Mayor Kenney to announce new fire commissioner & prisons commissioner

PHILADELPHIA (WTXF)-- Mayor Kenney will announce the appointment of Adam K. Thiel as Philadelphia's new Fire Commissioner and Blanche Carney as Prisons Commissioner on Tuesday.

Thiel has most recently served as Deputy Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security for the Commonwealth of Virginia. Carney has been with the Philadelphia Prison System since 1995 and currently serves as Deputy Commissioner for Restorative and Transitional Services.

Prior to her appointment as Deputy Commissioner in January 2015, Carney served as the Prisons' Human Services Program Administrator, where she implemented several new programs and technological advances. Carney also oversaw the PPS's long-standing Opportunities for Prevention and Treatment Interventions for Offenders Needing Support (O.P.T.I.O.N.S.) Drug and Alcohol Treatment Program in the delivery of treatment education to inmates with substance abuse needs. She holds degrees from Lincoln University (B.S. Psychology) and Bryn Mawr College Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research.

In February 2014, Governor Terry McAuliffe appointed Adam Thiel to serve as a Deputy Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security. In this role, he helps provide cabinet-level leadership, strategic direction, policy analysis, and management support for eleven state agencies with an overall budget of more than $3 billion dollars and 30,000+ employees. Prior to his appointment, Thiel served as Fire Chief for the City of Alexandria, Virginia. Over his career, Thiel has served in fire and emergency service organizations in four states, Maryland, North Carolina, Arizona and Virginia, enabling him to bring best practices from across the country to Philadelphia's Fire Department.

Thiel has also served on several state/federal boards and committees most notably lending his expertise to the Virginia Rail Safety/Security Task Force; DHS Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (DNDO) Executive Steering Committee; National Capital Region Homeland Security Executive Committee and Hampton Roads Area Maritime Security Committee.