Fire Protection Research Foundation Board of Trustees Welcomes Two New Members
The Fire Protection Research Foundation, the research affiliate of NFPA, has appointed two new members to its Board of Trustees. Effective January 1, 2021, Lou Gritzo of FM Global and Peg Paul of Peg Paul Associates will serve three-year terms. The Research Foundation also announced that Rodger Reiswig from Johnson Controls and Thomas Gell from Brandforsk Sweden will serve a second round of three-year terms on the Board of Trustees.
Dr. Lou Gritzo is currently the vice president and manager of research with FM Global and is charged with overseeing a division of scientists who specialize in fire, explosions, natural hazards (windstorms, floods, earthquakes), equipment, risk and reliability and cyber hazards. Given FM Global’s interest in understanding property hazards and identifying scientifically proven solutions to prevent property and business interruption loss, Gritzo is a strong fit for the Research Foundation leadership role. Gritzo has served on NFPA’s Research Advisory Committee, as well. A graduate of Texas Tech University with a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering and a minor in applied mathematics, Gritzo has served as chair of both the Board of Directors of the Innovation Research Interchange (formerly the Industrial Research Institute) and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Heat Transfer Division Executive Committee. He has also served on the Governing Board of the Global Earthquake Model, the ABET Industrial Advisory Committee, and spent time on the Research Foundation’s Research Advisory Committee as well as committees for several universities.
Peg Paul is currently the president of Peg Paul & Associates (PPA), a marketing communications agency founded in 2000 that specializes in developing and implementing multi-integrated information and education campaigns. PPA supports a wide range of client needs but has especially established a niche in public safety promotion and has been retained for this purpose by some of the leading national safety advocacy groups, trade associations and industries. Paul has been the communications manager for the Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition since 1997, where she oversees the development and implementation of educational programs for consumers, members of the fire service, the home building industry, real estate and insurance agents, water purveyors and other targeted groups. She also serves on the International Association of Fire Chiefs, Fire and Life Safety Section, and was an invaluable member of the Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors Board of Directors for ten years. Paul was also recognized as the 2014 Fire Sprinkler Advocate of the Year by the American Fire Sprinkler Association.
We welcome and thank Dr. Gritzo and Peg Paul.
