Mary Bynum, Assistant Vice President in P & C Underwriting at State Farm Insurance Companies, has been appointed to the Board of Directors of the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation. In addition, Chief G. Keith Bryant, Kelly Kirwan, and Carol Jones 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 leadership, a wealth of experience, 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 serious injuries.”
Mary Bynum began her State Farm career in 1992 as an Auto Underwriter in the Ballston Spa Regional Office. She was promoted through the ranks to Auto Supervisor; Underwriting Analyst; Auto Underwriting Section Manager in the Illinois Operations Center; Customer Response Center (CRC) Director in Bloomington, IL; Auto & Fire Underwriting Division Manager in the Newark, Ohio Operations Center; Executive Assistant; and Assistant Vice President in P&C Underwriting in September 2011. She has responsibility for the P&C Underwriting Services Business Management Office, P&C Underwriting Personal Lines Product Area, and P&C Underwriting Modeling Unit.
Mary received her bachelor’s degree from Hartwick College in New York. She earned her Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) and is working to complete her Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) designation.
In 2005, G. Keith Bryant was appointed Fire Chief of the Oklahoma City Fire Department, one of the largest departments in the nation. He began his fire service career as a firefighter in the US Army and became an Oklahoma City Firefighter in 1982. During his 32 years with Oklahoma City, Chief Bryant worked his way through the ranks serving on the Haz-Mat, Underwater Rescue Recovery and Critical Incident Stress Management Teams. He has held the ranks of Battalion Chief, Chief Training Officer, and Deputy Chief of Operations.
In August 2014, Chief Bryant was sworn in as President of the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC). He is Past President of the Metropolitan Fire Chiefs Association, and Past President of the Oklahoma Fire Chiefs Association (OFCA).
Carol Jones searched to find a career that would fulfill her desire to help others, make a difference in her community, challenge her mentally and physically, and to be a part of something extraordinary. In 1984 Carol found the adventure she was looking for when she followed in her father’s footsteps to become a firefighter. Now a 30 year veteran of the Fort Worth Fire Department Carol was promoted from Firefighter to Driver/Engineer and finally to Lieutenant. The majority of her career she has worked in Operations on the frontline where she has found great satisfaction assisting others in their time of need. Her certifications include; Hazardous Materials Technician, Firefighter Advanced, Fire Inspector, Fire Service Instructor II, and Aircraft Rescue Firefighter.
In March 2002 Carol’s husband, Fire Chief Louis Jones of Roswell, New Mexico died in the line of duty. After Louis was honored by the National Fallen Firefighter Foundation in October of 2003, Carol again began searching for a way to give back, help others and to honor Louis. In 2004 Carol began volunteering with the NFFF during the Memorial Weekend as a Family Escort where she has been honored to serve the families of our fallen heroes ever since. Carol also works with the NFFF peer support team, reaching out to new survivors, serving as the keynote speaker at fund raising events and volunteering at local events on behalf of the Foundation. In her spare time Carol loves traveling the world with friends and family.
Kelly Kirwan recently retired from Motorola Solutions Inc. as Corporate Vice President, Government Markets – North America after 32 years of service. Kelly joined Motorola in 1983 as a Radio Communications Representative in Salt Lake City, Utah. He was promoted to Zone Sales Manager in Salt Lake City and in Colorado Springs, CO, District Sales Manager in Anchorage, AK, Sales Team Leader in Portland, OR, Territory Manager in San Diego, CA, MCEI Vice President of Sales – Southern Division in Florida, later Eastern Region, and corporate Vice President responsible for go-to-market, channel management, business operations, and systems integration and services.
During the 2005 hurricane season, Kelly helped restore communications to public safety agencies in areas impacted by Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma. Motorola’s response to these natural disasters represented the single largest disaster recovery effort in the company’s history.
Kelly received a bachelor’s degree in communications from Utah State University where he lettered in football and wrestling.
