Amanda Kimball Named 2025 President of the Society of Fire Protection Engineers
January 21, 2025: Gaithersburg, Maryland – The Society of Fire Protection Engineers (SFPE), the world’s leading professional society for fire protection and fire safety engineering, has named Amanda Kimball, PE, FSFPE, its 2025 President, and Shamim Rashid-Sumar, PE, FSFPE, its President-Elect.
Amanda Kimball, PE, FSFPE, is the Executive Director at the Fire Protection Research Foundation, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) research affiliate. Kimball's background experience includes fire protection engineering consulting with expertise in building code life safety analyses, design of fire protection systems, fire and egress modeling of buildings and subway stations, and risk analysis. Kimball has been an SFPE member for more than 20 years, has served on the SFPE Board of Directors since 2017, and served as the Secretary-Treasure from 2021 through 2023.
Amanda has also contributed extensively to SFPE through her involvement on various committees. From 2014 to 2015, she served on the Nomination Committee and the Research, Tools, and Methods Committee as part of the Subcommittee on Research & Innovation. In this role, Amanda chaired a working group tasked with developing the research roadmap for fire protection engineering, now serving as a critical guide for the SFPE Foundation’s projects. Amanda’s leadership and commitment to advancing fire protection engineering have solidified her as a respected figure in the field and a key contributor to the growth and success of SFPE.
Shamim Rashid-Sumar, PE, FSFPE is Senior Vice President, Fire Codes and Standards at the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association (NRMCA). In her current role, Shamim works with National Model Building Codes and International Standards Organizations to advocate for resilience and sustainability in the built environment. She also provides technical support regarding codes, standards, regulations and legislation at the national, state, and local level. She is a member of the ICC Multi-Hazard Resiliency for Residential Construction Committee, ASTM E05 Fire Standards Technical Committee, Associate Member of ACI 216 Committee on Fire Resistance and Fire Protection of Structures and ACI 560 Design and Construction with Insulating Concrete Forms, and a Principal Member of NFPA Technical Committees on Fire Tests, Building Construction, Fire Protection Features, Residential Occupancies, and Structures, Construction and Materials, among others.
Jimmy Jönsson, FSFPE, has been elected as Secretary-Treasurer. Mark Hopkins, PE, FSFPE, Elizabeth (Carcone) Pennacchio, PE, PMSFPE, and Michael Wojcik, PE, PMSFPE have been elected to the SFPE Board of Directors. Each will begin their term on January 1, 2025.
“As SFPE continues to expand its global reach and influence, we are thrilled to welcome some of the brightest minds in fire protection and fire safety engineering to our leadership team,” said Chris Jelenewicz, PE, FSFPE, Chief Executive Officer of the Society of Fire Protection Engineers. “The 2025 elected leaders bring a wealth of expertise, passion, and a forward-thinking approach that will drive the Society’s mission toward innovation, sustainability, and advancing professional excellence. Together, we are poised to strengthen SFPE’s programs, elevate our impact worldwide, and champion the evolution of the fire protection engineering profession.”
John Denhardt, PE, ET, FSFPE, CWBSP (2024-2026), John Frank, PE, FSFPE (2023-2025), Shaun Kelly, PEng, CEng, MIEI, PMSFPE (2020-2025), Fang Li, PE, FSFPE (2023-2025), Albert Simeoni, PhD, PMSFPE (2024-2026), and Jeffrey Tubbs, PE, FSFPE (2024-2026) continue their service on the Society’s Board of Directors. SFPE will be soliciting nominations for the 2025 leadership roles in the coming months.
Additional information about the Society of Fire Protection Engineers and its programs is available at sfpe.org.
