Vetted Solutions Places CEO of National Fallen Firefighters Foundation
August 9, 2023 – After a national search, Washington, D.C.- based Vetted Solutions helped to place Victor Stagnaro as chief executive officer of the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF). Mr. Stagnaro has been with NFFF for 13 years, serving as managing director and, previously, director of fire programs. He replaces Ron Siarnicki, who is currently serving out his role as executive director.
As CEO, Mr. Stagnaro will be based in the organization’s Emmitsburg and Crofton, MD offices. He will spearhead both the NFFF and its affiliate organization, the First Responders Center of Excellence. He will be expected to guide all family and fire service efforts during a time when line-of-duty deaths honored at the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial continue to increase due to occupational health threats and behavioral health-related deaths.
“With his experience in running all operations at the foundation—and his previous 25 years with the Prince George’s County Fire/Emergency Medical Services Department in Maryland, Victor embodies a keen awareness to the importance of the Foundation’s mission,” said the organization. “He is fully aware of the devastating impacts of a line-of-duty death and will utilize his extensive leadership skills and commitment to the mission to shepherd the organization into the future.”
Deep Experience
In addition to serving as a firefighter and station officer, Mr. Stagnaro has been a fire instructor, public information officer, battalion chief, executive officer to the fire chief, fire marshal, and operations shift chief. Mr. Stagnaro authored a chapter in Fire Engineering’s Handbook for Firefighter I and II on EMS in the fire service. He retired from Prince George’s County Fire/Emergency Medical Services Department as the deputy fire chief of emergency operations in 2010. Mr. Stagnaro has been involved with NFFF dating back to 1998, when he served as the incident commander for the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend for several years. He also served as a member of the initial New York response team on 9/11 for the foundation.
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“I am humbled and honored to have been entrusted to lead the important work that we do,” said Mr. Stagnaro. “Here at the NFFF, our focus every single day is to support the families of our nation’s fallen firefighters so that they know without exception that their firefighter will be remembered. And our work does not stop there. We are also on the ground supporting those departments that have suffered a loss. We provide exceptional programming to assist and guide them —while also enabling departments across the country to learn from the past to reduce preventable loss, both operationally and through the health and wellness of each individual member,” he added. “We are mission driven, and I pledge to do whatever it takes to maintain our people-first approach.”
Vetted Solutions Seeks New Leader for Society for Public Health Education
Washington, D.C.- based Vetted Solutions has been retained by the Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE) to lead in its search for a new CEO. The organization’s next CEO will serve as a partner to the president and executive committee of the board of trustees, providing both the strategic mindset and managerial expertise needed to meet the expanding needs and expectations of members — and those they serve —in this increasingly demanding public health environment.
The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation is a non-profit created by an act of Congress in 1992 to lead a nationwide effort to honor America’s fallen firefighters. NFFF fulfills this mandate by honoring and remembering America’s fallen fire heroes, providing resources to assist the families of the lost firefighters in rebuilding their lives, and through work within the fire service community to reduce firefighter deaths and injuries. The NFFF and affiliate operations include educational and professional development, fundraising, and support services for firefighters and their families.
Non-Profit Recruiters
Vetted Solutions, a specialist in conducting non-profit, government, and association sector recruiting assignments, focuses on recruiting board members, CEOs and senior staff positions for prominent and well-known organizations nationwide. Recent searches that the firm has conducted include executive director for the Association for Creative Industries, chief operating officer for the American Society of Microbiology, executive director for the Society of Exploration Geophysicists, and executive director of the American Academy of Optometry.
Jim Zaniello, the firm’s president and founder, has worked for more than two decades in positions ranging from non-profit executive director to publisher of a leading tool for non-profit executive search. He is also known to have an intimate understanding of the complex demands of the executive office through his own experience as executive director at several associations and non-profits.
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Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media