The CPSE Cliff Jones Ambassador Award recognizes an individual who goes above and beyond in their support of accreditation, credentialing, and CPSE as a whole. The CPSE staff makes their selection based on their interactions and observations over the prior year. 

Learn about other CPSE awards or contact CPSE if you have any questions.

2023 Recipients of the CPSE Cliff Jones Ambassador Award

Mr. Leonard N. Chan
Accreditation Manager
Houston Fire Department

Leonard N. Chan is the accreditation manager for Houston Fire Department, Texas and previously served in a similar role with Cedar Park Fire Department. He currently serves as the chair of the Texas Center for Public Safety Excellence (CPSE) Consortium and a principal member of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) technical committee on fire analysts. As of summer 2022, he has been assigned and completed ten peer assessments for CPSE. He has mentored fire service-based research projects at University of Texas at Austin, Rice University, and University of Houston as well as being an adjunct instructor for the University of Houston Master of Public Administration program. His work has been published in PA Times and Fire Engineering.

Mr. Chan also served as the Chair for the 2022 CPSE Excellence Conference Education Planning Committee and has presented on accreditation topics.

Congratulations, Mr. Chan!

Will Gray, CFO
Fire Chief
Boulder City Fire Department, Nevada

Will Gray, CFO is the Fire Chief for Boulder City Fire Department, Nevada.

Chief Gray has been very involved in the accreditation process serving as the founding member and first coordinator of both the Rocky Mountain Accreditation and Credentialing Consortium and the Nevada Accreditation and Credentialing Consortium. He became a peer assessor for the Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI) and completed five peer team site visits across the United States and in Germany. Later he became a peer team leader and led teams on thirteen site visits across the United States and in Canada. He served as a team leader mentor and as a formal agency mentor for different departments seeking accreditation. While with the Rocky Mountain Consortium Group, he led the credentialing mentoring committee.

Chief Gray received his Chief Fire Officer (CFO) designation in 2016.

Congratulations, Chief Gray!

Previous Recipients

2022 Scott Kujawa, CFO, CTO
2021 Ricky Brockman, CFO
2020 David Pennington, CFO
2019 Mike Pritchard, CFO and Carey Waddell, CFO, CTO, FM
2018 Brian Goss, CFO
2017 Josh Waldo, CFO, CTO, FM
2016 No award given
2015 Jerry Nulliner, CFO
2014 Neil Rosenberger, CFO, FM
2013 Todd LeDuc, CFO
2012 Ryan Roberts, CFO, CTO and
Ronny J. Coleman, CFO Emeritus
2011 Bill Killen, CFO
2010 Gary Curmode, CFO, CEMSO

Learn about other CPSE awards or contact CPSE if you have any questions.