The Commission on Professional Credentialing (CPC) has 12 members that represent a cross-section of the fire and emergency service, including CFOs from career, combination, volunteer and Department of Defense fire departments, city and county management, labor, diversity, CEMSO, CTO, FM, FO, and PIO designees.

This document includes a flow chart that illustrates how agency heads/designees and city/county managers are selected for CPC.

CPC selects a Chair and Vice Chair from among their current membership. CPC holds two in-person meetings each year at the CPSE Excellence Conference and at the CPSE Summer Symposium. During these in-person meetings, as well as during regular virtual meetings, CPC reviews individuals applying for a designation. Learn more about the individuals that graciously volunteer their time to overseeing credentialing.

Toni B. Washington, CFO
Commission Chair
Representative: Diversity

Fire Chief
Decatur Fire Rescue Department
230 East Trinity Place
Decatur, GA 30030
2nd term ending October 2025

Toni Washington is the chief of the City of Decatur, Georgia, Fire Department, which she has been with for almost 11 years. She has over 27 years in the fire service including thirteen years with the City of East Point Fire Department as a Fire Administrator, Lieutenant, and Deputy Chief and three years with the State of Georgia Fire Marshal.

Chief Washington holds a Masters in Managerial Leadership from National-Louis University and a Bachelor of Business Administration from Savannah State University.

Toni is a Georgia Certified Emergency Manager (CEM) and a current member of the Executive Board for iWomen.

Chief Washington earned her Chief Fire Officer designation in 2013.

Alexander C. Henderson, Ph.D., CTO
Commission Vice Chair
Representative: Chief Training Officers

Associate Professor
Marist College
3399 North Road
Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
1st term ending August 2024

Alexander Henderson, Ph.D. is an associate professor in the Department of Public and Nonprofit Administration at Marist College, New York.

His research and teaching span organizational behavior, personnel management, policy implementation, and administrative discretion. Dr. Henderson previously served as a chief administrative officer, operational officer, and director with several emergency services organizations in suburban Philadelphia. He is a fellow of the Center for Organizational Research and Design at Arizona State University, and an academic fellow with the Local Government Workplace Initiative at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill.

Dr. Henderson holds a Ph.D. from the School of Public Affairs and Administration at Rutgers University-Newark, and a B.A. and M.P.A. from Villanova University.

He earned his Chief Training Officer designation in 2022.

Todd Canale, CFO
Commissioner
Representative:
Department of Defense Departments

Fire Chief
Davis-Monthan Air Force Base Emergency Services
4690 South Phoenix St
Tucson, AZ 85707
2nd term ending April 2024

Todd Canale is the chief, fire emergency services, for the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona, an accredited agency through the Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI). In addition to overseeing all activities of the fire department, Chief Canale serves in the Air Force Reserve as a Liaison Officer providing Air Force oversight for the Southwest Region of the Civil Air Patrol, and teaches both fire science and leadership courses at Pima Community College.

Chief Canale is a graduate of Arizona State University with a master’s degree in Fire Service Administration, is currently a doctoral candidate in Organizational Leadership at Grand Canyon University and is a graduate of the National Fire Academy’s Executive Fire Officer Program.

He earned his Chief Fire Officer designation in 2011.

Brandon Fletcher, CFO, CTO
Commissioner
Representative:
Volunteer Departments

Fire Chief
Gilt Edge Fire Department
Burlison, TN 38015
1st term ending December 2024

Brandon Fletcher is the chief of Gilt Edge Fire Department in Burlison, Tennessee, a position that he has held since July 2015. He began his fire service career in October 2000and is a second-generation firefighter with a background as both a volunteer and career firefighter in rural, suburban, and airport/industrial settings. 

Chief Fletcher is a graduate of theUniversity of Tennessee at Martin with a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture. He serves as a principal member of the NFPA Fire Officer Professional Qualifications and the NFPA Fire Service Occupational Safety Technical Committees. Chief Fletcher is a 2021 graduate of the Fire Service Chief Executive Officer (FSCEO) program throughTexas A&M’s Engineering Extension Service and Mays Business School. He is also a member of the Institution of Fire Engineers (MIFireE). 

He earned the designations of Chief Fire Officer in 2020 and Chief Training Officer in 2021. 

Tiffany Green, CFO
Commissioner
Representative:
Combination Departments

Fire Chief
Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department
9201 Basil Court, Suite 452
Largo, MD 20774
1st term ending February 2026

Tiffany Green is the chief of the Prince George’s County Fire/Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Department, located in Largo, Maryland, one of the largest combination fire departments in the nation. She has served the Department for over 27 years and has been committed to improving and modernizing the fire service regionally, nationally, and globally.  She started her journey as a volunteer firefighter and later became a career firefighter and paramedic. During her tenure with the department, she has served in numerous leadership roles to include Chief Deputy, Director of the Fire/EMS Training and Leadership Academy, Executive Assistant to the Public Safety Director, Chief of Staff for the Director of Homeland Security, Battalion Chief, and Station Commander.

Chief Green holds a bachelor’s degree in Public Safety and a master’s degree in Emergency and Disaster Management.

Chief Green earned her Chief Fire Officer designation in 2021.

Rebecca Grill
Commissioner
Representative:
City Manager

City Administrator/Clerk
City of West Allis
7525 W. Greenfield Avenue
West Allis, WI 53214
1st term ending March 2026

Rebecca Grill is the City Administrator/Clerk of the City of West Allis, Wisconsin. Ms. Grill has held this position since January 2015. In these roles, she oversees the day-to-day operations of the municipal operations, the implementation of the Common Council’s policy directions, the strategic plan, and a CFAI accredited agency.

Prior to working for the City of West Allis, she worked for the City of Milwaukee Common Council/City Clerk, the Public Safety Department of the Housing Authority, the State of Wisconsin Department of Corrections – Youth Corrective Sanctions Program, and the State of Wisconsin Department of Corrections – Ethan Allen Boys School.

Ms. Grill has an MBA with a concentration in Finance, a Bachelor of Administration in Political Science/Criminal Justice from Valparaiso in Indiana, and a Paralegal certificate. She is an ICMA Credentialed Manager, UW – Madison Certified Public Manager, and a Certified Municipal Clerk.

William Hyde, CFO, CEMSO, FM
Commissioner
Representative: Chief EMS Officers

Chief
Rogers Fire Department
3003 W Oak Street
Rogers, AR 72758
2nd term ending May 2026

William Hyde serves as fire chief for the Rogers, Arkansas, Fire Department, an accredited agency through the Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI) and the Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services. At Rogers, he has served as the fire marshal, building official, and director of training, special operations, aircraft rescue and EMS.

He is a graduate of the Fire Service Executive Development Institute at the International Association of Fire Chiefs, and the Executive Fire Officer Program at the National Fire Academy. He has a master’s in Business Administration from John Brown University, bachelor’s in Public Safety Management from Franklin University, and associate degrees in Paramedicine and Fire Science Administration from Northwest Arkansas Community College.

Chief Hyde earned the designations of Chief Fire Officer in 2010, Chief EMS Officer in 2011, and Fire Marshal in 2023 and is a Fellow with the Institution of Fire Engineers-USA Branch.

Thomas Maloney, CFO, FM
Commissioner
Representative: Fire Marshals

Deputy Chief/Fire Marshal
Marysville Fire District
1094 Cedar Avenue
Marysville, WA 98270
1st term ending May 2025

Tom Maloney is serving as Deputy Fire Chief/Fire Marshal for the Marysville Fire District, a Regional Fire Authority in Washington State, a position which he has held since October 2008. He began his fire service career as a volunteer in upstate New York in 1984 and has served as a Fire Chief in both New York and Montana.

Maloney is a graduate of the Executive Fire Officer Program at the National Fire Academy. He holds a master’s degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Public Administration from the University of Phoenix, as well as certifications from the International Code Council and National Fire Protection Association.

He earned his Chief Fire Officer designation in 2016 and Fire Marshal in 2019.

Ashley McDonald, PIO
Commissioner
Representative: Public Information Officers

FLEETCOR Technologies
5301 Maryland Way
Brentwood, TN 37027
1st term ending November 2025

Ashley McDonald is the Public Relations/Communications Manager for the North America Fleet Division of FLEETCOR Technologies in Brentwood, Tennessee. Prior to transitioning to the private sector, she served as public information officer for Murfreesboro Fire Rescue and Rutherford County Fire Rescue Departments (Tennessee) for ten years collectively. She now works in a volunteer capacity as public information officer for both the Tennessee Fire Chiefs Association Mutual Aid Section and the Tennessee Firemen’s Association.

McDonald is currently the only FEMA Emergency Management Institute’s Master PIO program graduate in the state of Tennessee. Her capstone paper entitled, “The emerging role of the PIO as a family liaison” resides in the National Emergency Training Center Library on campus. She completed the FBI-LEEDA Master PIO program in January 2020.

McDonald is a past president of the National Information Officers Association. During her time as president, McDonald led the charge to develop a professional designation and credentialing process for public information officers.

McDonald holds a B.S. degree in Public Relations from Middle Tennessee State University. She earned her Public Information Officer (PIO) designation in 2022.

Hezedean Smith, Ph.D., CFO, CEMSO
Commissioner
Representative: Career Departments

Director, Fire Rescue Services
Polk County Fire Rescue
1295 Brice Boulevard
Bartow, Florida 33830
1st term ending June 2025

Dr. Hezedean Smith is the Director of Fire Rescue Services at Polk County Fire Rescue in Florida.  He previously served as the fire chief of the Charlottesville Fire Department in Virginia, an accredited agency through the Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI). Chief Smith has over three decades of experience in the emergency services profession, starting his career in 1998 in the United States Air Force. He retired as a chief fire officer after serving almost 25 years in the Orlando Fire Department before joining the Charlottesville Fire Department and now the Polk County Fire Rescue, just outside Orlando, Florida.

Chief Smith has a Doctor of Management degree from the University of Phoenix, a master’s degree, and two associate degrees (Fire Science and EMS). He is a Certified Public Manager, Healthcare Simulation Educator, Executive Fire Officer (University of Florida), a Fellow of the American College of Paramedic Executives, and a Certified Occupational Safety Specialist. Dr. Smith is a Nationally Registry Paramedic, serving on the National EMS Management Association and the Black Chief Officers Committee board. He is an adjunct professor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and Columbia Southern University. 

Chief Smith earned the designation of Chief Fire Officer in 2015 and Chief EMS Officer in 2018, and is a Member of the Metropolitan Fire Chiefs Association and the Institution of Fire Engineers-USA and the Caribbean Branch.

Joshua J Smith, Ph.D., CFO

Commissioner
Representative:  Labor

Assistant to General President
Training, Education and Grants Administration
International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF)
1750 New York Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20006
1st term ending February 2027

Joshua Smith Ph.D., CFO, has over 20 years of public safety experience, concentrating in emergency services and community college adult education. He is a retired Chief Fire Officer and currently serves as Assistant to the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) General President. As a senior executive for the IAFF, he leads their training, education, and grants division. Dr. Smith holds a master’s in public administration and a Doctorate of Curriculum Design from Appalachian State University. His research focused on performance management, strategic planning, and public safety promotional assessments, and he speaks nationally on the subjects.

Dr. Smith is a graduate of the National Fire Academy Executive Fire Officer Program. He currently serves on the North Carolina Fire and Rescue Commission, Pro Board Executive Directors, North Carolina Fire and Rescue Certification Board, and Teachers and State Employee’s Retirement System Board.

Dr. Smith earned his designation as Chief Fire Officer in 2022.

Grant Tinker, FO, CTO
Commissioner
Representative: Fire Officers

Battalion Chief
Colorado Springs Fire Department
375 Printers Parkway
Colorado Springs, CO 80910
1st term ending April 2024

Grant Tinker is a battaltion chief with the Colorado Springs Fire Department in Colorado, an accredited agency through the Commission on Fire accreditation International (CFAI).  Chief Tinker has been with the department for more than fifteen years, working his way through the ranks to battaltion chief in 2024.

Chief Tinker has a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Northern Colorado and is a graduate of the National Fire Academy’s Managing Officer Program.  Chief Tinker has been honored with several awards and recognition including being named Firefighter of the Year in 2019.

He earned his Fire Officer (FO) Designation in February 2015 and his Chief Training Officer (CTO) designation in June 2023.