Meet Our Board & Staff
Board

Ernest Mitchell, Jr. was the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s United States Fire Administrator for the United States Fire Administration. He began his tenure on December 5, 2011 and was responsible for managing the United States Fire Administration, the programs and training activities at the National Emergency Training Center.
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John H. Granby has been involved with the design, manufacture, distribution and sale of protective clothing, and supporting technical services to the Fire Service for over 35 years. Over the last few years he has also been involved at the federal level in developing products and programs for both the private and public sectors in protective clothing and logistical management as well as securing funding streams for the first responders of the United States. He is presently Vice President of Government Relations and Corporate responsibility for Lion, Inc. In addition he is an active member of the Miami Valley Urban Search and Rescue team (Federal Task Force OHTF-1) as a technical Information Specialist and served as a subject matter expert for the US&R Logistical Working Group from 1999-2003. In the 1980’s he worked with the Washington Township Fire department as a subject matter expert in Personal Protective Equipment and was an honorary member of the Ohio Fire Chiefs Association.
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Mr. Balliet is the President of Provident in Pittsburgh, PA., a company offering group insurance benefits to emergency personnel and their families since 1928. Commencing employment in 1979, he has played an instrumental role in growing Provident from a regional concern to one with national and international reach. Under Mr. Balliet’s leadership, Provident has garnered national recognition for its innovative insurance coverages, customer care, and sincere dedication by all its staff to emergency service related causes.
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Charles Hood was sworn in as the Fire Chief of the City of San Antonio on April 16th 2007 becoming the first outside Fire Chief and the first African American Fire Chief in this historically significant city. Chief Hood leads one of the largest fire departments in the nation, commanding approximately 1800 personnel with a budget of over 292 million dollars. He is ultimately responsible for providing fire, emergency medical, special operations, emergency management and fire prevention to over 1.4 million citizens.
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Elizabeth C. “Tammy” Snow has served the Wichita Fire Department as the Deputy Fire Chief of Operations since 2012. She manages the day-to-day Emergency Operations of the largest fire department in the State of Kansas. The department includes 419 commissioned personnel operating from 22 fire stations.
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Ed Klima joined the FRCE as its first Managing Director in 2017 where he manages the daily activities of the FRCE. Ed is a certified emergency manager with over 27 years of public safety experience as a fire fighter, hazardous material technician, EMT, fire inspector and fire officer. He began his career as a volunteer fire fighter in Delaware and served as a career fire fighter and hazardous materials technician with Fairfax County Fire and Rescue. In 2005, he became the Senior Director of Public Safety and Track Operations for Dover Motorsports and Dover Downs Hotel and Casino where he oversaw emergency preparedness planning and operations at several motorsports facilities across the U.S. as well as a comprehensive safety and security program for a multi-faceted sporting and entertainment complex in Delaware.
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Lori Jacobs joined the First Responder Center for Excellence for Reducing Occupational Illness, Injuries and Deaths (FRCE) in 2019 as a Programs Specialist. Prior to joining the FRCE Lori worked at Dover Motorsports in the Public Safety Department. Lori’s father was an active member of the Gumboro Volunteer Fire Company for 32 years from 1968 to 2000. Her husband is a member of the Dover Fire Department. She resides in Camden, DE with her husband and children.
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