In May 2016, Mayor James Kenney appointed Adam Thiel to serve as the 20th Fire Commissioner for the City of Philadelphia. Commissioner Thiel is responsible for leading the Philadelphia Fire Department’s almost 3,000+ members in every facet of protecting our Nation’s 5th-largest city from fires and emergencies arising from all hazards. Adam also serves as Director of the Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management (OEM).
 
     From 2014-2016, he was a Deputy Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security for the Commonwealth of Virginia. In that role, he helped provide strategic direction, policy advice, management oversight, and operational coordination for eleven agencies with an overall budget of more than $3.1B and 30,000 employees. Deputy Secretary Thiel was directly responsible for the Departments of: Emergency Management, Fire Programs (including the State Fire Marshal's Office), Military Affairs (Virginia Army/Air National Guard), and State Police, along with the state’s Homeland Security and Resilience portfolio.
 
     Adam also served as the Governor’s deputy Homeland Security Advisor (dHSA), deputy Chief Resilience Officer (dCRO), Statewide Interoperability Coordinator (SWIC), and FirstNet State Single Point of Contact (SPOC). He facilitated the Secure Commonwealth Panel and Rail Safety/Security Task Force, co-led the state's National Disaster Resilience Competition (NDRC) project team to a $121M Housing and Urban Development (HUD) grant award, and collaborated with myriad local, state, federal, NGO, private-sector, and other partners across all aspects of Virginia’s homeland security enterprise.
 
     Commissioner Thiel was the fire chief for the City of Alexandria, Virginia from 2007-2014 and chaired the Northern Virginia Emergency Response System (NVERS) Steering Committee.  Adam’s 29 years’ experience spans five states (MD, NC, VA, AZ, and PA) as a chief fire officer, incident commander, company officer, fire and emergency services instructor, hazardous materials team leader, paramedic, technical rescuer, structural/wildland firefighter, swift-water rescuer, and rescue SCUBA diver; he has directly participated in planning, response, and recovery efforts for multiple Presidential-declared disasters and National Special Security Events (NSSEs), including the 9/11 tragedy, hurricanes, tropical storms, floods, an earthquake, major blizzards, international sporting competitions, and political events.
 
     In addition to public service, he co-founded two successful consulting practices advising a wide range of clients on crisis management, leadership, organizational development, risk analysis, and strategy. Adam is a widely published author and has spoken at events around the globe; he has also developed and taught college courses at multiple universities.
 
     Commissioner Thiel is currently enrolled in the Organizational Dynamics graduate program at the University of Pennsylvania; he completed doctoral coursework in Public Administration and Public Policy at Arizona State University (ABD) and George Mason University, respectively; earned his M.P.A. degree from George Mason University; received a B.S. in Fire Science from the University of Maryland University College; and earned his B.A. in History from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Additionally, he has completed the Virginia Executive Institute, Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government Program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government, and the Naval Postgraduate School’s Center for Homeland Defense and Security Executive Leaders Program.
 
     Adam is a Fellow of the Institution of Fire Engineers (FIFireE), a former Certified Emergency Manager® (CEM), and holds several National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)-standard professional qualifications. He currently serves on multiple boards and committees, including: the NFPA Technical Committee on Emergency Service Organization Risk Management; Underwriters Laboratories (UL) Fire Council and Firefighter Safety Research Institute; Auburn University's Center for Cyber and Homeland Security Board; the American Red Cross Eastern Pennsylvania Region Board; and the Philadelphia Police Athletic League Board. Commissioner Thiel is a former chair of the National Fire Academy Board of Visitors and served on the NFPA Fire Service Section Board. Adam is a 2017 Leadership Philadelphia Fellow and a 2018 USA Eisenhower Fellow.

     Kevin Roche is a FACETS partner. He retired in 2014 as Assistant to the Fire Chief for the Phoenix Fire Department in Arizona. Kevin has over 30 years of fire service management and consulting experience. Kevin has experience as a leader and member of a number of management consulting projects in large fire departments. During his career in Phoenix, Kevin managed the fire department’s planning, fire prevention, and logistics operations. Kevin earned a B.S. degree in Fire Protection and Safety Engineering Technology from Oklahoma State University and a Master’s degree in Political Science with a Certificate in Public Administration from the University of Florida.

 - Founder & CEO, RPM Solutions Group, Inc.
 - CEO/Executive Director, FIERO
 - All Hazards Lieutenant (ret.), Fairfax County Fire & Rescue Department

     Prior to founding her consulting firm, RPM Solutions Group, Inc., Jessica worked in diverse settings that ranged from BSL-3 research laboratories to the West Wing of the White House. Her company, RPM Solutions Group, is a consultancy firm that serves the project management needs of public and private sector entities. Jessica’s work with RPM covers diverse projects ranging from development of training programs and strategic planning for departments and agencies across the U.S. and Canada; conducting research, development, and market analysis; and building bridges through public-private partnerships. Jessica hopes to help breakdown silos between public safety, emergency management, and public health to improve services and response to community needs.
     Currently, Jessica also serves as the CEO/Executive Director of the Fire Industry Education Resource Organization (FIERO), a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization, founded in 1990, that hosts educational conferences, training, and research dedicated to improving first responder health and safety.
    Most recently, Jessica served as a deputy emergency manager and regional programs manager for Montgomery County (PA) Department of Public Safety (MCDPS) where she coordinated public health initiatives and training for over 20 EMS agencies, 93 volunteer/combination fire departments, 49 law enforcement agencies and 9 hospitals serving a population of over 830k residents. She participated in EOC activations, emergency plans review, Strategic National Stockpile/Medical Countermeasure planning and exercise development, and served as a member of several county- and state-level EMS and 911 dispatch-related committees/initiatives.
     Prior to joining MCDPS, Jessica retired from Fairfax County Fire & Rescue Department (FCFRD) where she served as a firefighter/paramedic and was promoted to the rank of All Hazards Lieutenant. Beyond her operational role, Jessica also served as a gubernatorial appointee to the VA State Child Fatality Review Team, a Technical Information Specialist for US&R VATF1, a Fire Rescue Academy instructor, and completed several projects for the Office of the Fire Marshal. She was, and remains, an active member of IAFF Local 2068.
Jessica graduated magna cum laude/Phi Beta Kappa from George Washington University, was awarded a Marshall Scholarship for study at Oxford University, earned an Executive Certificate from Cornell University (Diversity & Inclusion), and has completed graduate level work in Public Health from Drexel University.

John S. Butler has been the Fire Chief for the Fairfax County (VA) Fire and
Rescue Department since September 2018. He formerly served as the first internal fire chief for Howard County (MD) Department of Fire and Rescue Services and was the first chief to have held every rank within that department. He is an active paramedic and holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Baltimore, a master’s degree from the Johns Hopkins University, and certificates from Harvard University, the National Fire Academy Executive Fire Officer Program, and the Fire Service Executive Development Institute.
     Chief Butler serves as the International Association of Fire Chiefs Second Vice President on the Board of Directors; holds the Chief Fire Officer, Chief EMS Officer, Chief Training Officer, and Fire Marshal designations awarded from the Commission on Professional Credentialing; is a member of the National Fire Academy Board of Visitors; is a board member of the Metropolitan Fire Chiefs Association; and is a commissioner with the Commission of Fire Accreditation International. He is a retired U.S. Marine with 20 years of active and reserve service, including two combat tours.

Jim Burneka has been a FF/PM with the Dayton Ohio Fire Department since 2001.  Jim currently resides as the Health & Safety Coordinator for Dayton Firefighters Local 136.  Jim has been involved in the fight against occupational cancer for over 15 years.  Jim has presented on cancer prevention throughout the US & Canada.  Jim's training has been certified through the ISFSI TCP Program.  Jim hosts a weekly FF Health & Wellness podcast called "The 25 Live" and a monthly webcast/podcast called “APS Radio” on Fire Engineering.   Jim is also a Technical Committee Member on NFPA 1585 Contamination Control.
Find him on Twitter @JimBurneka.

Captain John Lovato, Jr. has been serving the City of Ft. Myers FL since 2003. Rising through the ranks over the years, he took a deep interested in his training, practice and the concept of a cohesive team or crew.
With that dedication, he founded  "Brotherhood Coaching," (www.brotherhoodcoaching.com) as well as writing a book, "Fix your Firehouse," available on Amazon.
Please visit his website to learn more about "Brotherhood Coaching!"