Alumni Spotlight: William Brad Flora

William Brad Flora, MPAL ’22, of West Liberty, Ohio, is fire marshal at the Jerome Township Division of Fire where he works to create a safer community by identifying hazards, enforcing fire and life safety codes and investigating the origin and cause of fires.

I serve as the community safety lieutenant and fire marshal for the Jerome Township Division of Fire, where my responsibilities include fire inspections, fire investigations, public education and community risk reduction. My job is to identify hazards, enforce fire and life safety codes, investigate the origin and cause of fires, and work with businesses, developers and residents to create a safer community. What I do matters because fire prevention saves lives before emergencies ever happen, protecting firefighters, residents, businesses and property. I believe the greatest success in my profession isn’t just responding to emergencies — it’s preventing them through education, preparation and proactive safety measures.

Earning my Master of Public Administration and Leadership (MPAL) from The Ohio State University’s John Glenn College of Public Affairs helped me grow both personally and professionally as a leader in the fire service. The program strengthened my understanding of leadership, public policy, budgeting, strategic planning and how local government operates. It taught me to look beyond the daily responsibilities of the fire service and focus on the bigger picture, including building relationships, managing resources, developing effective policies and making decisions that positively impact the community. As a community safety lieutenant and fire marshal, I use these skills to lead programs, collaborate with community partners and find better ways to protect the people we serve. Most importantly, the program reinforced that effective leadership is not just about managing people or programs but about serving others, building trust and making a lasting difference in the community.

Stay true to yourself. Never change who you are to fit in or move up the ranks. Leadership is about character, integrity and how you treat others — not your title.

I want my work to make a real difference by creating a safer community and a stronger fire service. I’ve always believed our responsibility goes beyond responding to emergencies; it’s about preventing them, protecting people and doing what’s right, even when no one is watching. I hope I’ve had a positive impact on those I’ve served alongside and inspired others to lead with integrity and purpose. At the end of the day, success isn’t about recognition or rank. It’s about the lives you’ve impacted and leaving things better than you found them.