Ms. Julie L. Heckman is the Executive Director of the APA and is responsible for the overall operation of the association. She directs the regulatory affairs of the APA and is the principal representative of the APA with the various agencies that interface with the fireworks industry. She has considerable expertise in workplace safety, consumer products, and hazardous materials regulations and serves as the key spokesperson for the industry with press and media. Ms. Heckman serves a Principal member of the NFPA Technical Committee on Pyrotechnics, the Interested Parties for Hazardous Materials Transportation Coalition (often referred to as the IP Group); serves as an Advisor to the International Symposium on Fireworks Society; Vice Chairman of the International Fireworks Association (IFA), and participates in several additional fireworks-related trade/interest groups.