Community Service

Dr. Candice McDonald has served her community for almost two decades as a firefighter, EMT, educator, and inspector. She is the 2022 – 2023 President of the Cumberland Valley Volunteer Firemen’s Association (CVVFA). She serves on the ResponderSafety.com outreach team and is a former trustee of Women in Fire. She is a member of the FDIC/Fire Engineering Advisory Board and serves as an alternate on the Congressional Fire Services Institute National Advisory Committee.

She was identified in 2018 by the U.S. Fire Administration as a subject matter expert in recruitment and retention. She has served as the appointed Fire Corps State Advocate for Ohio since 2009. She has proudly served her alma mater as a member the president of the Malone University Alumni Executive Board.

Career

Dr. Candice is the current Deputy CEO of the National Volunteer Fire Council. Prior to taking that position, she spent two decades in government service, with the last decade at NASA. She also works for Eastern Gateway Community College and University of Arkansas as an adjunct faculty member.

Prior to working at NASA, she was the program coordinator for the Research Center for Educational Technology at Kent State University.  Before joining the Kent State family, she spent six years working for the State of Ohio in marketing. Prior to her government service, she spent ten years working as a mental health case manager and drug and alcohol counselor.

Education

She holds a doctor of business administration with a specialty in homeland security, a master’s in organizational leadership, a bachelor’s in organizational management and an associate’s in health and human services. McDonald also has a certification in project management from Kent State University and is a NASA Lean Six Sigma Green Belt.