Emmitsburg, MD –Chief Charles Hood of the San Antonio Fire Department has been appointed to the Board of Directors of the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation. In addition, Barry Balliet, Athena Schwantes-Hodge and Steve VanderGriend are now members of the foundation’s Advisory Committee.
“We are so pleased to have these long-time NFFF supporters join us in their new roles,” said Board Chairman Dennis Compton. “Each of them brings expertise, enthusiasm and insights that will be invaluable as we fulfill our mission of honoring the fallen, assisting their families and supporting the fire service efforts of reducing line of duty deaths and injuries.”
In 2007, Charles Hood was sworn in as the Fire Chief of the City of San Antonio, one of the largest departments in the nation. He began his fire service career in 1984 with the City of Phoenix Fire Department and was a member of the Phoenix Fire Department’s Urban Search & Rescue team and FEMA’s Urban Search and Rescue’s National Incident Support Team.
In 2010, he received the Metro Fire Chief of the Year from the members of the Black Chief Officer’s Committee, IABPFF.
Barry Balliet is the president of Provident Agency in Pittsburgh, PA., a company offering group insurance benefits to emergency personnel and their families since 1928. Under Mr. Balliet’s leadership, Provident has garnered national recognition for its innovative insurance coverages, customer care, and sincere dedication to emergency service related causes.
He currently is the Vice President of the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) Foundation Board and serves on various committees within the fire service. Since 1983 he has been a member at the Pleasant Valley Fire Company.
Athena Schwantes-Hodge became a volunteer with the NFFF following the death of her husband Russell, an Atlanta firefighter, in 2006. She is a Realtor with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices and the Founder and Executive Director of The Etiquette Consultants, Inc. based in Georgia.
Because of her expertise, Athena was asked to represent the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation to solicit change. She spoke in various cities as part of the Everyone Goes Home® “Whistle Stop Tour” and had the unique opportunity to deliver a motivational message before the U.S. Congress and Senate.
Steve VanderGriend and his wife Marci have been actively involved with the NFFF since 2010. They have been volunteers at Memorial Weekend, trade shows and survivors conferences. Their son, Zachary, was killed September 1, 2008 in Reno, NV. Zachary died while operating on a wildland fire through his employer Neptune Aviation as a crew chief serving aboard Air Tanker 09.
Steve is General Manager of the Sanger International Paper plant and has been with the company for over 25 years.