Parks Moore
Parks Moore is the CEO of S & S Sprinkler Company in Mobile, Ala. He has a Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Vanderbilt University and a Masters in Business Administration from Tulane University. He is a licensed fire protection engineer, a Certified Fire Protection Specialist, and holds a NICET IV certification in automatic sprinkler system layout. He currently serves as an alternate member on the NFPA 13 Technical Committee for Installation and is a principal member of the NFPA 15 Technical Committee for Water Spray Fixed Systems. He is a past president of the Alabama Fire Sprinkler Association and has been actively involved as one of its board members since 2007. Parks is also a member of AFSA, SFPE, and NFPA.
Jack Carbone
Jack Carbone is a University Senior Engineer for Victaulic. Focusing on Continuous Education and Customer Development. He holds a Bachelors of science in Mechanical Engineering from Temple University in Philadelphia, PA and a Masters of Business Administration from Norwich University in Northfield, VT. Currently Jack is a University Course Facilitator specializing in pipe joining and flow control solutions, grooved mechanical joints engineering design principles, Fire protection valves and Sprinklers & flexible sprinkler systems. Course topic relevancy bullet points include: Victaulic Product specialist responsible for directing the development and growth of fire protection valves. – Technical Expert in fire system products. – Over 20 years in the fire protection industry. – NFPA Member (1999-Present). – NFSA E&S Committee Member (2005-2012). – NFPA 13 AUT-SSI Committee Member (2011-2012). – NFPA 13 AUT-SSD Committee Member (2011-2012).
Skip Westbrook
Skip Westbrook is a Territory Manager with Johnson Controls, Inc. He has 22 years of experience in the fire protection industry including both contracting and manufacturing. He joined Chemguard in 2004 and is responsible for the Ansul and Chemguard brand of Johnson Control, Inc. foam hardware and foam agents for systems in the South Central Region. His area of expertise is in flammable liquid fire protection including hazard analysis, protection scheme, and systems hardware requirements down to a components level basis. Skip is considered a leader by his peers in the industry and is often sought for consultation for flammable liquid hazards as well as troubleshooting existing systems. Skip instructs in manufacturer seminars, and has instructed in seminars for the SFPE and the AFSA national conferences. He was a service manager with a large contractor before coming to the manufacturing side of the business. Skip also works in the field performing start-up and commissioning for foam systems of all types. Skip is knowledgeable in sprinkler systems, clean agent systems and fire alarm systems. He is also a licensed fire alarm technician in the state of Texas.
John August Denhardt, FPE, FSFPE
John August Denhardt, FPE, FSFPE, is Vice President of Engineering and Technical Services. He is responsible for strengthening AFSA’s engineering and technical approaches to meeting member, industry and operational priorities, with an emphasis on service, quality, and integrity. Denhardt is a Professional Engineer (P.E.) registered in the District of Columbia as well as the states of Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. In addition to his P.E., he is a NICET Level III in Water-Based System Layout and Inspection & Testing of Water-Based Systems. A native of Maryland, Denhardt holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Fire Protection Engineering from the University of Maryland in College Park.
Prior to accepting this position, Denhardt was employed by Strickland Fire Protection in Forestville, Maryland since 1994, overseeing large scale projects and assisting with design and installation technical issues. He has served as an AFSA instructor, volunteered as a subject matter expert assisting with AFSA training updates, represented the Association on various technical committees, and authored numerous articles in the Association’s flagship publication Sprinkler Age. In 2010, he was named a Fellow in the International Society of Fire Protection Engineers.
George Nicola
George Nicola is a Technical Services Manager for Reliable Automatic Sprinkler Company with over 35 years in the Fire Protection industry including 9 with Reliable. In his current role he is responsible for supporting and presenting products, concepts and ideas to the engineering, contracting and AHJ communities. He has a long history of sprinkler contracting experience including design, sales and management. He is an active member of both sprinkler associations and a previously licensed Fire Protection Contractor in the state of Florida. Educational background includes a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Youngstown State University and an MBA from the State University of New York at Buffalo. He is also CFPS certified through NFPA.
Bob Caputo, CET, CFPS
As the President of AFSA, Bob Caputo, CFPS, is responsible for providing guidance and support to the AFSA Board of Directors while leading AFSA’s experienced team of engineers and other professionals who are dedicated to serving the membership. He will also represent the association, interacting with key stakeholders, including regulatory and other public agencies, and increase the visibility of the value of the fire sprinkler industry and those companies that operate merit shops throughout North America and globally. Caputo also will oversee the association’s efforts to provide educational advancement, promotion, and utilization of automatic fire sprinkler systems in the U.S. and around the world.
Caputo has been an important part of this industry for over 41 years and is a long-time member of AFSA and promoter of merit shop contracting. He is the chair of the NFPA 16 (Foam & Water Sprinkler Systems), NFPA 24, and NFPA 291 Technical Committees, and a member of several other NFPA Technical Committees including NFPA 13 (Installation of Fire Sprinkler Systems and Design/Discharge Criteria for Fire Sprinkler Systems) and NFPA 25 (ITM – Water-Based Fire Protection Systems). He is a contributor to the NFPA 13 and NFPA 25 Handbooks and the NFPA Inspection Manual. Caputo has written and presented seminars throughout the world on fire protection and life-safety systems and is a regular speaker at AFSA and NFPA conventions. He has developed AFSA education and training materials, including its Project Management Tools and ITM Inspector Development programs. Additionally, Caputo has chaired two chapters of AFSA—Arizona and Southern California.
Caputo is the recipient of numerous awards, including Fire Protection Contractor magazine’s “Industry person of the Year,” San Diego County Fire Chief’s Association’s “Fire Prevention Officer of the Year,” and AFSA’s highest honor, the Henry S. Parmelee Award. He attended Chapman College, Orange, California, and the University of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Caputo is a U.S. Navy veteran and former volunteer fire fighter.
Meaghen Willis
Meaghen Wills graduated from the University of Hartford in 2005 with a bachelor’s degree in Communications. Over the last sixteen years she has worked at Anchor Fire Protection in Perkiomenville, PA where she does sales and project management and is active in the local Schuylkill Chapter of AFSA. She is also active in AFSA nationally where she serves on the Convention Committee, Public Education and Awareness Committee, Legislative Committee and serves as Chair of the Next Gen Initiative.
Joe Donato, Business Department, Special Hazards and Development
Joe has been an active participant in the fire protection industry for more than 30 years. In his current role, Joe is responsible for developing business, provide design assistance, and technical support for Viking’s line of Clean Agent and Special Hazards Systems. Joe is NICET certified and has served the industry in both the alarm & detection and fire suppression fields.
Jeffrey LeBlanc, CSP. CIT, CSHO, SSH
Jeffrey LeBlanc is Director of the Loss Control Department at Querbes & Nelson Risk
Management Firm in Shreveport, LA. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Business
Administration from Louisiana Tech University in 1992. His insurance career started in 1994
working as a claims and accident specialist for three major insurance companies over a fifteenyear
time span. Jeffrey has an extensive background in property and casualty claims in both
commercial and residential applications.
He has attained his Certified Safety Professional (CSP) and Certified Instructional Trainer (CIT)
designations from the Board of Certified Safety Professionals in 2019 and 2020. He received his
Certified Safety and Health Official (CSHO)designation in Construction and his Specialist in
Safety & Health (SSH) designations in General Industry from the University of Texas at
Arlington.
Other certifications attained include his Certified Occupational Safety Specialist Certification
(COSS), CPR and First Aid Certified Instructor, PEC Safeland Certified Instructor, PEC Pipeline
Certified Instructor, OSHA 500 Construction outreach trainer, H2S Awareness Trainer. He is a
licensed insurance agent in Property & Casualty and Life & Health in the State of Louisiana.
Jeffrey specializes in jobsite hazards mitigation, crisis claims management, OSHA inspections
and investigations, and third party administrator compliance and assistance for his customers.
Katie Meehan – Director of Marketing – VSC Fire & Security
Born and raised in Virginia, Katie Meehan began pursuing a career in marketing and branding upon graduating from Virginia Tech. She is now the Director of Marketing at VSC Fire and Security. Headquartered in Richmond, Va VSC has over 20 offices spanning the East Coast and west into Arkansas. Before joining VSC, Meehan worked in various positions at wineries, breweries and cideries, which has led to her hybrid background of sales, marketing, and branding.
Meehan specializes in branding and business development and is passionate about helping companies find their voice and connect to their customers. When she is not in the office, she can usually be found teaching at the yoga studio.