Council of Governors

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Last Updated: Saturday, 21 March 2026 17:42

COG Members

Mathew Palmerton, CABOG/CA Chair
Member Entity: District of Columbia Fire & Emergency Medical Services

E. Rob Freese III, COG Chair and DABOG/DA Chair
Member Entity: Bucks County Community College, Pennsylvania

David Jolly
Representing: Certificate Assembly
Member Entity: Virginia Department of Fire Programs
Position Term Ends: 2026

Casey Hall
Representing: Degree Assembly
Member Entity: Kentucky Community and Technical College System
Position Term Ends: 2026

Tara Youngblood
Representing: Certificate Assembly
Member Entity: Oklahoma State University Fire Service Training
Position Term Ends: 2027

Joel Billings
Representing: Degree Assembly
Member Entity: Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Term Ends: 2027

Greg Palmer
Representing: Certificate Assembly
Member Entity: FPSEC - Tennessee State Fire Marshal's Office
Position Term Ends: 2028

Richard Carroll
Representing: Degree Assembly
Member Entity: Cleveland Community College, North Carolina
Term Ends: 2028

Public Members

Vacant, CABOG Public Member

William (Bill) Klein, DABOG Public Member

IFSAC Administration - Non-voting Member

Eldonna Sadler
IFSAC Manager

IFSAC Parliamentarian - Non-Voting Member

Vacant

The IFSAC Council of Governors (COG) consists of twelve members. Voting members of the COG include individuals elected from each assembly of IFSAC, the public member from each board, and the chair of each board. One member of the Administration Office and the IFSAC parliamentarian serve as non-voting members. The responsibilities of the Council of Governors are to:

• Approve strategic initiatives and goals.
• Ensure the mission of the organization is carried out.
• Deal with issues that are common to the assemblies.
• Resolve disputes between assemblies, boards, and committees.
• Work with OSU on employee issues with regard to hiring, termination, promotion, pay increases, and performance evaluations.
• Approve and provide oversight of the budget.
• Provide direction and assistance to Administration.
• Serve as a final forum for appeals.
• Oversee committees of the Council.
• Consider and approve polidy statements and operational guidelines submitted by committees of the Council or members of the Congress.
• Ensure compliance with any recognized national or international standards of accrediting bodies, and where conflict may exist between accreditation standards, evaluate and approve specific standards for use by the Congress in measuing itself.
• Promote the organization.
• Take a position and express an opinion on behalf of the organization on issues relevant to the mission.
• Approve internal evaluation instruments by the Congress, separate and apart from specific instruments used by the separate assemblies.
• Work with Administration concerning financial and long-range planning.
• Approve fee schedules.

For more information about the Council of Governors, see Article 01 of the IFSAC Bylaws.