Hamel is a 10-year career research and project specialist with a public safety, strategic and tactical marketing, public relations, event management and fundraising background. She was the Project Manager for the Safe & Secure Schools program to improve the safety and security by reducing risks in the K-12 school environment, and co-creator of an all-hazards emergency planning tool for school administrators and first responders.
President Mike Halligan said, "Amy's experience and enthusiasm will be a tremendous asset to the Center. We welcome her to our organization and look forward to her contributions."
Hamel is an experienced lecturer, most recently speaking at the National Fire Protection Association World Safety Conference and the 2007 National Campus Security Summit.
A veteran to the fire safety industry, Hamel also spent several years at the Office of the State Fire Marshal researching the fire and burn injury statistics for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. She is a graduate of Saint Anselm College with a degree in criminal justice.
"I'm looking forward to the future of the Center for Campus Fire Safety", said Hamel. "I am working with a dedicated highly motivated Board of Directors, an Advisory Panel with a wealth of wisdom and a very interested group of sponsors. Together we will continue to provide a place for those interested in campus fire safety to share ideas and learn from their peers."
"We're on the move and getting ready to announce more innovative new programs" said Paul D. Martin, vice president of CCFS, "and the appointment of two new board members, Alan Sactor and Gail Minger, will help us to expand the potential of CCFS and manage our operations."
Alan Sactor is an assistant director with the University of Maryland, Department of Environmental Safety and the University Fire Marshal where he manages a staff of 10 full and part time deputy fire marshals, fire inspectors and fire protection engineers. Appointed as a special Assistant State Fire Marshal, Alan has over 30 years of experience in fire protection and the fire service including working as a firefighter/paramedic in the Washington D.C. area. Sactor is a principal member of the Technical Committee for NFPA 1037, Standard for Professional Qualifications for Fire Marshal. He was a participant and presenter at the first USFA/NFPA Forum on Campus Fire Safety and the first National Summit on Campus Fire Safety. He has delivered presentations nationally on campus fire safety, fire protection, and general safety. Sactor is a Certified Fire Protection Specialist and holds a Master of Science in Environmental Management.
Gail Minger, formally part of CCFS's Advisory Panel will now serve on the Board of Directors. In 1998 Gail Minger's son, Michael, was killed in an arson fire at Murray State University where he was enrolled in the university's disability program for students with learning disability. Minger has since devoted herself to working as a campus fire safety advocate, ultimately selected by Kentucky Governor Ernie Fletcher to head a special task force charged conducting a comprehensive examination and evaluation of campus safety at Kentucky's colleges and universities.
