Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH) President and CEO Named 2025 NIBS Exceptional Woman in Building

This prestigious national honor celebrates Leslie Chapman-Henderson's decades of leadership, service, and support for women in the building industry

TALLAHASSEE, Fla., May 20, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The nonprofit Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH) proudly announces that its President and CEO, Leslie Chapman-Henderson, has been named the 2025 recipient of the National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) Exceptional Woman in Building Award. This prestigious accolade honors dynamic and trailblazing women who have made outstanding contributions to the built environment.

The award was presented during the Building Innovation 2025 conference in McLean, Virginia, where industry leaders, policymakers, and innovators gathered to explore best practices and transformative solutions for the future of the built environment.

"Leslie Chapman-Henderson exemplifies what it means to be an Exceptional Woman in Building," said Judy Dinelle, CGP, CAPS, AMA, Building Ambassador for 84 Lumber, Awards Committee Chair, and member of the NIBS Board of Directors. "Her visionary leadership, tireless support for disaster resilience, and unwavering commitment make her a truly deserving honoree. Leslie's work has not only transformed how we think about building safety—it has saved lives and empowered communities across the nation."

Chapman-Henderson was recognized as an exceptional thought leader, mentor, and champion of change in the built environment for more than 25 years. Her leadership of FLASH, America's foremost consumer advocate for disaster resilience, reflects her collaborative leadership style that produces partnerships and initiatives that bring together technical and creative expertise to forge innovative, award-winning public education initiatives. Examples include the recently created "Strong Homes Scale" as well as "No Fuel. No Fire.^™" a new wildfire safety initiative. FLASH programs are designed to empower homeowners and leaders alike with essential information in support of building codes, preparedness, disaster safety, loss mitigation, and resilient recovery.

"I would like to thank NIBS for this deeply humbling award, and I am proud to accept it on behalf of our incredible team and our many committed partners from all sectors who make us possible and share our vision of a stronger, more disaster-resilient nation," said Chapman-Henderson. "This recognition highlights the power of collaboration and innovation to create positive change."

Chapman-Henderson's commitment to elevating women in the building science and resilience space has also been a hallmark of her leadership. She has mentored emerging professionals across the public and private sectors.

About FLASH

The nonprofit Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH) is the country's leading consumer advocate for strengthening homes and safeguarding families from disasters. The FLASH partnership includes more than 100 innovative and diverse organizations that share a vision of making America a more disaster-resilient nation, including FEMA, Florida Division of Emergency Management, Huber Engineered Woods, International Code Council, ISO – Verisk Analytics, MyRadar, National Weather Service, Renew Financial, Simpson Strong-Tie, State Farm, and USAA. In 2008, FLASH and Disney opened the interactive weather experience StormStruck: A Tale of Two Homes in Lake Buena Vista, FL. FLASH's signature program, No Code. No Confidence. – Inspect2Protect.org provides consumers with a one-of-a-kind building code transparency tool. Learn more about FLASH and access free consumer resources by visiting www.flash.org and www.Inspect2Protect.org, calling toll-free (877) 221- SAFE (7233), following @federalalliance on X, and Facebook.com/federalalliance.

SOURCE Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH)