Meet the EFO Board

William Hyde
Chair
(bio)

Joe Pulvermacher
Vice-Chair
(bio)

Gregory Barton
Secretary/ Treasurer
(bio)

Jo-Ann Lorber
Past President
(bio)

Curvin Wolfgang
Director of Eastern
(bio)

Matthew Knott
Director of Great Lakes

Jeremy Young
Director of Missouri Valley
(bio)

Steve Murphy
Director of New England
(bio)

Brad Hall
Director of Southeastern
(bio)

Chad Roberson
Director of Southwestern
(bio)

Robert Jarvis
Director of Western
(bio)

Ken Uzeloc
Canadian Division
(bio)

Jim Wamsley
IAFC Liaison
(bio)

Derek Bullington
IAFC Staff Liaison

William Hyde
Chair

William Hyde is the deputy fire chief of Special Operations and training for the City of Rogers, Arkansas. He began his career in 1998 with the City of Bentonville, where he served as division chief. He also served on the City of Centerton Volunteer Fire Department. While in Centerton, he served the community as a paramedic and the department's training chief.

Chief Hyde is a graduate of the National Fire Academy's EFO Program. He received his Bachelor of Science in Public Safety Management from Franklin University. He also holds Associate Degrees in Fire Science Administration & Paramedicine. He is pursuing an MBA with emphasis in Leadership & Ethics at John Brown University.

Joe Pulvermacher
Vice-Chair

Joe Pulvermacher is the Fire Chief and Emergency Management Director for the City of Fitchburg (WI). He is a 2014 National Fire Academy’s Executive Fire Officer Program graduate. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Fire Service Management from Southern Illinois University. He received his Associate Degree in Fire Science from the Milwaukee Area. Joe Pulvermacher is the Fire Chief for the Village of Menomonee Falls (WI). He is a 2014 National Fire Academy’s Executive Fire Officer (EFO) Program graduate. He is designated as a Chief Fire Officer (CFO) through the Center of Public Safety Excellence (CPSE). He holds a Bachelor of Science in Fire Service Management from Southern Illinois University. He is a graduate of the Naval Post-Graduate Master’s Program (Center of Homeland Defense and Security).

Chief Pulvermacher has experience in fire service at many levels (volunteer, military, career, and combination fire departments). Joe is personally and professionally involved in evaluating training requirements in a constantly changing profession (affected generationally by a regularly changing workforce). He is motivated by positive impacts on workforce development, succession planning, and organizational ownership.

Chief Pulvermacher is an active participant in the IAFC. His recent projects involve the development of a partnership between the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) and the EFO Section - to establish content and curriculum that addresses financial literacy for new and aspiring fire chiefs. Further, Chief Pulvermacher contributed to a guidance document by the Volunteer and Combination Officers Section (VCOS), the EFO Section. Chief Pulvermacher continues to participate in outreach throughout the fire service – to strengthen executive, administrative, and operational partnerships within our industry.

Gregory Barton
Secretary/ Treasurer

Fire Chief Greg Barton has served the community of Beverly Hills for 30 years and is currently serving as the 10th Fire Chief. He is the 39th Certified Fire Chief (CFC) in the history of California through the California State Fire Marshal's Office. Chief Barton has earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and History, a Master's degree in Public Administration, and Executive Fire Officer (EFO) from the United States Fire Administration's National Fire Academy. He has completed many prestigious education programs, including the Naval Post Graduate School Center for Homeland Defense and Security-Executive Leaders Program, the Los Angeles Fire Department Leadership Academy, and the International Association of Fire Chiefs – Fire Service Executive Development Institute. Chief Barton is a certified Chief Fire Officer (CFO), Fire Marshal (FM), and Chief Training Officer (CTO) from the Center for Public Safety Excellence. Also, he is a Certified Emergency Manager (CEM) through the International Association of Emergency Managers and a Fellow (FIFireE) with the Institution of Fire Engineers.

Chief Barton has served on several committees, including President for the Fire Chiefs Department for the League of California Cities and Statewide Training and Education Advisory Committee for the Office of the State Fire Marshal. Greg served as a cadre member on the California State Fire Training, Chief Officer Curriculum development and is an instructor for the California Fire Service Training and Education System. He has earned a number of certifications through the State Fire Marshal Office.

Chief Barton is a Board member, Governance Committee Member, Executive Committee Member, and Co-Chair of the Prevention and Education Committee for the Children's Burn Foundation. Greg serves as a member of the Board of Directors for the Maple Counseling Center, Executive Team Member on the Beverly Hills 9/11 Memorial Committee, Director of the Beverly Hills Fire Chief Funds, and Governance Board Representative for the City of Beverly Hills on the Interagency Communications Interoperability System. He serves as the Secretary/Treasurer for the Executive Fire Officers Section of the International Association of Fire Chiefs and President for the Beverly Hills Rotary Club.

Over the years, Chief Barton has earned numerous awards, including Firefighter of the Year recognitions from the Kiwanis Club, the Beverly Hills Fire Department Felix Rothschild award, and the Beverly Hills Masonic Lodge. In 2021, Chief Barton was honored to earn the Fred C. Cunningham award for Distinguished Service from the City of Beverly Hills City Council, which is the city's highest recognition for outstanding service to the community. He is only the third person to receive such an honor.

Jo-Ann Lorber
Past President

Jo-Ann Lorber is Fort Lauderdale, Fla's assistant chief/emergency manager. She has been with Fort Lauderdale Fire-Rescue since January 1996. Chief Lorber holds an associates' degrees in liberal arts and fire science technology, a bachelor of arts degree in public management and a master's degree in public administration from Florida Atlantic University. Chief Lorber is a 2006 graduate of the National Fire Academy's EFO Program and was an Outstanding Applied Research Award winner in 2004 for her paper, Drowning…The Silent Killer of Children. Lorber has been awarded CFO designation. Additionally, she is a member of the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM), the Florida Emergency Preparedness Association (FEPA), the IAFC, the Florida Fire Chiefs Association (FFCA), the National Society of Executive Fire Officers (NSEFO), American Society of Public Administrators (ASPA) and the South Florida Regional Domestic Task Force (RDSTF). Additionally, she will have her Certified Emergency Management designation by July 2014.

Jo-Ann has written many articles on leadership for Fire Chief magazine and the Florida fire service.

Curvin Wolfgang
Director of Eastern

Chief Wolfgang, Assistant Fire Chief of the Sarasota County Fire Department, is a 2023 graduate of the National Fire Academy’s Executive Fire Officer (EFO) Program. His fire service career began in 1989 as a volunteer firefighter in a rural Pennsylvania town. After completing his college education, he continued serving in volunteer fire and EMS roles while working in the private sector, ultimately transitioning to a full-time fire service career in 2008.

He holds a bachelor's degree in Fire Science from Columbia Southern University and a master's degree in Organizational Leadership from Waldorf University. Chief Wolfgang is a designated Chief Fire Officer (CFO) through the Center for Public Safety Excellence (CPSE) and is certified as an NFPA 1001 Fire Officer IV by the National Pro Board. He also serves as a certified instructor with both the Pennsylvania State Fire Academy and the National Fire Academy.

Matthew Knott
Director of Great Lakes

Jeremy Young
Director of Missouri Valley

Jeremy A. Young is the Fire Chief for Frederick-Firestone Fire District in Colorado. He began his career in emergency services in 1992 in the Kansas City, Missouri, area until 2017, when he was selected for a Fire Chief position in Colorado. Chief Young is a graduate of the National Fire Academy's EFO Program. He holds an associate's degree in fire service administration, a bachelor's degree in business administration, and a master's degree in organizational leadership and theory. He is currently finishing his doctoral degree in business administration. Chief Young serves on the Colorado State Fire Chiefs Association executive board as treasurer, is the Colorado State Director for the International Association of Fire Chiefs Missouri Valley Division, and is on the executive committee for the Weld County Fire Chiefs Association in Colorado.

Chief Young is an individual who leads with purpose, vision, and faith in my executive role and mentors those who strive to become executive fire officers now and in the future. The most important goal is to ensure all section members have leadership tools available to them and their personnel to enhance the overall leadership levels within the 21st Century Fire and Emergency Services. Chief Young is an avid admirer and scholar of leadership and organizational behavior. His life and leadership mottos are "How we treat each other is everything. If we do that well, everything else will fall into place" and "We Lead Together By Serving Together." Fire Chief Young is honored and pleased to serve you, your region, and your state as the Missouri Valley Division Director of the IAFC-EFO Section.

Steve Murphy
Director of New England

Chief Steve Murphy has served as the Fire Chief and Emergency Management Director for the Hingham MA Fire Department since 2018. He began his career with the Hingham Fire Department in 2000 and has held positions as a firefighter/paramedic, lieutenant, captain, deputy chief, and EMS coordinator. He has been a Paramedic since 1993 and serves on multiple state and local organizations.

Chief Murphy has earned a paramedic certificate from Northeastern University, a Bachelor of Science (Biology) from the University of Maine, and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Anna Maria College. He is also a National Fire Academy Executive Fire Officer Program graduate. He is a credentialed fire chief for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. He has been an instructor for the MA Fire Academy since 2013.

Brad Hall
Director of Southeastern

Brad Hall is a twenty-four-year veteran of the fire service and second-generation firefighter, serving both as a volunteer and career firefighter. He currently serves as the Assistant Chief of Operations for the Spartanburg Fire Department, an Accredited, ISO Class One department located in upstate South Carolina. Chief Hall holds a Master of Public Administration in Fire and Emergency Services from Anna Maria College and a BS from Clemson University.

Chief Hall is a 2015 EFO graduate and has attended numerous EFO Symposiums. He holds a Chief Fire Officer and Fire Marshal designation from the CPSE CPC. He is also a member of the Institution of Fire Engineers. He is the second vice president of the South Carolina Chapter of the International Association of Arson Investigators. He has previously served as a board member. Chief Hall serves as an adjunct instructor in the fire service program at Columbia College (SC) and has previously worked as an adjunct instructor with the South Carolina Fire Academy.

Chief Hall spent twelve years of his career as a deputy fire marshal and fire marshal and has a strong background in community risk reduction, with special emphasis on elderly fire and fall prevention and youth fire setting intervention. He also has extensive training and experience as an IAAI-certified fire Investigator, having investigated hundreds of fires over his career. Chief Hall is married to his wife, Emily, and has three children. In his spare time, he serves as an assistant scoutmaster with Troop 2 and enjoys restoring classic cars.

Chad Roberson
Director of Southwestern

Chad Roberson is a 38-year veteran of the fire service and currently serves as the Chief of Operations for the St. George Fire Protection District. He is the current Southwestern Director for the Executive Fire Officers Section of the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC). Additionally, he has served on the National Fire Academy Executive Officer Program Review Team for the past two years.

Roberson holds a master's degree in executive Fire Service Leadership from Grand Canyon University, a bachelor’s degree in history from Louisiana State University (LSU), and an associate degree in fire science from Louisiana State University Eunice (LSUE). He is a graduate of the Executive Fire Officer Program at the National Fire Academy and the IAFC Fire Service Executive Development Institute (FSEDI) program. He has been credentialed with the Chief Fire Officer (CFO) designation from the Commission on Professional Credentialing and holds the MiFireE designation from the Institution of Fire Engineers.

Currently, he is a member of the IAFC Urban Search & Rescue (US&R) Committee and has previously served on the Emergency Management Committee and the IAFC Membership Task Force. He is also a board member of the Louisiana Firefighters Foundation, serving as President, and the Louisiana Municipal Association. Additionally, he is a Past President of the Louisiana Fire Chiefs Association and the Southwestern Division of the IAFC.

Robert Jarvis
Director of Western

Chief Jarvis has 36 years of experience as a firefighter and fire officer and 34 years as a paramedic. He currently serves as the fire chief of the Whetstone (Arizona) Fire District. Before serving Whetstone, he was the Fire Chief of Coolidge and Christopher Kohl’s Fire.

Chief Jarvis earned a bachelor’s degree in Public Safety Administration from Grand Canyon University and his associate’s degree from Pima Community College with an emphasis on paramedics. He completed the four-year Executive Fire Officer Program at the National Fire Academy. In the past, Chief Jarvis was president of the Pinal County Fire Chief’s Association, regional representative for the Arizona Fire District Association, a member of the AZ Department of Health Services, Protocol, Medication, and Devices Committee.

Chief Jarvis is active in the community, currently with the Lions Club. He was a member of the Southern AZ Rescue Association (volunteer search and rescue), a founding member of Southwest Rescue Dogs (K9 S&R), a development team member for the Artisan Village of Coolidge, and a board member of the Coolidge Performing Arts Center Foundation. Chief Jarvis enjoys spending time with his wife, Mary, and hunting with family. Other hobbies include amateur radio, photography, and competitive shooting.

Ken Uzeloc
Canadian Division

Ken Uzeloc is the Protective Services Director and Fire Chief of Kamloops Fire and Rescue in the City of Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada. He was a member of the Calgary Fire Department (CFD) for the past 30 years, working through many ranks, including firefighter, rescue specialist, hazmat specialist, hazmat officer, assistant deputy chief, deputy chief, and interim fire chief/director of emergency management. Chief Uzeloc earned a Bachelor of Applied Business in Emergency Services degree with distinction from Lakeland College, a Master’s certificate in Municipal Leadership from York University, and is a 2018 graduate from the United States Fire Administration’s National Fire Academy Executive Fire Officer Program.

Chief Uzeloc was conferred his Chief Fire Officer designation in 2012 from the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs (CAFC). Chief Uzeloc is deeply committed to improving the fire service and is dedicated to continuous improvement and lifelong learning. Chief Uzeloc is a Director on the Board and co-chairs the Dangerous Goods, Infrastructure, & Industry Committee of the CAFC and represents CAFC on the NFPA 472 Technical Committee on Hazardous Materials Response Personnel.

Jim Wamsley
IAFC Liaison

Chief Jim Wamsley began his fire service career in the industrial sector as a Church & Dwight Co. Emergency Response Team member at the Green River Plant in 1994. Wamsley became a certified High-Angle and Confined-Space Rescue instructor and earned his FF-I certificate, igniting a passion for service. Wamsley signed on as a volunteer firefighter for Sweetwater County Fire District #1 in 2002, advancing to the rank of volunteer Captain and being appointed as Fire Chief of that agency, serving from 2006-2015. In 2015, Wamsley was appointed as Fire Chief of the Rock Springs Fire Department. The Rock Springs Fire Department is a career fire department of 35 personnel operating out of three fire stations serving the City of Rock Springs and its 25,000 residents.

Chief Wamsley served on the Missouri Valley Division Board as the Wyoming Director, being elected to 2nd Vice President of the Division in 2014. Wamsley was president of the Missouri Valley Division in 2017. Chief Wamsley is the chairman of the local airport board of directors, a board member of the Sweetwater Combined Communications Board, vice-chair of the Sweetwater County Ambulance Service Board, and co-chair of the Sweetwater County Local Emergency Planning Committee. Wamsley also serves as the Chairman of the Senior Advisory Council for the Wyoming Office of Homeland Security. Chief Wamsley was elected to serve as the International Director for the Missouri Valley Division in July 2019.

Chief Wamsley is a graduate of the National Fire Academy’s Executive Fire Officer Program, possessing an Associate of Applied Science in Industrial Maintenance from Western Wyoming Community College and a Bachelor of Science in Fire Science from Kaplan University. Wamsley is a native of southwest Wyoming and lives in Rock Springs with his wife, Alisa..