The National Fire Protection Association® (NFPA®) Board of Directors has unanimously voted to appoint Ross Ashley, an executive with more than 30 years’ experience in corporate leadership, public safety, intelligence, and emergency management, as its next president and CEO.
Ashley was most recently Senior Director, Emergency Management at KPMG LLP, where he oversaw programs to support state and local emergency management clients with all aspects of preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation. Throughout his career he has led for profit, non-profit, and government entities, including serving as assistant administrator for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), managing more than $10 billion annually in financial assistance programs for preparedness and disaster relief. He is a recognized leader in digital innovation; collaborative partnerships; organizational growth; and public policy and regulatory affairs.
Ashley retired after 20 years of combined enlisted and officer service in the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserves. He was the first Air National Guard member to attend the Joint Military Intelligence College in residence and to receive a master’s degree in Strategic Intelligence.
“I am impressed with the trajectory of NFPA to reach new heights in order to meet the fire and life safety challenges of our times,” said Ashley. “The quest to better protect people and property from fire and other hazards should never be stagnant. I’m looking forward to building on the success that Jim and the team have built.”
Ashley will start July 1 and will work alongside Jim Pauley who has served as NFPA president and CEO since 2014 and will retire at the end of July. Pauley has more than 35 years of affiliation with NFPA as a member, technical committee member, standards council chair, and president. Under Pauley’s leadership, NFPA has been pursuing aggressive growth to expand its impact on fire safety. It is grounded in four strategic pillars: to be more digital, more global, more connected, and more diversified.
“I’m proud of our many advancements over the last 12 years,” said Pauley. “Today’s world requires not only change but faster change. Our information and knowledge today reaches more people, in more places, in more ways, which translates to greater safety against new and persistent threats,” said Pauley. “Ross Ashley is an excellent choice to continue the momentum at NFPA, and I am sure he will find it as fulfilling as I have.”
