Chief Bob Horton has worked in public safety for nearly 25 years, most recently serving as a branch chief and senior policy advisor in the U.S. Fire Administration. Prior to this assignment, Horton was the CEO/fire chief for a special district in Southern Oregon where he also served as a board director for the Oregon Fire Chiefs Association and as vice-president of the Western Fire Chiefs Association. He was also appointed by Governor Kate Brown to serve on the Oregon Governor’s Fire Service Policy Council where he served as council chair.
Horton is a scholar-practitioner, conducting applied research at the intersection of behavioral economics, risk, narratives and public policy. His focus is on the use of evidence to evaluate program impact/effectiveness and to examine policy-relevant questions.
Horton has a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Oklahoma, a master’s degree in public policy from Oregon State University, an executive certificate in public policy from the Harvard Kennedy School, and is a PhD candidate at Old Dominion University. He also has faculty appointments at Oregon State University and the College of Southern Nevada, teaching, conducting research, and serving as a policy expert in wildfire and community risk management.
