American Fire Training Directors (NAFTD), representing fire training systems across the United States and Canada. With more than 20 years of experience in fire training leadership, he is recognized for advancing firefighter education, accreditation, and professional standards. Previously, he led the Nova Scotia Firefighters School, modernizing training systems and strengthening national partnerships. Cunningham has also held key leadership roles with the International Fire Service Accreditation Congress (IFSAC) and The Pro Board, contributing to accreditation processes and NFPA professional qualification standards.