The Center for Public Safety Excellence® announces the upcoming retirement of Debbie Sobotka, Chief Operating Officer, and the hiring of Kyle Gaffaney as Chief Finance and Administration Officer and Jason Wells, CFO as Chief Programs Officer.

Remaining “People Focused” was a key tenet of the CPSE 2024 – 2027 Strategic Plan. In 2025, CPSE began a holistic staff and contractor review resulting in a three-year staffing enhancement plan approved by the CPSE Board in May 2026. Year one of the staffing enhancement plan called for the addition of a Chief Programs Officer to serve as a key member of the executive team, providing strategic direction and oversight of CPSE’s accreditation, credentialing, and education programs ensuring growth while safeguarding quality and the conversion of the Chief Operating Officer position to a Chief Finance and Administration Officer.

“The CPSE Board understands that having the right people in the right roles is key to CPSE’s continued success and sustainability” shared CPSE Board President and Fire Chief Poudre (CO) Fire Authority, Derek Bergsten, CFO, CEMSO, CTO, PIO. “In 2025, the Board approved reinvestment funds to conduct the holistic staff and contractor review and was excited to see the resulting three-year staffing enhancement plan.”

At the end of October 2026, CPSE will celebrate Debbie Sobotka’s retirement after 22 years of dedicated service to the organization. She has been pivotal in the development, adoption, and implementation of the staffing enhancement plan.

On September 30, 2026, Kyle Gaffaney will join CPSE as our new Chief Finance and Administration Officer. Kyle will have a short period of transition with Debbie. Kyle has dual bachelor’s degrees in accounting and management information systems from the University of Minnesota and a Juris Doctorate from Loyola University Chicago School of Law. Kyle brings over a decade of association experience to the CPSE CFAO role and most recently served as the Finance and Administration Manager for the Rochester (MN) Airport Company.

On February 1, 2027, Jason Wells will join CPSE as our inaugural Chief Programs Officer. Jason recently announced his retirement as Fire Chief of Lexington (KY) Fire Department effective January 2027. Jason has served LFD for over 30 years and was pivotal in their becoming a CFAI-accredited agency. Jason has a bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership from Northern Kentucky University, a Master of Business Administration degree from University of the Cumberlands, and CPSE’s Chief Fire Officer designation.

“I look forward to working with these two accomplished professionals” shared CPSE Chief Executive Officer, Preet Bassi, CAE. “They are joining CPSE at a time of great change and opportunity. Their unique skills displayed during the thorough recruitment processes will surely position CPSE for continued growth and impact.”

About CPSE
The Center for Public Safety Excellence (CPSE) is an international technical organization committed to leading the fire and emergency service industry to excellence through the continuous quality improvement process of accreditation, credentialing, and education. A not-for-profit 501(c) (3) corporation, CPSE offers programs and solutions to assist departments and personnel with the tools necessary to excel in the delivery of fire and emergency services. Learn more at cpse.org.