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NSSA Names Bell as Director
Bell

The National Storm Shelter Association is pleased to announce that James Bell, CSI, CDT, of Smithville has taken on the role of Director of Operations for the organization.

Bell has been an active member of the NSSA since 2007 and has held several leadership positions on the education, by-laws, ethics, planning, and standard committees. Having recently completed an impressive 44 year career in the door and hardware industry, Bell recently retired from a 20 year position with the ASSA ABLOY Group. He brings with him a wealth of information that will be instrumental in moving the NSSA forward and helping its members thoroughly understand and embrace the most recent changes to ICC/NSSA 500-2020 and FEMA Pub. 320-2021.

Bell was president of the Gold Coast Chapter of the Door and Hardware Institute (DHI) when the state of Florida moved to strengthen its building codes in response to Hurricane Andrew. He sat on the committee to produce the FEMA “Door Fact Sheet” and assisted in the development of its content for both residential and community shelter doors. Bell was part of the ICC 500-2020 Edition committee and sits on review committees for the 2021 revisions of FEMA Pub. 320 and Pub. 361. He has been responsible for developing educational classes related to windstorm codes and standards, and has worked with federal, state, and local agencies on hurricane resistance and tornado shelter code training.

Members of the NSSA board of directors are excited to welcome Bell to his position and are confident he will help the organization better serve its members and the general public. Bell’s intimate knowledge of storm shelter standards and codes will help the NSSA develop intensive training and testing for storm shelter producers, designers, and inspectors. He will be responsible for answering member’s questions, promoting the installation and use of storm shelters, and representing the NSSA to the public and media.

Bell’s arrival at the NSSA will coincide with a revamping of the organization’s web site. He will begin his position in time to take the lead on the NSSA’s annual storm shelter conference, typically held during mid-November. The event was held virtually last year, due to COVID-19 restrictions, but the NSSA hopes to reconvene, at least in part, in person in Dallas in 2021.