Meri-K Appy

Meri-K Appy is President of the Washington-based Home Safety Council, the only national organization solely dedicated to preventing unintentional home injuries. Since joining the Council in 2003, Appy has redefined the organization's mission and strategic vision with a sharp focus on organizational partnerships to reduce home injuries and with a renewed commitment to investing in research.

In 2004, Appy's dream to provide high quality, proven community teaching tools to the fire service at no cost to them came to fruition with the establishment of the Home Safety Council Expert Network, a free online resource designed primarily for fire and life safety educators. The Expert Network can be accessed 24 hours a day, with printable and customizable educational tools available for download. Additionally, Expert Network members receive exclusive benefits, including hard-copy teaching tools such as videos, DVDs, brochures, posters, and more.

Appy is often tapped as a national media safety spokesperson, translating home injury research findings into useful and practical prevention and protection methods that people can remember and easily apply in their own homes. She has appeared on many national television networks and programs, including the Oprah Winfrey Show, CNN, Dateline NBC, the CBS Early Show, Good Morning America, and HGTV. She is a frequent speaker at national and international conferences and has been recognized for her dedication and accomplishments by many organizations and disciplines.

Appy currently serves as immediate past chair of Safe USA, a national alliance of federal and nonprofit organizations dedicated to reducing injuries and deaths and on the steering committee of the nonprofit Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition. She represents the Home Safety Council on the Congressional Fire Services Institute's National Advisory Board, the Public-Private Fire Safety Council and the Coalition of Organizations for Disaster Education (CODE).

Appy graduated with honors from Smith College with a bachelor's degree in French.