The SFPE Foundation, a charitable non-profit organization focused on enhancing the scientific understanding of fire and its interaction with the social, natural, and built environments, announces the appointment of four new members to its board of governors.  

The new governors, whose terms take effect May 1, include the following:  

• Sean Cutting, Director, Industry Relations, Water-based Suppression, Johnson Controls Inc.

• Jonathan L. Hodges, PhD, Director of Modeling, Jensen Hughes

• Xinyan Huang, PhD, Associate Professor, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

• Bryan Klein, Senior Support Engineer, Thunderhead Engineering 

These leaders bring wide-ranging expertise in water-based suppression systems, computational fire modeling, wildland fire science, and fire safety engineering education and software development. Their combined experience reflects the global and interdisciplinary nature of the Foundation’s mission. 

“We’re excited to welcome Sean, Jonathan, Xinyan, and Bryan to the SFPE Foundation Board of Governors,” said Leslie Marshall, Ph.D., director, SFPE Foundation. “Together, they bring a remarkable breadth of experience across research, innovation, and industry engagement. More importantly, they each share a deep commitment to furthering the Foundation’s vision of the Grand Challenges Initiative, and WUI programs. Their insight and leadership will be instrumental in shaping our strategic direction and amplifying the impact of our research and education programs.” 

Newly appointed Governor Sean Cutting shared, “It’s an exciting time in the fire protection industry with increasing global awareness and adoption. What better organization than the SFPE Foundation to help advance solutions to rapidly changing hazards to provide resilient protection?” 

In reflecting on his appointment to the Board, Dr. Jonathan Hodges emphasized the changing nature of the field: “The role of fire protection engineering is evolving over time with a greater focus on wildland fires, batteries, and artificial intelligence. The Foundation can play a pivotal role in the global fire protection industry meeting these challenges. I am excited to take on a larger role in guiding the Foundation’s initiatives to improve the applied science of fire safety.” 

The SFPE Foundation also acknowledges the invaluable contributions of outgoing Governors Ann Jeffers, Shamim Rashid-Sumar, Noah Ryder, and Manny Silva. Their contributions to the Foundation’s mission have been truly outstanding.