Deputy Director
Western Fire Chiefs Association
Wilsonville, Oregon, United States
Chief Bob Horton has worked in public safety for over 23 years,
with a third of that time in an executive leadership role. He
currently serves as the Deputy Director of the Western Fire
Chiefs Association, providing leadership and guidance over
several initiatives and programs in technology, innovation, research, and
policy. In addition, he is the Executive Director of the WFCA’s
Applied Sciences Center for Resilience Studies, which serves as
a knowledge broker among businesses, practitioners, industry,
philanthropies, and the research community.
Before serving in this position, Bob spent five years as the
CEO/Fire Chief for Jackson County Fire District 3, a special
district in Southern Oregon serving a population of 54,000
residents dispersed over 167 square miles of the beautiful Rogue
Valley. Before that, he served as the Assistant Fire Chief for Las
Vegas Fire & Rescue, where he started as a Firefighter in
October of 2000. His leadership and direction led to
advancements in community risk reduction, alternative
deployment models, EMS service delivery, technology
integration in field operations, enhanced community
engagement, and numerous employee health and wellness
programs.
In addition to his role as Fire Chief, Bob served as a Board
Director for the Oregon Fire Chiefs Association and the Western
Fire Chiefs Association, where he chaired several committees,
including policy/legislative, technology, and finance. Governor
Kate Brown appointed Chief Horton to serve on the Oregon
Governor’s Fire Service Policy Council, where he served as
Council Chair.
Bob is a scholar-practitioner conducting applied research at the
intersection of behavioral economics, public policy, and
community risk management. His focus is on using evidence to
evaluate program impact/effectiveness and examine policy-
relevant questions. Bob is a doctoral researcher-in-training in
public policy at Old Dominion University and is a research
affiliate with Oregon State University’s Policy Analysis
Laboratory. He has an MPA from the University of Oklahoma,
an MPP from Oregon State University, and an Executive
Certificate in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School
of Government. He is a Certified Public Manager, has the Chief
Fire Officer designation.
Bob teaches or lectures at Oregon State University and the College of Southern Nevada.
He speaks at conferences on impact evaluation, executive
decision-making, risk communication, and negotiations. He is a
regular panelist on the Fire Headlines podcast and hosts the
popular podcast Assuming Command, where he interviews
thought leaders, innovators, and influencers in public service.
In his spare time, Bob and his wife Jennie like to travel, hike,
obstacle race, golf, and relax by taking in the local wineries and
music scene. They live in Eagle Point, Oregon, with their two
dogs, Stanley and Bruce.
ELEC-106: Commanding the Room: An Executive's Guide to Effective Communications
Wednesday, August 16, 2023
2:15 PM – 3:15 PM