Our Directors

John Dane
Director

jdane@csfa.net

Joining CSFA in 2006 as Executive Director John has focused a significant amount of attention on improving CSFA governance, business practices, membership communication and services. He has been tasked by the Board of Directors to make CSFA a more relevant, responsive and transparent organization fully accountable to it membership.

Serving as CSFA Executive Director when FSTI was formed, John has been an active supporter and strategist working with a small team of individuals to assure that FSTI has the best possible foundation for long-term success.

Prior to CSFA, John served as Executive Director of the United States Rowing Association from 2000-2005. During his tenure, USRowing experienced record club growth and event participation. In 2004 he accompanying the national team to Athens where the men won Olympic Gold for the first time in forty years and the women won Olympic Silver for the first time in twenty years. Previously, John ran nationwide state lobbying networks for the international automobile and marine manufacturing industries. John received his Certified Association Executive designation from the American Society of Association Executives in 2007 and has a master's degree from Virginia Tech.

A native of Detroit, he is married to Lisa. They have two sons Erik and Alexander.

Kevin Nida
Director

krnida@krnida.com

More Information

Kevin Nida began his fire service career as an Explorer with Long Beach Fire Department in 1975. In 1980 he joined the Los Angeles Fire Department and has served in numerous field and administrative positions for the past 27 years. He is currently assigned as a Battalion Captain the Mt. Washington/Eagle Rock area of the City after returning from a three year assignment as the department's radio Interoperability coordinator.

Kevin still maintains on-call status as a Communication Unit Leader for the LAFD and now serves as the back-up to the Interoperability Program. As a Battalion Captain, he assists the Battalion Chief with Fire and EMS operations for one of 16 Battalions in the City. He also serves as the Terrorism Liaison Officer for the Battalion passing on intelligence and awareness information to members assigned to the Battalion.

Kevin also serves as the LAFD's representative to the FIRESCOPE Communications Working Group and the OES Urban Search & Rescue Communications Working Group. Kevin is member of the LAFD Urban Search & Rescue Team since 1992. He has been deployed to numerous exercises as well as the Salt Lake City Olympics and hurricane Katrina.

Kevin has been a member of CSFA since 1980 and began his involvement attending every conference since 1991 and as a member/co-chair of the Valor Committee until his election as President in 2004. Kevin has been the driving force behind the modernization, improved management and upgrading of numerous programs at CSFA as well as strongly supporting FSTI. CSFA is a great organization and he hopes to continue it's development and improvement.

Chuck Knapp
Director

cknapp@csfa.net

Chuck Knapp began his career as a Volunteer Firefighter with Victorville Fire Department in November 1975 and hired on as a full-time firefighter in August 1977. In May 1980, Chuck began his career with Barstow Fire Protection District as Fire Inspector. In April 1983 he was promoted to Fire Captain where he remained for the rest of his career.

During his time with Barstow Fire, Chuck had many special assignments which included Assistant Training Officer, Fire-Arson Investigator, Interim Assistant Chief, and Strike Team Leader. He also served on the county wide Arson Task Force and the county wide Haz Mat Team. Chuck has been a Fire Technology Instructor with Barstow College and with Victor Valley College since 1979. He had taught at the Fire Academy for over 10 years and had assisted with many Fire Explorer Academies.

Chuck began his intense involvement with CSFA in 1991 as a Deputy Director for Dan Coffman. He was first elected to the CSFA Board of Directors at the annual conference in Santa Barbara in 1993. Chuck retired from Barstow Fire Protection District in December 2000. He remains active with the California Fire Service through CSFA, FSTI, FIRESCOPE and teaching at both Barstow and Victor Valley Colleges.

Jerry Davies
Director

Jerry Davies was named Director of Media Relations for the Farmers Insurance Group®, effective September 25, 2006.

He joined Farmers from the Personal Insurance Federation of California, a state legislative and regulatory advocacy trade association headquartered in Sacramento where he served as Director of Communications and has lobbied fire safety issues since 1995.

Davies began his career working in television as a news reporter in Miami, Florida while attending the University of Miami.  He later anchored news in Miami, and spent a total of nine years anchoring and reporting news at KPLG-TV (Post Newsweek), Miami and KCCI-TV, Des Moines, Iowa during and after graduate school at Iowa State in Ames, Iowa.

After T.V., he served as Press Secretary to the Florida Insurance Commissioner and Director of Research and Consumer Education for the Florida Insurance Department.  After leaving the Florida Department, he became a regional director and later Vice President for the Insurance Information Institute, a national trade association of insurance companies located in New York City.

Davies earned a BA degree in Journalism and Marketing from the University of Miami, Florida, and a Master of Science degree in Technical Journalism and Sociology from Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa. 

He is an accredited member of the Public Relations Society of America.  He serves on the Board of the Alliance for a FireSafe California and is a director on the Board of the FireSafe Council of California.  He was appointed by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to serve a four year term on the California State Board of Fire Services.  He is a member of the Communications Committee of the Insurance Information Network of California; a member of the Communications Committee of the Insurance Information Institute, New York, a member of the Communications Committee of the Institute for Business and Home Safety, and is a director on the Board of the Fire State Training Institute of California.

Kathryn McKee, SPHR
Director

kathryn.mckee@cafsti.net

Kathryn D. McKee, SPHR, is President of Human Resources Consortia, a consultancy specializing in providing solutions to Human Resources issues. Prior to forming her own firm, she was Senior Vice President and Regional Human Resources Director for Standard Chartered Bank, Senior Vice President Human Resources for First Interstate Bank Limited, And SVP Compensation and Benefits at First Interstate Bancorp.

Previously, McKee had been Manager, Corporate Compensation; Director, Equal Employment Opportunity; and Director, Management Development at Twentieth-Century Fox Film Corp.  She also served as Director, Industrial Relations for Cal Custom/Hawk Division, Orion Industries, and Manager, Corporate Compensation at Mattel, Inc.

McKee is a member of the Board of Trustees of the UCSB Foundation; a Director on the Boards of Old Spanish Days and the American Red Cross, Santa Barbara Chapter. She serves on the City of Santa Barbara's Civil Service Commission, the 2009-2010 County of Santa Barbara Civil Grand Jury and is a member of the Human Resources Committee for the Board of the Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics.

David Spence
Director

david.spence@cafsti.net

David L. Spence is a 21-year veteran Captain/Paramedic of the Los Angeles Fire Department. David has held positions in Internal Affairs, Tactical Training, Administration, Fire Prevention and Fire Suppression. He currently works on the Fire Chief's Planning Staff. David was the Planning Section Chief of the recently successful California Fire Service Training Conference held at Universal City, California in September 2007. David holds an Associates in Arts degree from Pasadena City College and is a senior in standing in English at California State University Northridge.

David holds numerous certifications from the State Fire Marshal's office and other approved Fire Service training agencies. He is a proponent of training and is a member of the Southern California Training Officer's Association. David is active as a Club volleyball coach and player, having competed in the California State Firefighters Olympics and the World Police and Fire Games, taking a Gold Medal in 1999.

David has been married to Roslyn for 25 years and has three children, Madisyn, Saige and Grant.

Rock Zierman
Director

Rock.Zierman@cafsti.net 

Rock Zierman, has served as chief executive officer of the California Independent Petroleum Association (CIPA), since October 2002. Prior to being appointed CEO, Rock served as both the Director of Public Affairs for the California Independent Petroleum Association (CIPA), and the Executive Director of the California Natural Gas Producers Association (CNGPA), a wholly owned subsidiary organization of CIPA.

Rock recommends and implements policy for the Association's 50 member Board of Directors. He serves as chief spokesperson for the Association and coordinates all of its state and national legislative activities.

Prior to joining CIPA, Rock served as Chief of Staff to Assemblyman Mike Briggs (Fresno). Rock has also served in the offices of Assembly members Chuck Quackenbush (San Jose), Tom Bordonaro (Paso Robles), and Robert Prenter (Hanford).

Rock graduated from Santa Clara University with a business degree in economics.