The NFPA Board of Directors has unanimously elected James M. Shannon president and chief executive officer of NFPA, effective June 1, 2002. Shannon will succeed George D. Miller, who is retiring after 10 years of leading the organization.

Shannon has served as NFPA senior vice president and general counsel since 1991. He oversees all legal affairs of the association and also has administrative and real estate responsibility for NFPA's properties. Shannon has had a visible role in the organization's operations and government affairs, both domestically and abroad. Previously, he was elected Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, where he pursued numerous policy issues, including a focus on antitrust. Shannon was senior partner in the Boston law firm Hale & Dorr, and from 1979 to 1985, he served in the United States House of Representatives.