Nancy McNabb

Nancy McNabb is the Manager, Building and Fire Codes and Standards of the Engineering Laboratory (EL) at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Nancy is responsible for developing and implementing a NIST-wide strategy, including needed supporting research, to provide the technical basis resulting in improvements to U.S. model building and fire codes and standards, as well as relevant international standards, to support strategic goals in areas of critical national need such as sustainability and energy efficiency, and safety and security. 

Nancy’s responsibilities in the EL include developing, implementing, and maintaining strategic partnerships and strong working relationships with national and international building and fire standards and codes development organizations and providing advice concerning actions required to strengthen the impact of results from our Building and Fire Research programs on U.S. and international codes and standards. 

Before joining NIST, Nancy was the Director, Government Affairs for the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) at their Government Affairs Office in Washington, DC. where she was responsible for working with congressional and federal agencies as well as allied organizations to promote the NFPA mission about fire and life safety. Ms. McNabb joined NFPA in September 2001 as the regional manager, building code central field office, located in Dallas, TX.  

Before joining NFPA, McNabb was a service coordinator for Building Officials and Code Administrators (BOCA) International, where she facilitated code adoptions, conducted trainings on code interpretations, and represented the organization at legislative hearings.  Previously, she served as a staff architect for BOCA, working with building officials in New York State and providing member services throughout the region.  Nancy was also assistant director for code development and code interpretation for the New York State Department of State, codes division.