Adam K. Thiel became the 20th commissioner of the Philadelphia Fire Department in May 2016, and is responsible for leading its 3,000+ members in every facet of protecting the city from fires and emergencies arising from all hazards. Thiel also served as Director of the Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management from 2019-2022. He has over 30 years of government, private sector, and non-profit experience spanning five states. Before coming to Philadelphia, he held posts including Deputy Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security for the Commonwealth of Virginia, and Chief of the Fire Department in Alexandria, Virginia. Thiel earned a master’s degree in cities from the London School of Economics, a master’s in public administration from George Mason University, and has completed doctoral coursework in both public administration and public policy. He is an Aspen Institute Health Innovators Fellow, an Eisenhower USA Fellow, and a Leadership Philadelphia Fellow.