Charon McNabb

Charon holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Electrical Engineering from Lawrence Technological University. She spent 25 years in automotive development focused on new technology with General Motors, Denso and Magna International. She also dealt directly with the National Highway Safety Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) driving new backup camera regulation that began in 2018. Ms. McNabb previously co-founded Global Advance Sales & Marketing, helping guide manufacturers and inventors through the automotive sales process, driving growth and profitability. She also founded NCOAA in 2015, after struggling with 11 years of chronic CO poisoning from 3 low-level home appliance leaks and was repeatedly misdiagnosed with TBI, COPD and early onset Alzheimer’s disease.

Ken Boyce PE

Ken Boyce is a Corporate Fellow in the William Henry Merrill Society at UL Solutions, reserved for the highest level of technical achievement, external recognition, and contributions to UL’s Safety Mission.  He also serves as the Senior Director, Principal Engineering for UL’s Industrial testing, inspection & certification business, serving as chief technical officer overseeing global technical operations for the Energy & Industrial Automation, Built Environment,   Engineered Materials, and Identity Management Services units. This role spans renewable energy technologies, energy storage and e-mobility, advanced grid technologies, industrial automation and Industry 4.0, protective technologies, oil & gas, and hazardous locations, fire detection/suppression/reaction, security and signaling systems, wire & cable, polymers, and related sectors.  

Ken is very active in the standards and code development community and serves as the Chairman of National Electrical Code Panel 1 and the Solar Energy Industries Association Codes & Standards Working Group. He represents UL in global safety initiatives and serves as the Chairman of UL’s Electrical Council.  He works closely with the U.S. Department of Energy, National Laboratories, and academic institutions to advance scientific knowledge, including leading a number of significant research projects.  He serves as a member of several advisory boards, including the DuraMAT Consortium, SolarAPP+, and Securing Solar for the Grid (S2G).  He is a frequent speaker and lecturer on energy, safety, and risk management, and technology at global symposia, government events, and universities.

Ken has decades of leadership experience in safety engineering across many sectors and is an active advocate for consumer safety and STEM education. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology and is a Registered Professional Engineer in Illinois.

Mark Pung

Mark Pung boasts over two decades of executive management expertise at Magna International. As a dynamic team leader, he propelled sales to surpass $1 billion, overseeing sales & marketing, program management, and product design teams. Mark's adeptness in cultivating executive-level relationships at OEMs and introducing innovative technologies, like the first plastic lift-gate and video mirrors, has been instrumental in driving mutual sales growth. With extensive knowledge across automotive products, he continues to make significant strides in the industry.

Roger Berkowitz

Roger Berkowitz is the founder and CEO of Legal Sea Foods Marketplace, an e-commerce and retail company delivering superior quality, sustainable seafood nationwide. He was formerly President & CEO of Legal Sea Foods, a position he held for almost 30 years, before selling the family-owned restaurant group. 
 
Roger is a member of NOAA’s Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee and is founding President of the Massachusetts Seafood Collaborative. In addition, he serves on the Regional Selection Panel for the President’s Commission on White House Fellowships, on the leadership council at the Harvard School of Public Health and on the Board for Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. 
 
Roger graduated from the Newhouse School at Syracuse University and attended executive education programs at Harvard Business School, University of London School of Business and Stanford Graduate School of Business. He holds an honorary master’s degree from the Culinary Institute of America and honorary doctorates from Johnson & Wales University, Newbury College, Salem State University, Nichols College and New England College of Business. In addition, he has been honored with a James Beard Award.

Torine Creppy

Torine Creppy is the president of Safe Kids Worldwide, a global nonprofit dedicated to protecting kids from preventable injuries. 

For nearly 22 years, Ms. Creppy has dedicated her career to making a meaningful difference in the lives of children and families, especially the most vulnerable. As president of Safe Kids, she works with partners, donors, legislators, and community leaders around the world to develop and implement strategic initiatives, create partnerships, and inspire behavior change to keep kids safe at home, on the road and at play. 

Under Ms. Creppy’s leadership, the Safe Kids Buckle Up® program has evolved into the most comprehensive child passenger safety program in the world and the Safe Kids pedestrian safety program has reached more that 20 million children in 10 countries. Ms. Creppy is a passionate advocate on Capitol Hill and is dedicated to finding new ways to reach high-risk and underserved communities. She also focuses on emerging issues such as child safety in automated vehicles. 

In addition to her work at Safe Kids, Ms. Creppy is committed to other organizations who share her passion for helping children and families. She is on the YWCA National Capital Area Board of Directors, St. John’s Community Services Board of Directors, National Carbon Monoxide Awareness Association, the Board of Directors Advisory Board of Hop Skip Drive, a Lifesavers Board Member and on the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee of The International Consumer Product Health and Safety Organization (ICPHSO). She is also a member of the American Public Health Association, National Urban League, NAACP, the National Head Start Association, Junior League of Washington, a Lifetime member of Leadership Greater Washington, and a Chief Member.

Ms. Creppy enjoys volunteering in direct outreach and advocacy for homelessness initiatives, reading autobiographies, 5K marathons for causes, youth mentoring and spending time with her teenage son. 

Ms. Creppy lives with her family in Upper Marlboro, Maryland.

Louise Laing

Louise Laing is a native of Scotland, United Kingdom and has lived in Michigan since 2012. Louise is Vice President of Sales, responsible for developing and enacting strategies for business development at Crowcon Detection Instruments Ltd, North America division. Crowcon is a leader in developing and manufacturing fixed and portable gas detection to many industries, protecting both people and buildings. Louise’s previous roles include operations and sales at Apollo America Inc who specialized in developing and manufacturing smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Louise received a master’s in business management at Portsmouth University in Portsmouth, England. Louise is very proud to have become an American Citizen in 2022.

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Neal Zipser

Neal Zipser is the Industry Affairs Manager with the Knox Company. Neal manages the company’s relationships it has with fire industry organizations and is the company’s primary liaison with the fire service. In his current role, Neal works with fire departments and industry/state associations on rapid entry programs, public education activities and other community risk reduction initiatives, including carbon monoxide (CO) awareness. Prior to joining Knox, he held the same position with Kidde and spoke regularly on home smoke alarm and CO detection technology and how families can better protect themselves from the hazards of fire. Before joining Kidde in 2012, Neal worked for 20 years in the automotive industry where he led marketing and communications activities for several organizations. 

Kevin J. Sehlmeyer

Kevin Sehlmeyer was appointed the Michigan state fire marshal in April 2017.  Sehlmeyer leads the Bureau of Fire Services within the State of Michigan’s Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs.  He serves as an ex-officio member of the Michigan Fire Fighters Training Council and State Fire Safety Board.  Sehlmeyer also leads a state-wide community risk reduction effort, known as MI Prevention, to make communities safer and reduce fire fatalities.  Sehlmeyer has also been a director with the International Fire Marshals Association since 2018.  
 
Prior to his appointment as Michigan state fire marshal, Sehlmeyer served as the deputy fire chief of the Grand Rapids Fire Department.  After 30+ years with the department, he retired in January 2016.  Before joining the Grand Rapids Fire Department, Sehlmeyer was a crash rescue firefighter for the Michigan Air National Guard for six years. Sehlmeyer holds a bachelor’s degree in management and organizational development from Spring Arbor University.

Sehlmeyer has volunteered as the state Lead Advocate in Michigan for the Nation Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) since 2012 and since 2016, he has served as the NFFF Lead Volunteer Regional Advocate coordinating regional efforts in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan.
 

Thomas Overbeck

Thomas Overbeck has over 40 years of hospital and healthcare construction renovation experience within the occupied hospital environment.  He is employed at HC Beck, Ltd. in Dallas, Texas as a Healthcare Operations Manager.  Currently he is responsible for oversight of all healthcare renovation projects and overseeing multiple projects in many of the major healthcare systems in the DFW Metroplex.  

Married to wife Carol for 26 years, they share one son, two step sons, five grandchildren and two dogs.  

Tom lost both of his parents in March 2003 to accidental carbon monoxide poisoning at their retirement facility.  His passion is to change legislation and spread education and awareness of the dangers of CO poisoning in hopes of preventing the many needless tragedies from occurring to others.  

In 2009, he succeeded in getting legislation passed in the State of Michigan called the “Overbeck Law” (Michigan Legislature Section 125.1504f) which requires all new homes built in the State to have carbon monoxide detectors.

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