Mark is Oklahoma’s State Forester/Director of Forestry, working for the Oklahoma Dept. of Agriculture, Food and Forestry - Forestry Services Division for thirty-eight years.  He graduated from Oklahoma State University in 1981 with a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture – Forest Management.

Goeller began fighting wildland fire in 1980.  He has experience in wildland fire and all-hazards incidents in twenty-two states.  He is currently qualified as a Type 1 Incident Commander and Type 1 Operations Section Chief.  Since 1998 Mark has served a primary role on multiple Incident Management Teams, most recently as the Incident Commander for Northern Rockies Team 1. Goeller’s other incident management-related activities include:  past Chairperson of the National Wildfire Coordinating Group Risk Management Committee; NASF Representative on the S-520 Advanced Incident Management Steering Committee; past National Governor’s Association Representative to the Wildland Fire Leadership Council; and NASF Fire Committee member.  Mark is also the current Chairperson of the Southern Group of State Foresters; and current member of the Oklahoma Incident Management Team Advisory Committee.   

Rachel Buczynski is a facilitator, educator, and instructional designer with over 15 years’ experience supporting fire service organizations and other nonprofits. Rachel holds a B.A. from Texas A&M University and an M.S. Adult Education and Human Resource Development from James Madison University.

Tom Miller is a 35 year veteran of the Sissonville Volunteer Fire Department in West Virginia and has served on the NVFC Board since 2008.  He has held many positions of leadership within his department and currently serves on the Department's Board of Directors in addition to being an active firefighter.  Tom is active in the West Virginia State Fireman's Association and currently serves as its Scholarship Chair.  Tom holds many certifications including, but not limited to: Firefighter II, Fire Officer II, Hazardous Materials Technician/Incident Commander, Swift Water Rescue Technician, Vehicle Machinery Technician, Rope Rescue Technician, and Fire Instructor III, and is an active Instructor with West Virginia University Fire Service Extension.  He serves on the NVFC's Health & Safety and Conference/Education Committees.  Tom also represents the NVFC on the NFPA 470 Technical Committee and the NFPA Joint 1001/472 Task Group.  In his paying job, Tom is employed as the Privacy & Security Officer for the West Virginia Department of Administration.

Chief Carpenter was one of the inaugural members of iDELP, the Diversity Executive Leadership Program with the International Association of Fire Chiefs and helped to write the IAFC’s Guide for Creating a Diverse and Inclusive Department, and also serves on the Professional Development Committee with the IAFC. She was with a mid-sized suburb of Dallas, TX, for over 26 years but has recently taken a position as a Fire Chief with Spirit Lake Fire Protection District in north Idaho. SO with that being said, please join me in welcoming Chief Debbie Carpenter 

Chief Carpenter earned a Master of Science in Public Safety Administration from Lewis University in 2016. She is a graduate of the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service’s Fire Service Chief Executive Officer program. She has taught at state and national conferences on ethics in public safety and how to teach people to make ethical decisions.

Carpenter’s own passions include kayaking and mountain biking, and she has turned those hobbies into opportunities to partner with wounded veterans in long-distance canoe and kayak races and mountain bike trail building for wounded veteran multi-day events. If you find yourself in north Idaho, she will happily take you out on the water or on the trails.  

David is an active member of the Odenton (MD) Volunteer Fire Company, having served for over 40 years as a volunteer firefighter/EMT and past Chief Officer. He is an adjunct instructor with the National Fire Academy, the Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute, and University of Maryland University College. He is also NVFC's Maryland Director and the NVFC representative to the AFG, SAFER, and FP&S criteria development process. He is a Past President of the Anne Arundel County Volunteer Firefighters Association and of the Maryland State Firemen’s Association.

Hersch Wilson is a thirty-three year veteran Firefighter-EMT with the Hondo Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He retired in 2021. He is a writer and his last book was the award winning “Firefighter Zen: A Field Guide to Thriving in Tough Times.”  He is married to Laurie Wilson, an ex-firefighter. They have two daughters and  two dogs and spend lots of time in the New Mexico Mountains. 

As Director of Risk Management for Emergency Services Insurance Program with McNeil & Co, Dave works with emergency service organizations across the US . He is the Past Chief of The Cortlandville Fire Department in Upstate New York and A Fire Commissioner in the Virgil Fire District. Dave serves Cortland County as a Deputy Fire Coordinator and is a Director for the Association of Fire Districts in the State of NY. Dave served as the Foundation Secretary for the NVFC. His experience also includes being Treasurer of several non-profit organizations and a Board Member for the First National Bank of Dryden.  

Lt. Michael McLeieer has been in the fire service for over 25 years, is certified Firefighter II, Fire Officer III, Fire Instructor III, public fire and life safety educator, youth firesetter intervention specialist, and has served on fire departments in both Michigan and Massachusetts. He has served as the training and scheduling training coordinator for the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy and was in charge of the statewide youth fire intervention program.  He is a National Fire Academy contract instructor and also serves as a past president of the Massachusetts Institute of Fire Department Instructors, the Michigan State Firemen’s Association, founder of the nonprofit organization E.S.C.A.P.E. Inc (Education Showing Children and Adults Procedures for Evacuations), and launched the statewide public education and alarm installation campaign Keeping Michigan S.A.F.E.™ (Smoke Alarms for Everyone).

Experienced Attorney with a demonstrated history of working in the public safety industry. Strong Fire Service professional skilled in Crisis Management, Nonprofit Organizations, Government, Law Enforcement, and Emergency Management.

Want to learn more about the NVFC’s programs and initiatives? Kimberly can help! She is the voice behind the NVFC’s newsletter, web sites, advertising, and other outreach endeavors. She also fields media inquiries and is the organization’s primary editor. Her work communicating the NVFC’s messages puts her at the forefront of many of the NVFC’s initiatives, helping create campaigns involving health and safety, recruitment and retention, and much more.

Tom Miller is a 35 year veteran of the Sissonville Volunteer Fire Department in West Virginia and has served on the NVFC Board since 2008.  He has held many positions of leadership within his department and currently serves on the Department's Board of Directors in addition to being an active firefighter.  Tom is active in the West Virginia State Fireman's Association and currently serves as its Scholarship Chair.  Tom holds many certifications including, but not limited to: Firefighter II, Fire Officer II, Hazardous Materials Technician/Incident Commander, Swift Water Rescue Technician, Vehicle Machinery Technician, Rope Rescue Technician, and Fire Instructor III, and is an active Instructor with West Virginia University Fire Service Extension.  He serves on the NVFC's Health & Safety and Conference/Education Committees.  Tom also represents the NVFC on the NFPA 470 Technical Committee and the NFPA Joint 1001/472 Task Group.  In his paying job, Tom is employed as the Privacy & Security Officer for the West Virginia Department of Administration.