NAEMT is pleased to announce the 2023 EMS Advocate of the Year Award recipients. Sponsored this year by Demers-Braun-Crestline-Medix, Solutions Group, and Stryker, the awards recognize EMS professionals whose volunteer efforts advance EMS through educating and engaging elected government leaders, EMS and healthcare communities, and the public. NAEMT congratulates and thanks these recipients for their determined support on behalf of the EMS profession and our patients! The awards will be presented on March 30 during EMS On The Hill Day, the largest national advocacy event for the EMS profession.

Suzanne Prentiss, Paramedic (New Hampshire)
Suzanne, a Paramedic from West Lebanon, served in New Hampshire as the first female Chief of EMS at the Department of Safety. She has held leadership positions in healthcare and public safety at the national, state, regional, and local levels. In 1992, she was Project Director for Dartmouth Medical School’s federally funded rural health outreach initiative focusing on improving the primary healthcare safety net in the Upper Valley by strengthening the EMS system. She was named Executive Director of the American Trauma Society in May 2018 at which her efforts focus on reducing deaths related to trauma, improving trauma system development, and empowering the survivors of trauma. She served six terms as a Lebanon City Councilor and completed two terms as Mayor before being elected to the New Hampshire Senate in November 2020. In 2022, she was appointed to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA’s) National EMS Advisory Council.

Michael E. Pollock, EMT (New York)
Michael spent more than three decades with Brighton Volunteer Ambulance, where he still volunteers after retiring as an EMT and lieutenant. He has more than two decades with the New York State Department of Corrections, eight years in law enforcement with the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office and Brighton Police Department, and 25 years as a volunteer with the county Office of Emergency Preparedness. He served as Deputy Fire & Safety Officer at the New York State Department of Corrections, and has served on the FirstNet National EMS Communications Working Group for the National Public Safety Telecommunications Council since 2013. Michael is an advisor to Ezras Nashim, a basic life support ambulance and first responder service in Borough Park, Brooklyn, the only all-women Orthodox Jewish EMS organization in the United States. He is a trained police officer, a certified first responder and EMT and has received numerous professional certificates. He received a 30-years of Service Award from Brighton Volunteer Ambulance in 2018 and a New York State Commendation Award in 2021.

Steven Kroll, EMT, MHA (New York)
Steve is the executive director and volunteer chief of Delmar-Bethlehem EMS in Albany County, NY. He is also the chief delivery officer at UCM Digital Health, a telehealth triage, treatment, and navigation medical practice. He guided the development of UCM’s EMS treat-in-place telemedicine program. In addition to his work in prehospital care, he’s the chairperson of the Board of Trustees for Cobleskill Regional Hospital in Schoharie County, NY. Steve has extensive experience in healthcare policy, advocacy, and operations. Prior roles include serving as the executive director of The Arc New York, the state’s largest developmental disability services organization; vice president of governmental affairs at the Healthcare Association of New York State (HANYS); and a health staffer for the U.S. Senate. He is a member and past chair of his state’s EMS Council. He is also NAEMT’s Advocacy Coordinator for New York and a member of the NAEMT Advocacy Committee. In 2018, he was recognized as the NAEMT/Braun Industries EMT of the Year award.

Nominations for this award are evaluated on the extent to which the nominee effectively advocates for the passage of EMS legislation by:

• Educating elected government leaders at the local, state or federal levels on the components of the legislation and how it supports the ability of EMS to provide quality patient care.
• Building strong relationships with the elected officials and their staff who have influence over the passage of EMS legislation.
• Educating fellow EMS professionals about EMS legislation; how the legislation would impact the ability of EMS to provide quality patient care; the importance of advocating for the legislation; and how to effectively advocate.
• Engaging members of the EMS profession in advocacy activities in support of the legislation.

The 2023 EMS Advocate of the Year Award recipients are commended for their tremendous efforts to advance EMS care and sincerely thanked for their service to their communities, states, and nation.