Chief James Jackson (Ret)
Managing Partner
Chief Jackson is a fire service professional with 37 years of experience. He served 30 years with the Downers Grove Fire Department, advancing to Chief and leading the department to an ISO Class 1 rating, after beginning as a volunteer in Frankfort, IL. He also served on the Village of Manhattan Planning Committee and Police & Fire Commission.
In addition to his public service, Chief Jackson has 18 years in the private fire protection industry and 15+ years in consulting and promotional assessments. While with the Illinois Fire Chiefs Association, he completed projects in Standard of Cover, Strategic Planning, and Consolidation analysis, redesigned promotional assessments, and pioneered the first fire and police virtual simulations using the Pinsight platform.
As Managing Partner of Advanced Selections, LLC, he oversees strategy, operations, and business development. He holds a B.S. in Fire Service Management (Southern Illinois University), an A.A.S. in Fire Science Technology (Joliet Junior College), is a certified Chief Fire Officer (CFO), and holds the CFOD designation from the Center for Public Safety Excellence. He is also active in the Illinois Fire and Police Commission Associations.
Chief Dave Silvinski (Ret)
Managing Partner
David Slivinski is a retired Chief Officer from the Lemont Fire District with over 36 years of operational and administrative experience. He also has a decade of human resources experience as a private sector consultant for small and mid-sized organizations.
For seven years, he served as the Program Director of Assessment & Consulting Services for the Illinois Fire Chiefs Association, providing consulting and leadership selection services to clients throughout several states.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in Fire Administration from Western Illinois University and a master’s degree in Management and Organizational Behavior from Benedictine University. He obtained his certification as a Chief Fire Officer (CFO) through the Illinois State Fire Marshal and held Chief Fire Officer Designation (CFOD) from the Center of Public Safety Excellence. He has spoken at numerous international conferences on the topic of fire service assessment centers.
Chief Robert Wilson (Ret)
Partner
Chief Wilson has 40 years of fire service experience, retiring in 2021 from the Frankfort Fire Protection District, Illinois. He began as a volunteer and advanced through the ranks, serving as a company officer, Division Chief, Assistant Chief, and Fire Chief for five years. Since 2002, Frankfort Fire Protection District grew from an all-volunteer department to an all-career organization with over 70 members and five stations.
He holds a master’s degree in public administration, is a Certified Chief Fire Officer with the Illinois State Fire Marshal, and has a Chief Fire Officer Designation with the Center of Public Safety Excellence. A certified assessor in Illinois, he is also a member of the International Association of Fire Chiefs and a field staff instructor with the Illinois Fire Service Institute Fire Officer Programs.