Joseph Pfeifer is globally recognized for his expertise in crisis leadership, disaster management, and adaptive resilience. Operating at the intersection of high-stakes public service and academia, he translates decades of frontline command experience into actionable frameworks for leading through uncertainty. Currently, he serves as an Adjunct Professor at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), a Senior Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School, and a Senior Fellow at West Point's Combating Terrorism Center.
Pfeifer’s academic insights are forged from a distinguished 39-year career with the New York City Fire Department (FDNY). As the former Acting Fire Commissioner and First Deputy Commissioner, he managed 17,000 Fire, EMS, and administrative personnel, strategic policies, and a multi-billion-dollar budget. As FDNY’s Chief of Counterterrorism and Emergency Preparedness, he founded the Center for Terrorism and Disaster Preparedness, pioneering landmark intelligence-sharing initiatives, innovative technologies, and interagency frameworks that transformed emergency response.
Throughout his career, Pfeifer commanded operations during some of the most defining crises in recent history. Notably, he was the first incident commander at the World Trade Center attacks on September 11, 2001. He later played a critical command role during the Miracle on the Hudson, Superstorm Sandy, and other extreme events. His profound reflections on these events are recounted in his New York Times bestselling book, Ordinary Heroes: A Memoir of 9/11, and he is widely featured in major news broadcasts and documentary films.
Today, Pfeifer shapes future leaders through his academic roles. At Columbia University, he teaches a crisis leadership course, directs the Leading with Impact program, and advises Capstone teams on extreme weather events. At the Harvard Kennedy School, he teaches in executive education programs and leads disaster response research. He also shares his knowledge with cadets at the U.S. Military Academy. Pfeifer, a respected voice on global risks, has testified before the U.S. Congress and addressed the United Nations. He is a trusted advisor to government officials, military leaders, and public service professionals worldwide on leading in extraordinary times.He holds master’s degrees from the Harvard Kennedy School, the Naval Postgraduate School, and the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception.
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