NFPA Appoints Michele Steinberg New Manager of Wildland Fire Operations Division

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has named Michele Steinberg manager of its Wildland Fire Operations Division, and announced that Thomas Welle and Faith Berry have also joined the Division staff as senior project manager and associate project manager, respectively.

Steinberg has played an integral role in NFPA’s wildland fire activities since 2002. As the Firewise Communities Program manager for more than a decade, she led the national Firewise Communities/USA® Recognition Program, which includes more than 1,100 communities across the U.S., and encourages local solutions for safety by involving homeowners in taking individual responsibility for preparing their homes from the risk of wildfire. She has served as a staff liaison on NFPA standards related to wildland fire and is a recognized speaker in both the national and international arenas on a variety of wildland fire topics. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Brandeis University, and a Master of Arts in urban planning from Boston University.

In their new roles, Welle and Berry will help contribute to the Division’s mission of reducing risks to life and property from wildfire through advocacy and education, research, and codes and standards.

Based in NFPA’s field office in Denver, Colorado, Welle joins the organization from a career in public service and wildland firefighting. Most recently, he spent more than a decade with Douglas County, Colorado as a ranger and land management specialist. He has also instructed technical firefighting classes and volunteers with the Colorado Civil Wing Air Patrol. Earlier in his career, Welle served as a firefighter and was subsequently promoted to Captain of the Monterey Fire Department in California. He received both a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees from the University of Colorado.

As a former Firewise regional advisor, Berry contracted with NFPA from 2011 to 2013. She has extensive experience working with communities on fire and land management issues, including work as a firefighter and park ranger in the western U.S. and as a Fire Safe Council coordinator in San Diego County, California. She is based at NFPA headquarters in Quincy, Massachusetts, and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Studies from Bemidiji State University in Minnesota.

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