HEATHER DAVIS, ED.D, NRP

CHAIR

Program Director for the UCLA Daniel Freeman Paramedic Education Program
Los Angeles, California

Heather Davis is currently Program Director for the UCLA Daniel Freeman Paramedic Education Program, Los Angeles, California. She also serves as the State Coordinator for Prehospital Trauma Life Support for the state of California. Ms. Davis previously was Education Program Director for the Los Angeles County Fire Department, and has been a Paramedic instructor at Colorado Mountain College. Ms. Davis’ articles have been published in a number of EMS periodicals, and she has made dozens of presentations at EMS conferences. Among the many awards Ms. Davis has received, she was recognized with the LA County Board of Supervisors Exemplary Achievement Award, and the National Association of EMS Educators Legends in Education Award. Ms. Davis served on the Board of Directors for the National Association of EMS Educators from 2002-2005. She is currently the Committee Chair for the National Association of EMTs Education Committee, and is on the 24/7 EMS Advisory Board. Ms. Davis received a Master of Science, Emergency Medical Services from New York Medical College in 1999; a Bachelor of Special Studies, Psychology & Fitness from Cornell College in 1994; and graduated from Mercy-St. Luke's Advanced EMT Training Center as Emergency Medical Technician-Paramedic in 1994.

KEVIN E. MACKEY, MD, FACEP

CHAIR-ELECT

Medical Director, Sacramento Regional Fire Services
Sacramento, California

Kevin has been a part of the EMS profession for over 20 years, first as a provider, and currently as a regional medical director, and also fire service medical director for the second largest ambulance provider in California. He has served as President of the Emergency Medical Directors Association, California and currently serves as a board member for the NAEMSP. In addition to his current position as Medical Director for Sacramento Regional Fire Services, Kevin is the EMS Rotation Director for the University of California-Davis, Emergency Medicine Residency.Kevin fulfilled his Affiliated Residency in Emergency Medicine from the University Health Science Center, University of Pittsburgh. He holds a Doctorate of Medicine from St. Louis University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri; and both a Master of Science in Biology, and Bachelor of Science in Biology from California State University..

Michael McEvoy, PhD, NRP, RN, CCRN

Treasurer

EMS Coordinator
Saratoga County, New York

Chief Mike McEvoy is the EMS Coordinator for Saratoga County, New York and a nurse clinician in the cardiothoracic surgical ICU at Albany Medical Center where he also chairs the hospital resuscitation committee and teaches critical care medicine. Mike is a paramedic supervisor for Clifton Park & Halfmoon Ambulance, a firefighter/paramedic and chief medical officer for West Crescent Fire Department and the EMS editor for Fire Engineering magazine. He is an EMS section board member for the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) and in his free time, an avid hiker and winter mountain climber. Mike has been a Nationally Registered paramedic since 1983.

Thomas E. Platt, Ed.D, NRP

Executive Committee Member At-Large

Associate Director, Office of Education at the Center for Emergency Medicine of Western Pennsylvania
Assistant Professor and Vice Program Director of the Emergency Medicine Program, University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Thomas E. Platt, EdD, NRP, is the Associate Director of the Office of Education at the Center for Emergency Medicine. Dr. Platt is also an Assistant Professor and Vice Program Director of the Emergency Medicine Program at the University of Pittsburgh, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences. Dr. Platt became a paramedic in 1983 and was recognized by the National Registry of EMTs for 20 continuous years as a Nationally registered Paramedic. Dr. Platt has a proven track record as an EMS provider, educator and administrator. Dr. Platt served on the revision of the EMT-Basic National Standard Curriculum Project, served as Co-Principal Investigator for the First Responder National Standard Curriculum Project and as an author for the revision of the EMT-Intermediate and Paramedic National Standard Curricula.
In his role at the Center for Emergency Medicine, Dr. Platt serves as the Program Director for the Paramedic Training Program. In this role he oversees all aspects of the Center's Paramedic Training Program, including teaching the Cardiology and Respiratory course.
Dr. Platt has worked on numerous local, regional, state, national and international health care efforts. Most recently he served as the Associate Executive Director of the HMC/UPMC Partnership. This initiative was designed to improve emergency services in the State of Qatar at Hamad Medical Corporation. He has conducted EMS Education programs in Iceland, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

Robert Swor, DO, FACEP

Immediate Past Chair

Director of EMS Programs, Beaumont Health
Professor of Emergency Medicine, Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine
Royal Oak, Michigan

Robert Swor DO, FACEP is an Emergency Physician at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan. He has served in that position for 25 years. He is the Director of EMS programs for the hospital, and is the medical director for a number of local EMS agencies and the Oakland County Community College EMT program. He is a Clinical Professor of Emergency Medicine at Wayne State University School of Medicine and is board certified by the American Board of Emergency Medicine. He currently serves on the BLS Sub-Committee of the American Heart Association. He has published and presented more than 100 scientific abstracts and peer review publications on the topics of trauma, cardiac arrest resuscitation and quality improvement in EMS. He is a past president of the National Association of EMS Physicians, and past chairman of the State of Michigan EMS Coordinating Committee. He has served as technical advisor on a number of National Highway Traffic Safety Administration EMS projects and is a trauma center reviewer for the States of Pennsylvania and Maryland. He also serves as an Associate Editor for Prehospital Emergency Care, and is a reviewer for a number of peer review journals.

W. Scott Gilmore, MD, FACEP, NRP

Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine
St. Louis, Missouri

W. Scott Gilmore, MD, FACEP, EMT-P, has been involved with EMS for more than 20 years, working as an EMT, paramedic and EMS educator. He is currently an Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO. He also serves as the Medical Director for the Saint Louis Fire Department, a physician for Missouri Disaster Response System and St. Louis Metro USAR Task Force-1 and is a member of the Advisory Council for Abbott EMS, St. Louis, MO.
A member of the National Association of EMS Physicians, Dr. Gilmore, serves as Chair of the Education Committee. Dr. Gilmore was the 2012 recipient of the John P. Pryor, MD, Street Medicine Society Award.

Jane Ball DrPH, RN

Consultant

Gaithersburg, MD

Dr. Jane Ball is the experienced author of several award-winning medical and nursing textbooks and numerous articles. Dr. Ball’s work on pediatric emergency care has been published by prestigious industry journals including the Annals of Emergency Medicine, the Journal of Emergency Nursing, and Pediatric Emergency Care. Currently, Dr. Ball puts her public health and nursing expertise to use as a trauma system consultant for the American College of Surgeons and as a pediatric emergency system consultant for other organizations. Dr. Ball has been recognized as a distinguished alumna of Johns Hopkins University, where she earned both her undergraduate and graduate degrees, and as a distinguished practitioner by the National Academies of Practice.

Leaugeay Barnes MS, NRP, NCEE

University of Hawaii-Kapiolani Community College, Assistant Professor
Honolulu, Hawaii

Ms. Barnes has worked in EMS since 1991 and obtained her paramedic certification in 1996. She has worked for several ambulance services in Oklahoma and Texas, and as a flight paramedic in both fixed-wing and rotor-wing aircraft. She began her journey into initial EMS education in 2001 as a faculty member at Rogers State University moving to EMS program director at Oklahoma City Community College in 2004, from 2013- 2017 she developed, directed, and taught the EMS programs at Tulsa Community College. In 2017, she began work as a faculty member for Kapiolani Community College.

In 2016, NAEMT/ Jones & Bartlett awarded Ms. Barnes the Award of Excellence, EMS Educator of the Year. In 2011, the Oklahoma EMT Association selected her as the EMS Instructor of the Year, and in 2010 she was awarded the NISOD Award for Excellence in Teaching & Leadership. From 2010- 2015 she served on the National EMS Advisory Council and is currently serving on the Board of Directors for the National Association of EMS Educators. Ms. Barnes is AHA Regional Faculty (BLS, PALS, and ACLS) and a PHTLS and TCCC Course Coordinator. She has also served on the AHA Stroke Advisory Committee in Oklahoma. Ms. Barnes has also served as a site visitor for the Committee on Accreditation for EMS Programs (CoAEMSP) since 2010. She was a subject matter expert, SME, and author for the National EMS Education Standards and is currently serving on the SMEP for the Scope of Practice Model revisions. Ms. Barnes has authored, edited, and presented on a multitude of EMS topics locally and nationally.

Michael Kass,JD, MS, EMT

Northeast Regional Ambulance Service
Middleton, Massachusetts

Mike Kass is the Senior Director of Administration and General Counsel at Northeast Regional Ambulance Service in Middleton, Massachusetts. Mike is a Massachusetts licensed attorney and an EMT. He has over 30 years of EMS experience including working line level ambulance and dispatch and serving in management, legal, compliance, and regulatory roles. In addition to several years of private EMS law and management experience, Mike worked 17 years for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts where he served as the Director of the State Office of EMS, the Massachusetts EMS Region 3 Director, the Deputy Director of the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, the General Counsel of the State 9-1-1 Department, and Enforcement Counsel for the Division of Licensure.

Paul R. Patrick, M.Ed.

Deputy Division Director, Utah Department of Health, Division of Family Health and Preparedness
Salt Lake City, Utah

Paul R. Patrick is currently the Deputy Division Director for the Utah Department of Health Division of Family Health and Preparedness. Paul is also the Emergency Medical Services and Preparedness Director for the State of Utah. In addition he is a President of the National Association of EMS Officials (NASEMSO) serving in that position until the annual meeting 2016.
He also is a member of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) Preparedness Policy Committee and the CDC Public Health Preparedness Directors. Other groups he serves on include the Public Safety Advisory Committee Executive Committee (PSAC-EC), SAFECOM Executive Committee, National Public Safety Telecommunications Council (NPSTC) Executive Committee, Public Safety Alliance (PSA), Utah Communication Authority, and as Chair of the Western Affiliate for the American Stroke Association.
Paul is a native of Utah, married, and the father of three children. He received his Eagle Scout award in 1967 and graduated with honors from Springville High School in 1971. Paul completed his Design Engineering Degree in 1978 from Brigham Young University and Masters of Education from Western Governors University in 2013. In 1978, Paul certified as an Emergency Medical Technician and also worked for 25 years with the Springville Ambulance Service.

Alisa Habeeb Williams,BS, NRP

Alisa Habeeb Williams was named Director of EMS in February of 2007. She received her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Mississippi in Journalism and Advertising. She later graduated from the School of Health Related Professions' Paramedic Program at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. She has over twenty years of experience with Emergency Medical Services as both a nationally registered paramedic and as an EMS educator. In addition to her service on the National Registry Board of Directors, she also serves on the Board and the Executive Committee for the National Association of State EMS Officials, and is a Commissioner on the Interstate Compact for EMS Personnel Practice.

Kyle Thornton, MS, NRP

Bureau Chief, New Mexico Department of Health Emergency Medical Systems Bureau
Albuquerque, New Mexico

Kyle Thornton is the Emergency Medical Systems Bureau Chief for the State of New Mexico Department of Health. This position oversees the state’s Emergency Medical Services, Trauma, Stroke, and STEMI programs. He has been the EMS Bureau Chief since June of 2007. Kyle has been involved in EMS for nearly 30 years, obtaining his Basic EMT license in 1984, and then his paramedic license in 1987.
He has obtained patient care experience with several services over the years, including Albuquerque Ambulance Service, Lifeguard Air Medical Service, Taos County EMS, Town of Bernalillo EMS, and the Sandoval County Fire Department, where he was the Deputy Chief and EMS Chief from November 2004 until he went to the EMS Bureau. He became involved in Community Education teaching CPR and First Aid in 1984, and has been active in EMS Education since 1990. Kyle spent nine years at the UNM School of Medicine’s EMS Academy as the ILS Program Coordinator and then the BLS/ILS Program Director.
Kyle is married to Carol, who is also a Paramedic, and has two sons, 19-year-old Collin and 12-year-old Connor.

Claire Vecchio, MBA

Chief of Staff, West Feliciana Parish
St. Francisville, Louisiana

Ms. Claire Vecchio is currently the Chief of Staff for West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana. She is responsible for planning and directing administrative and operational activities that support the Parish. Ms. Vecchio oversees constituent’s services and supports and accelerates multiple organizational initiatives. Her responsibilities also include advising the Parish President regarding federal, state and local issues affecting the region, conducting financial analyses for the Parish, and supporting emergency management efforts as a senior representative for the local government.
Ms. Vecchio completed her Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration at Flagler College and her Master of Business Administration degree with the University of Phoenix. Prior to her current position, Ms. Vecchio served as Treasurer and Business Manager in the medical private sector. She has also served in multiple public positions in academia and the U.S. Government.
Ms. Vecchio has traveled extensively over the course of her almost 25 years of professional experience in the public and private sectors. She has lived in Asia, Europe, and multiple locations across the United States while balancing family responsibilities with academic, professional and community service pursuits. Ms. Vecchio is currently a member of the West Feliciana Women’s Service League and serves on the United States Air Force Academy Parents’ Committee.

Kim D. McKenna, PhD, MEd, BSN, NRP

Director of Education
St. Charles County Ambulance District
St. Peters, Missouri

Kim McKenna has provided emergency care and EMS education for more than 30 years for hospital, fire, and third service EMS programs. She currently directs the education division at a mid-sized EMS agency in metropolitan St. Louis.The division provides employee education and quality improvement. Kim is also the program director for the district paramedic and EMT programs. She formerly served as Chief Medical Officer for the Florissant Valley Fire Protection District and as Director of Education at Mercy Hospital, St. Louis. Kim is an educator, author and editor.She holds a PhD in Education with a focus on Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from the University of Missouri - St. Louis. Kim served as the Emergency Medical Responder Project Level leader on the 2009 National EMS Education Standards Task force. As a former member of the NAEMSE board of directors, Kim chaired the Publication and Research Committees. She currently serves on the board of advisors for the Prehospital Care Research Forum at UCLA.

Owen T. Traynor, MD

Director of Prehospital Care, St Clair Hospital
Adjunct Assistant Professor in Emergency Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences
Board Member, Southbridge Emergency Medical Services
Board Member, Scott Township Emergency Medical Services

Owen T. Traynor, MD, is an adjunct assistant professor in emergency medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences and the medical director of its EMS degree program and the medical director of paramedic education for the Center for Emergency Medicine of Western Pennsylvania. He is the director of Prehospital care at St Clair hospital in southwestern PA.
Previously, Dr. Traynor was the chief emergency medicine resident in the University of Pittsburgh Affiliated Residency in emergency medicine, and assistant chief instructor of the Nassau County Emergency Medical Services Academy. His EMS field experience began as a volunteer firefighter and EMT for the Wantagh Fire Department. Dr. Traynor also served as a NYC paramedic before attending medical school.
He also serves as the medical director and a member of the board of directors for Southbridge Emergency Medical Services; medical director and a board member of the Scott Township Emergency Medical Services; and medical director for the Eastern Area Prehospital Services, Tri-Community South Emergency Medical Services, Kirwan Heights Fire Department EMS, Edgewood Fire Department QRS, and Swissvale Fire Department QRS.

Sylvia Owusu-Ansah, MD, MPH, FAAP

Assistant Professor Pediatrics
Director of Prehospital and EMS

Sylvia Owusu-Ansah has been dedicated to the pediatric and EMS legislative advocacy for over a decade. She has been involved in pre-hospital care at the local and state level and has been an advocate of Emergency Services for Children (EMSC) at the federal level for the past 8 years. As an EMS fellow, she served as an assistant medical director to Howard County Maryland. She also works with government agencies such as the Secret Service, Marshals Service and Immigration and Customs Service (ICE), and served during the most recent presidential inauguration. She has also developed numerous health education curricula for schools over the past decade. She is currently playing a significant role as co-site PI for Development and Testing of Pediatric Cervical Spine Injury Risk Tool (C-spine) NICHD funded PECARN study.

Jeffrey M. Elder, MD, FAAEM, FACEP, FAEMS

Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine
Co-Director of the Division of EMS and Disaster Medicine

Dr. Jeffrey Elder is a Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine in the Section of Emergency Medicine at LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans and serves as the Co-Director of the Division of EMS and Disaster Medicine. He is also the Medical Director for Emergency Preparedness at University Medical Center in New Orleans and EMS Medical Director for St. Tammany Fire District No. 1 (Slidell Fire). He previously served as the Director and Medical Director of New Orleans EMS. A graduate of LSU School of Medicine, Dr. Elder began his career in EMS while training as a resident in Emergency Medicine at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center. While working with some of the best paramedics in the country, he learned how advances in prehospital medicine can drive in-hospital emergency medical care. He is board certified in both Emergency Medicine with subspecialty board certified in Emergency Medical Services by the American Board of Emergency Medicine.

Martin Maness, MBA

Denver, Colorado

Martin Maness is a collaborative IT leader with experience in several industries including Fortune 500, Healthcare, Education, Telecommunications and Nonprofit entities. He has proven expertise in engaging employees and creating a culture of innovation and delivery of customer value across complex environments. He has experience in several Healthcare technologies including Cemer, AllScripts, Tempus, and Affinity and is proficient in managing Operation and Capital Budgets. Mr. Maness completed his Bachelor of Science in Management Information Systems from Iowa State University and his Master of Business Administration from Creighton University located in Omaha, Nebraska. He is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) as well as a Certified SCRUM Professional and Certified Agile Leader and Coach. Mr. Maness co-authored an article appearing in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine (October 2016 Volume 1, Issue 4, Pages 522-526) and SCRUM Alliance – Organizational Agility Begins at the Top (October 2016). Mr. Maness is uniquely positioned in the industry to lead digital and organization transformations.

Braxton Morrison, MS, NRP, TP-C

North Benton, Iowa

Braxton Morrison is paramedic with North Benton Ambulance Service in Iowa and has 6 years of emergency medical services experience. Additionally, Braxton works as an EMS educator teaching for Hawkeye Community College and as a part-time law enforcement officer. Braxton holds a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from Upper Iowa University and a Master of Science in Emergency Management from Walden University. Braxton has obtained numerous certifications relating to EMS, law enforcement and leadership. Braxton’s passions are tactical and remote medicine in which he frequently teaches, trains and researches related concepts. Braxton is a member of several professional organizations to include the NAEMT, NAEMSE and Wilderness Medical Society through which he is currently pursuing his Fellowship in the Academy of Wilderness Medicine (FAWM).

James Davis, ED.D, RN, EMTP

Fire Chief at City of Fort Worth, Texas

Jim Davis is currently the fire chief in Fort Worth, Texas. He is a Columbus, Ohio native having worked for thirty years with the Columbus Division of Fire rising to the rank of Assistant Fire Chief of training and emergency medical services (EMS) and then Administration prior to his appointment in Fort Worth. He has over thirty years of experience in EMS as a paramedic with a combination of private and public experience.  He is a registered nurse with a critical care background in ER, ICU, and toxicology at both the adult and pediatric level. In addition, Jim worked in the critical transport area as both a paramedic and registered nurse in ground, rotor-wing, and fixed wing environments.
Jim previously sat on the Ohio State Board of Fire, Emergency, and Transportation Services where he was the chair for two years assisting navigate the consolidation of two separate boards overseeing EMS care and patient transport. Additionally, as a board member of the Central Ohio Trauma Systems (COTS) he participated in the regionalization approach to disaster and trauma care throughout a multiple county region. Jim currently sits on the Board of the Tarrant County 9-1-1 System and MedStar Mobile Health Care.  In addition, Chief Davis is on the advisory committees for Tarrant County College and the University of North Texas-Dallas fire education programs.
He holds a Master’s degree from The Ohio State University in Business of Operational Excellence (MBOE) where he obtained his Six Sigma Black Belt. He completed his Doctorate in Organizational Learning at the University of Pennsylvania Chief Learning Officer Program (CLO Program) where his dissertation focused on the use of medical simulation to understand additional contributing factors involved in sentinel events in healthcare.