Meet our Board

Our Board of Directors consists of up to 11 active or retired Cal Fire employees who must maintain active membership in the museum. They are elected by the membership to serve four-year terms. Our Officers are chosen from among the elected Board members.

Officers

Jan Newman, Museum President / Manager

Jan was part of the founding Board of Directors of the Historical Society & Museum and he served as Assistant Manager since its inception in 2001. Jan took the reins as President and Manager of the Historical Society & Museum in 2022 after Jerry Glover had to step down due to health issues.

Jan Newman’s 39 year career with CDF started in April of 1956. He worked up the ranks from Firefighter to Division Chief in both Riverside and San Bernardino counties, retiring out of Camp Prado in 1994. Along the way his assignments included fire stations, Training, Region Headquarters, Service Center, Conservation Camps, Dispatch, Fire Prevention, Arson Investigation Unit, Air Attack and HeliTac. In retirement, Jan worked as a retired annuitant with Department of Corrections for 16 years. 

Jan has been married to his supportive wife, Penny for almost 61 years. They have 2 sons – Eric and Shawn; 2 grandkids and 4 great grand-daughters. Eric followed his love of cars by becoming an award-winning custom car builder and opening his own shop – TED’s Rod Shop; while Shawn followed the passion for public service and continued the family legacy in CalFire, working his way up to become Riverside County’s Fire Chief.

Message from Jan: “I’m excited to be leading the efforts to establish a permanent location for the museum and to expand its archive and displays, preserving CalFire’s unique history and highlighting the significant advances in fire and resource management.”

Lee Delap, Assistant Manager

Lee started with CDF as a seasonal firefighter in 1966, and promoted through the ranks as an FAE (1969), Captain (1972), Fire Prevention Officer (1980), Division Chief, Deputy Chief and he retired as the South Region Ops Chief in 2010.

Lee also served with the US Army in Vietnam from May 1967 to 1969 as a Platoon Sergeant and Fire Team Leader with the “Big Red One” in Vietnam, earning him the Combat Infantryman’s badge and a Bronze star with “V” for valor.

He has lived in the Fresno area since birth and holds a BS in Business Administration from CSU Fresno. He is currently active with the Rotary club, Chamber of Commerce, and the Sierra Gateway Trust. He has served on the Measure C (County self help Transportation effort) Citizens Oversight Committee for 8 years, with the last 3 years as Chairman. He has served on the Measure C Renewal Committee in 2022, and as the Fresno County Steering Committee representative in 2025. He is a Transportation Institute Advisory Board member for California State University, Fresno.

He has been involved with the Historical Society & Museum since 2019 and has served as our Assistant Manager since 2024.

Ray Snodgrass, Treasurer

Ray joined our Board of Directors in 2023, but has long been a supporter of preserving our history.

Stephanie Regis, Secretary

Stephanie has been volunteering at the Historical Society & Museum since 2009. She has assisted in many roles, has been on our Board of Directors since 2013 and has served as our Secretary since 2023.

She started her association with CDF as a volunteer at the Sage Forest Fire Station in Riverside Unit. In 1971, she was hired as a seasonal Fire Prevention Aide and later became the first female to graduate the Basic Fire Control course at Ione in 1977. She worked as both an FAE & FC in the field and then as a Fire Captain Specialist in Fire Prevention. She served on the Uniform committee and the Women’s Advisory committee.

2026 Board of Directors:

  • Jarrel Glover
  • Kim Pennington
  • Tom Wilson
  • Elizabeth Groom
  • Michael Bowman
  • Aaron Smith

Officers Emeritus

Past Directors

  • Jarrel Glover, Past President 2000 – 2022
  • Fred Schmidt, Past Secretary 2000 – 2022
  • Don Holt, Past Treasurer 2007 – 2022
  • Denny Strong Past Treasurer, 2000 – 2007
  • Ernest Balmforth
  • Dan Lang
  • Jim Wagner
  • George Pond
  • Steven Huntington
  • Bob Wolf
  • Craig Williams
  • Don Brooks
  • Frank Clark
  • Jesse Torres Sr