The HSLA Advisory framework engages dedicated, mission-aligned leaders to champion public integrity, drive strategic partner collaboration, and provide deep subject-matter expertise across clinical, operational, behavioral health, legal, and public safety systems.
Alliance Advisory Council
The Alliance Advisory Council brings together distinguished leaders from across public safety, systems leadership, and cross-sector organizations. Their careers have been built at the intersection of the problems HSLA was created to solve. They provide strategic perspective, strengthen the Alliance’s reach, and help ensure that what we build reflects how these systems actually work.
Chief Brian Fennessy
Fire Service Leadership and Public Safety Systems Advisor
Director / Chief, U.S. Wildland Fire Service • Department of the Interior
Brian Fennessy is the inaugural Director of the U.S. Wildland Fire Service (USWFS), a newly established agency within the Department of the Interior tasked with unifying and modernizing federal wildland fire management programs.
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With nearly five decades of experience in fire service leadership, Fennessy began his career in the late 1970s on elite federal hotshot crews under the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management as a crew superintendent before joining the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department in 1990, where he became Fire Chief in 2015.
In 2018, Fennessy assumed leadership of the Orange County Fire Authority, one of California’s largest fire departments, where he championed aviation programs, technology integration, and mission-driven culture initiatives.
Since 2019, Fennessy served as Chair of the FIRESCOPE Board of Directors. In 2023, he was named the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) 2023 Career Fire Chief of the Year and CalChiefs Fire Chief of the Year. Prior to accepting the USWFS Director position, he served as President of the California Fire Chiefs Association.
As Director of USWFS, Fennessy oversees efforts to streamline decision-making, strengthen interagency coordination, and enhance wildfire response capabilities nationwide. His appointment reflects a commitment to operational excellence, firefighter safety, and community resilience during an era of increasingly severe wildfire seasons.
Dr. Yolanta Petrofsky, MD, MPH, QME
Occupational Medicine and Public Safety Health Advisor
Board Certified Occupational & Environmental Medicine Physician
Dr. Yolanta Petrofsky is a Board Certified Occupational and Environmental Medicine Physician with 26 years of experience working as a fractional Corporate Medical Director for self-insured entities across aerospace, firefighter, and public safety, and industrial settings. She consults with insurance carriers and employers to address risk vulnerabilities, effective claims management, claims resolution, and forensic insurance case review. She brings operational expertise, emphasizing safety and focusing on preventing, assessing, identifying, and reducing workplace hazards.
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She started her career as an Air Force Senior Aerospace Medicine Physician overseeing Hyperbaric/Dive Medicine, International Travel Medicine, and Expeditionary Medicine for U-2, F-16, and B-1 communities globally during OIF/OEF initiatives. Her love of supporting workers and the human factors involved brought her to a career in Occupational Medicine.
Dr. Petrofsky has an extensive background in environmental and inhalation exposures (mold, Valley Fever, heavy metals), aerospace and hyperbaric medicine, zoonotic and biological exposures, and emergency response operations. She is a decorated multi-theater combat veteran, aerospace medicine physician, former NASA consultant, and current FAA Senior Aviation Medical Examiner.
Upon completing her fellowship in Occupational and Environmental Medicine at the Harvard School of Public Health, she applied her medical and military operational expertise as the Boston Fire Medical Director, overseeing NFPA Programs and supporting wellness and return-to-work strategies for firefighters.
She is currently the Medical Director for the Occupational Health and Employee Health clinics at NorthBay HealthCare in Fairfield and Vacaville, CA, and at Tahoe Forest Health System in Truckee, CA. Her medical practice holds a heavy emphasis on public safety and firefighter health and wellness.
She is on the Executive Board of the California Society for Industrial Medicine (CSIMS), overseeing the education program and sister component collaboration. Formerly a Clinical Instructor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and regarded as a subject-matter expert, she is a frequent national conference presenter. Dr. Petrofsky is a medicolegal expert performing QME/IME/SIF and fit-for-duty evaluations, bringing a unique perspective to the field of expert work.
Kory Pearn
Public Safety Health Communications Advisor
Firefighter & Editor-in-Chief, CRACKYL Magazine
Kory Pearn is a 22-year career firefighter and Captain who is the Founder, Publisher, and Editor-in-Chief of CRACKYL Firefighter Lifestyle and Health Magazine and CRACKYL Media Inc., and an advisor on firefighter wellness, public safety communications, media strategy, and workforce culture. Launched in 2021, CRACKYL has grown into one of the leading media platforms dedicated to the health, wellness, and culture of the firefighting community, reaching firefighters, paramedics, and public safety professionals across North America.
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Pearn recognized early in his career the gap between the evidence-based health information available to firefighters and what actually reached them on the ground. CRACKYL was built to close that gap, delivering practical, credible, and accessible health and wellness content in a format that connects with the culture of the fire service.
As a media and communications advisor to the Alliance, Kory brings deep expertise in firefighter audience engagement, public safety health messaging, and the distribution infrastructure needed to move education from expert to end user. His work with CRACKYL aligns directly with the Alliance’s goal of translating evidence-based health and safety practices into formats that actually reach the people who need them.
Clinical and Technical Advisory Group
The Clinical and Technical Advisory Group brings specialized depth in the disciplines that make good outcomes possible: occupational medicine, behavioral health, legal, risk management, and workers’ compensation systems. They provide rigorous subject-matter guidance that keeps the Alliance’s programs grounded in evidence and aligned with the realities practitioners face every day.
Lorenzo Glenn
Law Enforcement Wellness and Peer Support Advisor
Captain, Anaheim Police Department
Captain Lorenzo Glenn began his law enforcement career in 1991 after graduating from Golden West College Police Academy (Class 103). He initially served with the Westminster Police Department, working in patrol until joining the Anaheim Police Department in December 1993.
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As a police officer, Captain Glenn held a variety of assignments, including Patrol, Gang Enforcement, Street Narcotics, Traffic, and Auto Theft investigations. He was promoted to sergeant in 2003 and went on to serve in Patrol, the Tourist Oriented Policing Detail (TOP), Internal Affairs, Administrative Services, Community Services, and K-9. He also launched the Department’s Peer Support Team in 2012, reflecting his long-standing commitment to officer wellness and resiliency.
In 2015, Captain Glenn was promoted to lieutenant and served as a Watch Commander and Traffic Section Commander. He later held roles as District Commander for the East and Central Districts, and subsequently, the West District, where he also oversaw the Homeless Outreach Team (HOT) and the Psychiatric Emergency Response Team (PERT). He later managed the Anaheim Detention Facility and Air Support Unit.
Captain Glenn currently serves as the Commanding Officer of the Operations Support Division, which includes the Department’s District Policing Teams, Community Engagement, Traffic, Youth Services, and Homeless and Mental Health Outreach.
A lifelong learner, Captain Glenn holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology from the University of Montana, where he played college football as a student-athlete. He earned a Master’s Degree in Emergency Services Administration from California State University, Long Beach in 2008, and most recently, a Master’s Degree in Psychology with an emphasis in Human Factors from Grand Canyon University in 2024.
Captain Glenn is a graduate of the Sherman Block Supervisory Leadership Institute (Class of 2007), the California POST Command College (Class 65), and the FBI National Academy (Session 291). He is a former President of the Public Safety Peer Support Association (2016 to 2021) and is an active member of several professional organizations, including the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), the California Police Chiefs Association (Cal Chiefs), the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), and the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE).
Scynthia McNabb Syfrett
Workers’ Compensation and Healthcare Systems Advisor
Workers' Compensation Department Manager • Sharp HealthCare
Scynthia McNabb Syfrett brings over 36 years of experience in workers’ compensation, insurance, and regulatory compliance. As Manager of Workers’ Compensation at Sharp HealthCare, and a Cyber and AI champion, she focuses on practical solutions that improve claim outcomes, reduce costs, and strengthen compliance.
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She is known for turning complex claims challenges into clear, actionable strategies. Scynthia specializes in claims program design, operational workflows, and real-world tools that help adjusters, risk managers, and leaders make better decisions.
Attendees value her sessions for their clarity and immediate application. She delivers practical demonstrations that show how to work smarter, protect sensitive information, and act on claims without adding cost or complexity.
Jill Degnan
Risk Management and Workers' Compensation Advisor
Workers' Compensation & Insurance Manager, City of San Diego (Ret.)
Jill Degnan has dedicated more than 30 years to the workers’ compensation industry, spending the majority of her career managing the City of San Diego’s Workers’ Compensation Division. During her tenure, she helped spearhead several innovative initiatives, including the development of a groundbreaking PTSD and cancer claims process. This program provided critical support to injured workers and became a model of innovation within the workers’ compensation field.
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In addition to her leadership role with the City, Jill served on the Board of Directors for the Council of Self-Insured Public Agencies (COSIPA), a nonprofit organization that delivers educational programs and seminars on a wide range of workers’ compensation topics.
Jill is widely recognized for her collaborative leadership style and her ability to build strong partnerships with public safety agencies and the labor organizations that represent their members. Her commitment to innovation, education, and stakeholder engagement has made her a respected leader in the workers’ compensation community.
Diana Adams
Public Agency Legal and Workers' Compensation Advisor
Senior Chief Deputy City Attorney, City of San Diego (Ret.)
Diana Adams is a California-licensed attorney with over 26 years of experience practicing workers’ compensation law with the City of San Diego. She is dedicated to ensuring that employees receive the medical care and benefits they are entitled to under California law.
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Diana earned her Juris Doctorate at the University of San Diego in 1993. She started her law career in the U.S. Navy as a Judge Advocate General (JAG Corps) practicing criminal law. After completing her tour as a JAG, she worked at the Office of the City Attorney in San Diego for 28 years. After starting in the Criminal Division, she worked in the Workers’ Compensation Unit for 26 years, including over 20 years as the Senior Chief Deputy City Attorney.
Diana has extensive experience in workers’ compensation law in all aspects of litigation, appeals, research, and providing legal advice to the City’s Workers’ Compensation Division. She has focused on providing accurate benefits and prompt medical coverage for all City workers, with extensive experience with presumptive injuries for police officers, firefighters, and lifeguards. The City of San Diego has an innovative approach to PTSD treatment with an intensive treatment program that has enabled officers to return to full duty and continue with successful careers.
Matt Hill, Esq.
Applicant Representation and Workers’ Compensation Systems Advisor
Founding Attorney, Law Office of Matthew D. Hill, P.C.
Matt Hill is the founding attorney of the Law Office of Matthew D. Hill, P.C., with a practice focused on comprehensive legal representation of public safety members and their Associations and Unions throughout California. He currently serves as General Counsel for the State of California Fraternal Order of Police and the Retired Employees Association of Orange County, and as Chief Counsel for the Riverside Sheriff’s Association Wellness Unit, Sacramento County Deputy Sheriffs’ Association, and the Santa Ana Police Officers’ Association.
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Hill has argued legal matters up to the California Supreme Court, including presenting oral argument at the 4th District Court of Appeal in San Diego County. His practice has represented public safety members throughout California, including members from Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, and Sacramento Counties. He is regularly featured in California law enforcement publications, with a focus on emerging legal topics facing law enforcement members and their Associations.
Hill also brings unique litigation experience representing professional athletes in the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, and WNBA, and is a licensed attorney in the State of Texas.
Partners
CRACKYL Firefighter Health & Wellness Magazine
Media & Education Partner
Supports Alliance visibility, public safety health education, article placement, advertising, and stakeholder outreach through firefighter health and wellness communications.
Governance Note: Members of the Alliance Advisory Council and Clinical and Technical Advisory Group serve in non-voting advisory roles. Advisory participation does not imply organizational endorsement, sponsorship, or governance authority unless separately stated. Governance authority remains with the Health and Safety Leadership Alliance Board.