Chris Anthony

Chris Anthony is the Executive Director of FireWERX, where he leads a cross-sector effort to accelerate innovation and empower firefighters by advancing the adoption of technology across the fire service.

Prior to FireWERX, Chris served as a fire service executive with nearly 30 years of experience across resource management, fire protection, prevention, administrative, and executive leadership roles, giving him a uniquely comprehensive, end-to-end understanding of the fire service enterprise. He concluded his public service career in 2023 as Chief Deputy Director of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE). During his career, Chris worked across programmatic areas to support the successful implementation of major investments by the Administration and Legislature. These investments expanded CAL FIRE to more than 12,000 employees and a budget exceeding $4 billion to address the growing scale, severity, and complexity of wildfires in California.

Chris is now focused on closing the long-standing gap between innovation and adoption in the wildfire ecosystem. Through FireWERX, he is building durable pathways that connect firefighters and public agencies with technologists, researchers, philanthropies, and private companies, ensuring that promising tools move beyond pilots and into sustained operational use. Chris is a Senior Fellow at the University of California San Diego’s Societal Computing and Innovation Lab and serves on the boards of Earth Fire Alliance and the California Fire Safe Council. He is a Registered Professional Forester, an honorably retired California Peace Officer, and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Forestry from the University of California, Berkeley.