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Champions and Emerging Leaders (CEL) Group

Vision 20/20 is committed to helping develop the next generation of national fire and emergency services leaders to advocate and set the example for effective implementation of Community Risk Reduction (CRR) best practices across the U.S. This includes establishing the Champions and Emerging Leaders (CEL) Group within the Vision 20/20 Advisory Committee. Members of CEL will participate directly in national strategic planning and execution with guidance and support from experienced Vision 20/20 mentors. Vision 20/20 will benefit from fresh perspectives and insights as CEL members work with the Advisory Committee to achieve measurable outcomes in CRR at local, state, and national levels.  Our goals are simple: across all groups of our Advisory Council we seek to build a community of innovation which supports fire departments across the nation in creating safe, healthy, and resilient communities.

The Champions & Emerging Leaders (CEL) group consists of fire and emergency service members who are leading change and innovation in the area of Community Risk Reduction, subject matter experts in CRR concepts and programs outside of traditional fire service and emergency services, or individuals identified with a specific skill set that adds value to the group.  There will be a limit of 20 CEL representatives and appointments to the group will be granted via an application and interview with Vision 20/20 representatives.

The intent of the CEL group is to continually challenge and inspire Vision 20/20 to consider innovative perspectives that might otherwise get lost. It is a place to connect Vision 20/20 with the next generation of thought leaders, problem-solvers, and doers that will help to forge the future of CRR across the nation. Vision 20/20’s goal is to assemble a diverse and inclusive group of individuals that have a deep understanding of CRR and can work across typical fire service silos in a holistic effort to achieve desired outcomes. CEL members will gain the benefit and experience of understanding the scope of CRR on a national landscape, work with national organizations and strategic business alliance partners to be at the forefront of innovation, all while advocating for solutions and best practices for the US fire and emergency services.

Our Champions

Nathan Estrada

Nymbl Science
VP of Clinical

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Anthony Flynn

Northern Indiana Safety Educators Association (NISEA)
Co-Founder & Chairman

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Ashby Green

Louisville Fire Department
Deputy Fire Marshal

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Rachel Hale

Roanoke Fire-EMS
CRR Specialist and Public Information Officer

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Katie Harrington

Worcester Fire Department
Fire Lieutenant

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Esther Hernandez

Washington State Patrol – State Fire Marshall’s Office
Deputy State Fire Marshal

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Daniel Isenhour

Albemarle Fire Department
Fire Captain

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Amber Jones

Arvada Fire Department
CRR Specialist

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Dr. Candice McDonald

National Volunteer Fire Council
Deputy CEO

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Jeremy Mitchell

Champaign, IL Fire Department
Deputy Fire Marshal

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Mark Norford

Wyoming Department of Fire Prevention and Electrical Safety
Fire Inspector / Public Educator

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Kymberly Pashkowsky

State of Michigan Bureau of Fire Service
Fire Service Training Coordinator and MI Prevention CRR Division Chief

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Sylvia Peace

Community Risk Reduction Specialist
Greenville Fire-Rescue

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Jeff Pender

City of Brentwood (TN)
Fire Marshal

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Jess Sondgeroth

South Carolina State Fire
Community Risk Reduction (CRR) Outreach Program Coordinator

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Kim Stouse

Pocatello Fire Department / Bannock County Ambulance District
Community Risk Reduction Specialist

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Damien Vinson

Chattanooga Fire Department
Community Outreach and Recruitment Coordinator

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Joseph Walters

Office of the Maryland State Fire Marshall (OSFM)
Executive Officer

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Role of CEL Representatives

Champions and Emerging Leaders will bring fresh perspectives that are deeply connected to fire service problems and solutions across our nation.  The focus, passion, knowledge and engagement of CEL representatives will help Vision 20/20 examine current conditions, weigh feasible options, and carve the path for increased visibility and action that will accelerate momentum and progress for CRR across the nation.

CEL representatives will take part in 60 minute virtual meetings on Vision 20/20’s Zoom platform that occur on a monthly basis at a standing time.

Discussions will center on a variety of preset topics related to Vision 20/20’s 6 strategies and other diverse issues of significance, providing the framework and foundation for successful CRR efforts.  Topics will be forwarded to representatives 1 month prior to each meeting to keep the discussions focused and on topic. The goal is to better understand gaps and challenges, prospective solutions, scalability, measurable results and impact on the fire service.

These discussions can and likely will ultimately lead to deeper dives with Vision 20/20’s Strategic Business Alliance (SBA) partners to examine difficulty, cost, feasibility and priority.

Expectations of CEL members

Advisory Council (AC) – Champions & Emerging Leaders Group Member Representative Commitment:

All representatives for Champions & Emerging Leaders Group agree to the following stipulations:

  1. Serve a 2-year term.
  2. Attend a minimum of 7 virtual meetings in a calendar year.  If the AC representative does not meet that threshold they will be removed from the group.
  3. The Vision 20/20 AC is an inclusive and welcoming environment where those having differences of opinion and dissenting views are supported.  AC representatives agree to participate in a positive and respectful manner and represent the Vision 20/20 Project in a positive light at all times, understanding that failure to do so may be grounds for removal.

Vision 20/20 understands the commitment that all Vision 20/20 Advisory Council (AC)  representatives undertake and wishes to make the experience beneficial to them, their organization, the Vision 20/20 Project, and our fire and emergency service peers.