Like most other non-profit organizations, iWomen receives its guidance and governance from a board of trustees who volunteer their time. Unlike some non-profits, iWomen also relies on its trustees to do much of the work of the organization. The women listed here have worked hard, some of them for many years, for a cause they believe in.
The board meets throughout the year via conference calls and face to face meetings to coordinate and report on activities, review finances, decide on new initiatives, and draw up the budget for the coming year.
It can involve many different things: representing iWomen on committees, staffing a iWomen booth at other organizations' conferences, helping draft new policies and procedures, working on improving outreach to under-represented groups, writing articles for the newsletter, holding meetings with local fire service women, being a local contact for individual women who need support, presenting workshops at iWomen conferences, helping organize those conferences and leadership seminars, attending seminars or serving on task groups, forwarding local information to the national office about promotions, injuries, deaths, important legislation or lawsuits, and so forth. The list is extensive, and it is constantly growing. All of these women deserve recognition for the many hours of effort they put forth for iWomen purely out of their commitment to fire service women networking.
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Jeanne Pashalek
President
(2011-2012) |
Jeanne Pashalek (email) is currently the Battalion Chief of Emergency Services with Lincoln Fire & Rescue. She is responsible for the management of seven fire stations and half of the personnel on her shift. The duties/responsibilities include the command of operations during emergency incidents, supervision of personnel and equipment, growth and development of personnel, and administrative and management details assigned by the fire chief. Jeanne has been actively involved throughout her career in various capacities with Lincoln Fire & Rescue. She has been involved with public education, Recruitment Committee, EEO Diversity Committee, Hazardous Materials Team member, NETF-1 Urban Search & Rescue member, CPR Instructor, accreditation committee member, and a member of the Nebraska Critical Incident Stress Management Program. She began her career in 1990 as a firefighter and has held the positions of FF, FF/Paramedic, Captain, EMS Supervisor, and currently Battalion Chief. She is married with two daughters and sons-in-laws and one grandchild. Jeanne and her husband have an acreage and live a lifestyle that focuses on self-sustainability. She enjoys the outdoors, sports, and traveling.
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Laura Baker
Vice President/Treasurer
(2011-2012) |
Laura (email) is the Deputy Chief of Fire Prevention for the Tucson Fire Department, Tucson Arizona. She has been with TFD for 16 years. Laura promoted through the ranks of firefighter, paramedic, and captain to deputy chief. She has been in her current position nearly a year. Where she oversees the fire cause investigation unit, public education unit and the public information officer. At the beginning of the year, she will add to her responsibilities the fire prevention and code enforcement and will become the fire code official for Tucson. She was previously the training chief where she oversaw recruitment, recruit training, regional training, promotional processes and emergency medical certifications.
Laura was a member of the hazardous material team for 6 years as a firefighter and paramedic and also served as a training captain for nearly two years and was also a captain for one of Tucson Fire’s rapid response teams that are trained in hazmat and technical rescue. Laura also spent time as an EMS Captain which is a member of the district management team and assists the battalion chief with various administrative duties. As a captain in the field, she spent time on ladder and engine companies.
Laura received her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from UC Berkeley in 1992 and received an Associates degree in Paramedicine from Pima Community College in 1997. Laura earned a Master of Science in Fire Service Administration from Arizona State University in December 2004. And is a recent graduate from the Executive Fire Officer Program (EFOP) in March 2007.
She serves on the Tucson Fire Department’s Critical Incident Stress Management Team since 1999 and also on the Northwest Fire Districts Interagency Critical Incident Stress Management Team since 2001. She is a Peer Fitness Trainer for her department.
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Carol Brown
Secretary
2008-2011
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Carol [email] is a lieutenant with the Boulder, Colorado, Fire/Rescue Department, where she is currently assigned to an engine company. She has been in the fire service since 1991 and a member of WFS since 1992. She is currently a member of the Technical Rescue, as well as spending 10 years on the department's Hot Irons Wildland Response team and 16 years as a Senior Dive Rescue Specialist.
Carol is also a member of IAFF Local 900 and a member of the negotiations team that successfully negotiated a three-year contact using the concept of interest-based bargaining. She was actively involved with the 2003 WFS conference in Denver, and became a trustee of WFS in early 2006.
Carol says WFS has been instrumental in her fire service career, giving her motivation to promote and further her goals. "I feel pride knowing there is an organization promoting the advancements of women in the fire service and giving women already in this field the tools to go further. WFS truly works on breaking barriers and is vigilant in this pursuit."
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Helen Graham
Trustee |
Helen (email) is currently in a Deputy Forest Fire staff position for the Tonto National Forest. She has been in wildland firefighting since 1992 where she began her career on Type 3 and Type 6 engines. In 2005 she accepted the position of Assistant State Fire Management Officer for the entire Arizona program for BLM. In this position she had the opportunity to cooperate with national groups to develop policy and programs to improve firefighter safety and program effectiveness.
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Michelle Stanbury
Trustee |
Michelle (email) is currently a Captain with the City of Ypsilanti Fire Department. Michelle became the first woman fire fighter for the City of Ypsilanti Fire Department in October 1987. She was promoted to Lieutenant in 1996 and to Captain in 1999. Her duties include: shift commander, EMS, fire suppression, various administrative duties to include payroll, budget, liaison to Central Dispatch, Pub Ed and Dangerous Building inspections.
During her career, Michelle has served as the public education liaison with the Ypsilanti School District, teaching hundreds of children the Risk Watch program in an after school setting; co-Chair of the No Family Without a Christmas program; co-Chair of the IAFF Local 401 Annual Pancake Breakfast; Treasurer of IAFF Local 401; sat on two committees for the MPFFU. One of the highlights of Michelle’s career happened in 2002, when she traveled to Utah and worked with the Park City FD during the Winter Olympics.
Outside of work, Michelle has participated in the Susan G Komen 3 Day for a Cure event, as a walker in 2006 and as a vital member of the Camp Medical Crew since 2007.
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Karen Simpson
Trustee |
Karen (email) is currently a first-class Professional Firefighter with the Chatham-Kent Fire Department in Chatham-Kent, Ontario, Canada.
She is in her sixth year with the CKFD, having served two years as a representative on her department’s Health and Safety Committee. In 2003, Karen attended Navarro College Fire Academy in Texas where she achieved the National Fire Protection Association’s standards for Firefighting – Levels I and II.
Karen earned a Master of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees from Eastern Michigan University in 1999 and 2001, respectively. She received a full athletic scholarship and was a four-year letter winner as a member of the EMU Eagles’ volleyball team.
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Susan Tamme
Trustee |
Susan (email) is currently a Captain with the Tampa Fire Rescue in Tampa Florida. She has served in numerous positions, during her 17 years of service, with increasing responsibility including: Firefighter, Paramedic, Lieutenant and her current position as Captain.
Captain Tamme is a member of Florida’s Urban Search and Rescue Task Force 3 and was deployed and participated in the emergency activities for Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Susan is a Florida State Certified Hazmat Technician and has served on her department’s Hazardous Material Team and is certified to teach to the IAFF Hazmat Technician level. She is also a Florida State Certified Fire Inspector.
In addition to her professional life, Captain Tamme is a devoted wife and mother to three children. Her free time is spent traveling, golfing with her husband Michael, reading, playing the piano and other outdoor activities.
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Amanda Haas
Trustee
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Amanda (email) is currently a Reserve Firefighter with the City of Glove (AZ) Fire Department.
She joined the fire service when she was 24, starting with EMS. Working in a smaller department she had the opportunity to do so many different things. After completing EMT training she immediately achieved her Fire I & II and Wildland firefighter status. She went on to become Rope I & II certified along with Hazmat, Swiftwater and Scuba rescue certified. Because Amanda had small children she also wanted to become more knowledgeable about medical care with peds and took extra classes regards PALS. Amanda also enjoys working with the fire department to provide quilts for St. Joseph's Children's Hospital, Christmas programs and supporting their canine arson investigation program. She has also been an officer of the volunteer and reserve program. Amanda first joined Women in the Fire Service (WFS) in 1995.
Physical fitness is a huge part of Amanda’s life, and she has competed in 3 years of figure competitions. She has her AA in Liberal Arts with major in business/accounting and has completed her BS in Holistic Nutrition and is currently working on her ISSA certification. Amanda’s daughter and son have grown up in the fire service and her son is currently taking fire science classes. She has an immense passion for gardening, cooking and quilting. Amanda was once told that firefighting and EMS work are callings and once you have a heart for them to be away from them is to basically have your heart pulled out of you; Amanda discovered firsthand how true this is.
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Jennifer Cooke
Program Manager |
Before coming to work for the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), Jennifer worked for Prince William County Department of Fire & Rescue in the office of the Chief for approximately a year and half. The majority of Jennifer’s career was spent with a corporation where she was responsible for internal communications, project management and later advertising production.
IAFC is proud to provide association management services to the International Association of Women in Fire & Emergency Services.
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