Kelvin Cochran, Senior Fellow & Vice President, Alliance Defending Freedom.

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Background: Shreveport, Louisiana native Kelvin J. Cochran, as a five-year-old boy, was spellbound by Shreveport Firefighters fighting a fire across the street from his house and dreamed that one day he would be a firefighter. Education: A proud student of Caddo Parish Public Schools, he graduated from Woodlawn High School (1978); Wiley College (1999) with a Bachelor's Degree in Organizational Management; Louisiana Tech University (2004) with a Master’s Degree in Industrial and Organizational Psychology; a Doctorate in Interdisciplinary Leadership from Creighton University, and Honorary Doctorate in Christian Leadership from Ohio Christian University. Employment History: His employment with the Shreveport Fire Department began in 1981 as a firefighter. He was then promoted to Fire Training Officer and served in this capacity from 1985 - 1990, when he gained promotion to Assistant Chief Training Officer. His service in this position concluded when he was appointed Fire Chief of the Shreveport Fire Department on August 26, 1999. On January 2, 2008 he was appointed fire chief of the City of Atlanta Fire Rescue Department. On August 17, 2009 he was appointed as the United States Fire Administrator by President Barack Obama; June 19, 2010 he was re-appointed by Mayor Kasim Reed as Fire Chief of the City of Atlanta Fire Rescue Department. He most recently served as Chief Operating Officer of Elizabeth Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia, and has very recently accepted the position of Senior Fellow & Vice President with Alliance Defending Freedom. Personal: He is married to Carolyn and the father of three children and has one granddaughter.