Donna Black is the fire chief of the Duck, NC, Fire Department. She has served in the fire service for 25 years. Black led the transition of an all-volunteer department to its current operation as a thriving career/volunteer combination department. She also serves as the first vice president of the International Association of Fire Chiefs. Black holds a bachelor’s degree from Ithaca College and a master’s degree from the University of Georgia. She is a graduate of the National Fire Academy’s Executive Fire Officer Program and holds a post-graduate certificate in community preparedness and disaster management from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as well as the Chief Fire Officer Designation (CFO).