Joseph Nordlinger

As the CEO for Napa Communities Firewise Foundation (NCFF), Joe Nordlinger brings a powerful combination of wildfire preparedness and business acumen to Napa County.  Joe founded The Ascent Services Group in 2002, growing it into one of North America's top 30 Technology and Life Sciences consulting and workforce management firms with nearly 1,200 employees. His 22+ years of experience encompasses professional services management, corporate leadership, change management, and strategic planning and communication. 
 
As the chairman for the Mt. Veeder Fire Safe Council, a volunteer firefighter, and longtime Napa County resident/landowner, Joe brings a unique perspective to wildfire resiliency.  He understands the risk and inevitability of wildfire firsthand.   His passion for wildfire resiliency paired with his innovating private sector thinking, service delivery platform mindset, and organizational leadership has led to NCFF doubling its organization size and driving over $100M in grant funding secured over four years.
 
Joe's understanding of how to build scalable delivery of wildfire resilience is grounded in private sector solutions combined with fire safety expertise.  This combination has helped to bridge the gap between critical wildfire mitigation and how to sustainably fund the work.  Through his concept of master resilience planning, Joe is solving the difficult challenges around wildfire resiliency by aligning a strategy that integrates private sector services, non-profit and agency capabilities to build a services platform that serves both government agencies and private residents.
 
Beyond his professional achievements, Joe is an avid outdoorsman (snowboarding, running, cycling, fly-fishing), Joseph's connection with nature fuels his passion for protecting it.