 Arizona Chapter of the IAAI |
AZIAAI 2026 Board Election |
Voting is now open! Be on the look out for an email and/or text message with your electronic ballot. If you do not receive a ballot and believe that you should have, please contact elections@aziaai.org.
Scroll down for information on all of the candidates. This information is also available on your ballot.
There are two board members whose terms are up in 2026. Their seats are open for nominations. Nominations are also open for 2nd Vice President.
To be eligible to run for a board seat, a candidate must be a dual member (International and Arizona Chapter) in good standing for at least two years to run for the board. For Second Vice President, a candidate must have served on the board for a minimum of two years to run for the elected position of Second Vice President.
Nomination Process: To make a nomination, send an email with the following information:
All nominations must be received no later than: 6/29/2026 at 12:00 p.m. MST (NOTE: Deadline is noon two days prior to the election's start to afford a nominee time to be contacted to accept and provide a photo/candidate letter/bio to be made available on the website). Candidates who accept a nomination will be posted to this page as they arrive along with their candidate photo, letter, and bio. Ballots will be sent via email on 7/1/2026 Voting closes at the Annual Meeting on 7/23/2026 (Online voting closes at 6:00 p.m. MST)
New board members and 2nd VP will be announced at our annual meeting on July 23nd in Prescott & Virtually
Best, Jonathan ---- |
Candidate Eligibility:Exiting Board Members
Wes Helvig Term: 2023-2026 |
Bret Lucas Term: 2023-2026 |
Candidates
2nd Vice President Candidate
Wes Helvig
2022 to Current - Golder Ranch Fire District Fire Inspector and Fire Investigator (IAAI-FIT)
Retired as a detective and fire investigator from Oro Valley Police Department in 2022 after 25 years of law enforcement service.
Married 22 years to Becca Helvig and has three children and one granddaughter.
Board Member Candidates
| Aaron Hensley Aaron Hensley is currently a Fire Investigator with the Northwest Fire District in Tucson, AZ. Aaron has been employed with the Northwest Fire District for the past eight years and in that time has become the FIU program co-manager for his district, obtained his Fire Officer I certification, along with his ICC inspector I, II, and Fire Plans examiner. He has also served as the AZIAAI Sergeant-at-arms and Treasurer for the past year as well as serving as a mentor for the AZIAAI in its Fire Investigations I - IV program. Through his role as a FIU program, co-manager Aaron has developed and delivered over 192 hours of continued education in the realm of fire investigations both through classroom and didactic delivery methods. |
| Kelly Perkins Dear AZIAAI Members, I am excited to announce my candidacy for the AZIAAI Board of Directors. As an active member and of the AZIAAI Education Committee, I have been dedicated to advancing our mission of promoting education in fire investigation throughout Arizona. In my role on the Education Committee, I have worked diligently to expand training opportunities across the state, focusing on improving accessibility for all jurisdictions. This includes providing offerings of some of our trainings on online platforms, ensuring that high-quality education is available to investigators regardless of location. I’ve also assisted in reworking and updating curriculum for the fire investigation series so we align with current guidelines. If elected to the Board, I will continue my commitment to fostering collaboration, enhancing training with the goal to ensure that AZIAAI remains current the field of fire investigation. I look forward to the opportunity to contribute further to our community and chapter. Thank you for your consideration and support. Sincerely, Kelly Perkins |
| Dennis Rath Good afternoon AZIAAI members, I am running for a position on the board, I served a three-year term in the past and would like to serve another term with the chapter. I am a retired Mesa Fire and Medical Captain and Fire Investigator. I currently work as a private fire investigator here in Arizona. I am also currently a member on the IAAI nominating committee, which reviews IAAI members looking to run for office at the International level. I have seen great changes in our chapter and would like to help the chapter moving forward. Thank you Dennis |
