Board of Directors

• Susan Bailey, President (2023-2024)

  

  Susan Bailey, MSEM, NRP, is the Director of the Louisiana Bureau of Emergency Medical Services and part-time faculty at Columbia Southern University where she teaches courses such as EMS Operations and Personnel Management, Risk Management Practices in EMS, and Finance of EMS Systems. She has been active in the EMS Industry since 1990 with experience in both the rural and urban setting. She has served as the NAEMT representative on the Commission on Accreditation of Prehospital Continuing Education (CAPCE) Board of Directors and was chair from 2018-2022.

  A lifetime NAEMT member, Susan served as Vice-Chair of NAEMT’s Advocacy Committee, Chair of the Disaster Preparedness Committee, Chair of the Affiliate Advisory Committee. She also served on the Education Committee and the Finance Committee. In 2014, she was awarded the NASCO/NAEMT Paramedic of the Year Award, and 2016 she was awarded an NAEMT Education Service Award for innovation in delivering NAEMT education programs to rural areas. Susan is a lifetime member of the Louisiana Association of National Registered EMTs (LANREMT). LANREMT awarded her the Instructor of the Year Award in 1999, a Presidential Meritorious Award in 2013, and an Outstanding Achievement award in 2018. In July, 2022 she received a Raising the Bar Recognition from Columbia Southern University.

  Passionate about the EMS Industry, Susan strives to bring positive attention to the work that EMS Practitioners do. She encourages EMS practitioners to expand their knowledge to grow with an ever-changing scope of practice within the EMS industry. A Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, Susan has a Bachelor’s Degree in Management from Southeastern Louisiana University where she graduated magna cum laude, and earned her Master’s Degree in Emergency Management from Millersville University in Pennsylvania.

   

• Chris Way, President-elect (2023-2024)

  Christopher Way has been an emergency service professional for 28 years. Chief Way transitioned to Kootenai County Fire and Rescue as the Fire Chief in May of 2020 after serving as the Chief Officer for the Kootenai Count EMS System for the previous seven years.

  Chief Way came to Idaho from Kansas where he served in Fire and EMS roles in urban, suburban and rural settings. He was an EMT-Basic, EMT-Intermediate and now has been a licensed paramedic since 1994 as well as a certified Firefighter. Throughout his career he has held different ranks culminating most recently in his promotion to Fire Chief.  He also has significant experience in disaster management at the local, state and national level.

  In addition to his full-time role as Fire Chief he is involved at the local, regional, state and national level in advocacy and leadership for emergency services.  He is the Treasurer for the National EMT Association and has served on their board and committees for several years.  He is a regular speaker at national conferences and in his spare time Chief Way and two partners own an Emergency Medicine education and consulting company. 

  Passionate about emergency medical care, Governor Brad Little selected Chief Way to be the Chairman of the Idaho Time Sensitive Emergency Council in May of 2019. He has a bachelor’s degree in Management and Human Relations and maintains all of his Fire and EMS licenses/certifications.  He regularly donates time to his community, serves local non-profit organizations and is involved in his children’s many activities. Christopher and his wife Jennifer live in Hayden, Idaho with their two daughters and four Labradors.

  
  

• Troy Tuke, Secretary (2023-2024)

  

  Chief Troy Tuke, BSN, began his EMS career after obtaining his Paramedic and RN degrees from Brigham Young University-Idaho in 1989. He worked full time as an RN and Paramedic specializing in Critical Care/Trauma and Flight Nursing, before joining the Clark County Fire Department as a Firefighter/Paramedic in 1996. He was promoted through the ranks of fire engineer, EMS Coordinator and Assistant Chief-EMS until his retirement from CCFD in 2019. Troy received his BSN from Chamberlain University and works as the Program Director for the MountainView Hospital Paramedic Institute.

  Troy deployed to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita as a medical specialist for the Nevada Task Force 1 Urban Search and Rescue Team. He maintains his RN and National Registry Paramedic certification and licensure, and is an EMS Master Instructor and Paramedic Preceptor.

  Troy is married to his sweetheart of 32 years, Debbie, and has two daughters Brittany and Rylie. Brittany is married to Travis and they have son named Ben who is the first grandchild. Troy loves the spending time with his family, the outdoors, and especially golf when he has a chance to tee it up.
  
  

• Rob Luckritz, Treasurer (2023-2024)

  

  Robert Luckritz, JD, NRP, is EMS Chief of the Austin-Travis County EMS System, serving Austin, TX and Travis County, TX, where he leads the largest municipal third-service EMS agency in the nation with an authorized staff of 665 sworn personnel and nearly 100 civilians across 46 stations and 1,100 square miles, responding to approximately 150,000 requests for service annually and a budget exceeding $100M.

  Robert received his Bachelor's degree in EMS Management from Springfield College, a Juris Doctor degree from Western New England University, and is currently working towards a Master's degree in Public Administration at Northeastern University. In 2015, he received the JEMS Magazine EMS10 Innovators in EMS Award, and was the recipient of a 2016 NAEMT Presidential Leadership Award. He previously served on the Board of Directors of the National Association of Urban Hospitals and the New Jersey Association of Paramedics.

   

• Bruce Evans, Immediate Past President (2023-2024)

  

  Bruce Evans, MPA, CFO, NRP, is the Fire Chief at the Upper Pine River Fire Protection District. He arrived in La Plata County after serving as the EMS Chief and as an Assistant Chief at the North Las Vegas Fire Department in Southern Nevada. He had served at the Henderson (NV) Fire Department for 18 years as a fire and EMS captain.

  Chief Evans is an NFPA Fire Instructor III and served as a college faculty member at the College of Southern Nevada's Fire Technology program teaching various fire and EMS topics for 21 years. He has over 38 years' experience in a variety of EMS settings and is the 2010 recipient of the International Association of Fire Chiefs James O Page award for Leadership in EMS. He was awarded the 2014 NAEMT Presidential Leadership Award. Chief Evans is NAEMT's representative to the NFPA(r) 2400, Standard for Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Used for Public Safety Operations. He holds a Master's degree in Public Administration, Bachelor's degree in Education, and Associates in Fire Management.

  Chief Evans has an appointment to the National Academy of Sciences and National Academy of Medicine's Preparedness Committee. He is completed a six-year appointment on the Colorado Governor's State EMS and Trauma Advisory Committee. He is a certified faculty for the International Public Safety Leadership and Ethics training program and instructor at the National Emergency Training Center authoring several courses in emergency response and incident management. Evans co-authored several textbooks, Crew Resource Management with Jones & Bartlett Learning, Management of EMS and EMS Research and Quality Management with Prentice Hall, IFSTA's Structural Series High-Rise Firefighting. He is one of the authors of the NAEMT EMS Safety Course and the NAEMT Principles of Ethics and Personal Leadership (PEPL) Course. Chief Evans is a contributor to the EMS Column in Firehouse Magazine and cases in the Journal of EMS (JEMS). Chief Evans is part of the LaPlata County Suicide Prevention Coalition and served on the SW Colorado Child Fatality Review Team.
  
  

• David Blevins, Southeast Coast Region Director (2024-2025)

  

  David Blevins, MA, CEM, CEMSO, NRP, a seasoned public safety leader, serves as the Director of EMS Education Programs at Roane State Community College. With over two decades of comprehensive experience spanning EMS, fire services, emergency management, military operations, and education, David is a dynamic force in the field. His distinguished achievements include recognition as a Fellow of the National Association of Emergency Medical Physicians (NAEMSP) and a respected authority in the realm of EMS. David also holds the esteemed title of Chief EMS Officer from the Center for Public Safety Excellence, a testament to his leadership excellence and commitment to the highest standards in the industry. His designation as a Certified Emergency Manager (CEM) by the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) further underscores his dedication to ensuring preparedness and resilience in emergency situations.

  Beyond his individual accomplishments, David actively contributes to the advancement of EMS in the state. He serves on the Tennessee EMS Regulatory Board, playing a pivotal role in shaping policies and regulations that govern the field. He holds the esteemed position of Chair for the NAEMT Disaster Preparedness Committee and actively contributes to the NAEMT and IAEM Advocacy Committees. These roles serve as instrumental platforms through which he channels his passion to elevate and strengthen the EMS profession across various facets. David holds a master’s degree in Emergency and Disaster Management from American Military University. This educational background enhances his ability to navigate the complexities of emergency management and further positions him as a thought leader in the field.

   

• Tim Dienst, Mountain Region Director (2023-2024)

  

  Timothy Dienst, MPA, NRP, has been an emergency medical services professional for nearly 30 years, working as a paramedic in both the private and public sectors, and is currently the chief executive officer for the Ute Pass Regional Health Service District in Woodland Park, Colorado. He has helped guide the ongoing growth of the district’s ambulance services and implemented several innovative programs, including a model single-provider mobile crisis response and behavioral health support team, a rural community paramedic service, and a nurse triage program for rural services. He also serves as the NAEMT advocacy coordinator for Colorado, and is a member of the Advocacy and Economics Committees.

  Locally, Dienst is chair of the Colorado State Emergency Medical Services and Trauma Advisory Council (SEMTAC) and serves as the treasurer and advocacy coordinator for the Emergency Medical Services Association of Colorado (EMSAC). He is passionate about EMS and is actively involved in simplifying regulatory challenges as the SEMTAC chair. As well, he works with the Colorado State Legislature to advance paramedic practice, improve funding, and expand business opportunities for EMS agencies.

  Dienst earned his BA in geology and his Master of Public Administration from University of Colorado, Colorado Springs. He enjoys skiing, scuba diving, hiking and camping, and spending time with his lovely wife, Liz, and his two dogs.

  
  
  

• Rommie Duckworth, Northeast Region Director (2023-2024)

  

  Rommie L. Duckworth, MPA, LP, EFO, FO, is a captain, shift commander, and EMS coordinator for the Ridgefield Fire Department in Connecticut. He is also founder and director of the New England Center for Rescue and Emergency Medicine. Duckworth is a dedicated emergency responder, author, and educator with more than 30 years of experience working in career and volunteer fire departments, hospital healthcare systems, and private emergency medical services.

  Duckworth has contributed to the NAEMT AMLS and PHTLS textbooks. He is a 2021 recipient of the NAEMT Presidential Leadership Award for his work on the Lighthouse Leadership Committee, for which he also serves as a mentor. Duckworth is also the recipient of the American Red Cross Hero Award, Sepsis Alliance Hero Award, the EMS10 Innovators Award, and the Western Connecticut Health Network Lifetime Achievement Award.

  He is the NAEMT representative to the American College of Surgeons Rural Trauma Advisory Committee, the CT-EMS for Children representative for the Ridgefield Fire Department, and an instructor for EMS, fire, rescue, law enforcement, and dispatch education programs.

  He’s the author of "Duckworth on Education," as well as chapters in more than a dozen EMS, fire, rescue, and medical textbooks and over 100 published articles in fire and EMS magazines. He holds positions on other national and international advocacy and advisory boards, where he continues to work for the advancement of emergency services professions.

   

• Michael Kaduce, West Coast Region Director (2024-2025)

  

  Michael Kaduce, MPS, NRP, is the director of the Falck Health Institute, where he leads the initial education initiatives for Falck.  Michael began his EMS journey as an EMT in Iowa and later became a paramedic/firefighter for the Urbandale Fire Department.  After four years, Michael became an EMS Educator at the University of Iowa, providing EMT and paramedic initial and continuing education. Michael then joined the UCLA Center for Prehospital Care at the David Geffen School of Medicine as the EMT program director, overseeing the country's largest EMT education program for 6 years.  He has a Bachelor of Science in Biology and a Master of Professional Studies in Homeland Security and Public Health.  Michael has been published on prehospital patient care and EMS educational best practices and serves as an author for the most widely used EMT and paramedic textbooks.  Michael is the West Coast representative for the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians Board of Directors and has taught NAEMT courses around the globe. Michael is also a research associate for the UCLA Prehospital Care Research Forum.  

   

   

• Melissa McNally, Gulf Coast Region Director (2023-2024)

  

  Melissa McNally, MMSc, BCEM PA-C, NRP, is a board-certified emergency medicine physician assistant and nationally registered paramedic with over 31 years of experience in prehospital and emergency medicine. She practices clinically in the emergency department and also works as a paramedic for the hospital’s ambulance service. Melissa operates Central Florida Emergency Education Consultants (CFEEC), which provides continuing education content for EMS and other healthcare professionals as well as consultant services in Mobile Integrated Healthcare/Community Paramedicine (MIH-CP) education and other service programs. 

  Melissa brings leadership experience as a medical practitioner and educator in the field of MIH and has provided clinical oversight to one of Florida’s largest MIH programs, Evolution Health, which manages the population health of over 60,000 Medicare and Medicare Advantage patients across Florida. She currently serves as the President-elect of the Florida Association of EMS Educators and as Secretary of the Access to Care, Medical Care, and Quality Managers Committees for the Florida Bureau of EMS. Melissa was recently appointed by the Surgeon General of Florida as the State EMS Education Chair for the Emergency Medical Services Advisory Council. 

  Melissa has served on NAEMT’s EMS Transformation Committee and the Author Team for the Community Paramedic Course. Currently, Melissa serves as the chair of the Membership Committee and is a member of the Finance Committee. Melissa is also the assistant NAEMT Advocacy Coordinator and Membership Coordinator for the State of Florida. 

   

• Gary Peterson, Mid-Atlantic Region Director (2024-2025)

  

  Gary Peterson, Ph.D., M.Sc., NRP, CCEMT-P, CCP-C, FP-C has been a career paramedic since 2000. He has worked in 911 response systems and critical care transport in urban, suburban, and rural areas. Dr. Peterson took on leadership and administrative roles in 2015 and advanced to the position of division commander overseeing:  ALS operations, critical-care transport, education, field-training, EMS Academy, dispatch center, policy development, internal investigations, special operations, and liaison for emergency management representation. In this role, he created the department Team-Leader system implemented over nine areas of operation to develop and vet promising leaders for promotion. Dr. Peterson led his team to create the EMS Academy for on-boarding large groups to professional readiness for field-training evaluations. Dr. Peterson’s most recent restructuring of billing practices resulted in a 9.8 million dollar increase in perpetual annual revenue.  His latest efforts included work on the EMS CISM team with the training of a Therapy K9 to include several deployments for first-responder colleagues.

  Dr. Peterson has completed his Bachelor of Science in Public Safety Administration (2017), Master of Science in Emergency Services Management (2020), and Ph.D. in Health Sciences focusing on Paramedicine (2023).  His areas of expertise and research in paramedicine include healthcare disparities, implicit bias, mental health and wellness, and PTS/PTSD risk mitigation. Dr. Peterson is passionate about EMS education and advocacy at all levels. He seeks to develop the most effective programs for new EMTs and paramedics, specialty credentials, advanced-practice certifications, as well as undergraduate and graduate degrees for current and developing leaders in EMS.
  

  He currently serves with a 911 response county system in Maryland as well as clinical faculty for a college paramedic program. He is the NAEMT Maryland State Education Coordinator. 

   

  
  

• Howard R. Schwartz, East Central Region Director (2024-2025)

  

  Howard R. Schwartz, NRP, CP-C, is a nationally registered paramedic and a board certified community paramedic with 38 years of experience. He has worked in hospital-based, nonprofit, and municipal EMS systems. Along with serving as a paramedic in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, he worked as a flight paramedic in Arizona on both rotor and fixed-wing aircraft. While in Arizona, he was a regionalcoordinator/program manager for the Arizona Department of Health Bureau of EMS, where he worked with many of the state’s EMS training programs and hospitals.

  In 2003, he and his wife Joan returned to Pennsylvania, where he spent many years servicing the community where he grew up and his EMS career began. After volunteering as a board member for a local nonprofit EMS agency, in 2023 he became operations director for Northern Valley EMS near Allentown, Pennsylvania. Schwartz’s diverse career has provided him with experience and insight into many different aspects of EMS. He has been a member of NAEMT and served on the Membership Committee for many years and has been a frequent participant at EMS On The Hill Day. He has also been asked to testify many times in front of state and federal elected officials regarding a variety of EMS issues. After participating in his first National EMS Memorial Bike Ride more than 15 years ago, he became an avid long-distance cyclist. In 2016, he was part of a group that organized Pennsylvania’s first annual EMS Memorial Bike Ride. Since then, he has been instrumental in planning each year’s ride, which culminate at the state capital with the annual EMS Memorial Service.

   

• Shannon Watson, Great Plains Region Director (2023-2024)

  

  Shannon Watson, MHA, NRP, CC-EMTP, CP, began her EMS career in North Carolina, where she attained her paramedic and associate degree in emergency medical science. She came to Christian Hospital EMS in 2008 and worked full-time as a paramedic serving north St. Louis County. She was promoted through the ranks of educator, clinical supervisor, mobile integrated health supervisor, and is currently assistant chief of EMS.

  Watson is an EMS educator and teaches nationally at EMS conferences. She is secretary for the East Central Region EMS Committee for St. Louis. In 2012, Watson became a contributing author of the resuscitation chapter in the Pediatric Education for Prehospital Professionals book. She also served as chair of the NAEMT Emergency Pediatric Care (EPC) Committee. 

  During her EMS tenure, Watson assisted in growing and developing the Christian Hospital EMS Academy and developing and implementing a mobile integrated health program for Christian Hospital. She has continued her education as a critical care paramedic, community paramedic, and she completed her bachelor’s in business and master’s in healthcare administration. She is married to a firefighter-paramedic, and they have three children. She enjoys spending her free time with friends and family engaging in outdoor activities. 

   

• John R. Zartman, Midwest Region Director (2024-2025)

  

  John Zartman, BS, NRP, P.I., serves as the Director of EMS with the Tippecanoe Emergency Ambulance Service (TEAS). He brings over 49 years of EMS experience from both EMS provider operational and educational programs to the community. John’s career began in 1973 during his senior year at Peru High School where he worked at the local funeral home and took one of the first EMT classes in Indiana. He obtained his NREMT certification in 1974 and was one of Indiana’s initial EMT’s when EMS was born by Governor Dr. Otis Bowen in 1975. Over the years, John has had the opportunity to work for and with several outstanding EMS agencies and training institutions while developing a well-rounded knowledge of the EMS environment.  He attended Paramedic education with St. Vincent’s Hospital in Indianapolis becoming a Paramedic in 1979 while serving as the Director of EMS for Cass County EMS/Memorial Hospital in Logansport, Indiana. He then served as full-time EMS Educator with St. Francis in Beech Grove Indiana and also the Program Director for the University of St. Francis in Fort Wayne before his tenue as the Network EMS Director for Community Health Network. For the last 4 years, he has served as the EMS Director to TEAS in Lafayette Indiana.

  John holds a master’s degree in Health Administration, Management and Leadership, a baccalaureate degree from the American College of Pre-Hospital Medicine, and a certificate of Management from Indiana University-Indianapolis. He was awarded the “Golden Siren” award by the Indiana chapter of the Indiana EMS Association for his many years of continued dedication, mentorship, and service, as well as the many achievements presented over his years of service.  Passionate about quality prehospital emergency care, John serves as the chairperson on the Indiana EMSC “Education Oversight” committee. He also serves on the Indiana State EMS Commission, representing Education and Paramedics and was the Vice-Chairman of the Technical Advisory Committee to the Indiana Department of Homeland Security for many years.  John is a licensed Paramedic in Indiana and Florida, as well as a Nationally Registered EMT-Paramedic (NRP). He holds provider and instructor certifications for CPR, ACLS, PALS, EPC, PHTLS, AMLS, EVOC and TECC.  He serves as the State Coordinator for NAEMT’s education programs and is an Indiana National Registry of EMT’s Psychomotor Examination Representative. John is very active within the EMS community and has served many roles on multiple operational and educational committees, and memberships in NAEMT, IEMSA, NAEMSP, and NAEMSE. John and his wife Karen live in Lafayette, Indiana along with their two German Shepherds. They love spending time with family, traveling, and deep-sea fishing whenever possible.

   

• Matt Zavadsky, South Central Region Director (2023-2024)

  

  Matt is an EMS/Mobile Healthcare Consultant and Vice-President with PWW | Advisory Group, focusing on assisting local communities, EMS agencies, fire departments, ambulance services, hospitals and other healthcare organizations in evaluating and improving their EMS and mobile healthcare delivery systems. Prior to joining PWW|AG, he served as the Chief Transformation Officer for MedStar Mobile Healthcare, the Public Utility Model EMS system serving Fort Worth and 13 other cities in North Texas where he helped guide the development and implementation of innovative programs with healthcare and community partners to transform the role of MedStar in the healthcare system and community. Matt has a master’s degree in Healthcare Administration, with a Graduate Certificate in Healthcare Data Management.  He is a past President of NAEMT chairs NAEMT’s EMS Economics Committee. 

  
  

  
  

• Douglas F. Kupas, MD, EMT-P, FAEMS, FACEP, Medical Director

  Dr. Kupas is medical director for Geisinger EMS and co-director of Mobile Integrated Healthcare for Geisinger Health System, his professional home for the past 30 years. He is a professor of emergency medicine and an EMS physician who is board-certified in both EMS and emergency medicine. Dr. Kupas also serves as the director of the Resuscitation Program at Geisinger. Dr. Kupas is an avid researcher and passionate advocate for EMS practitioners and patient safety. His clinical interests include CPR, hypothermia, end-of-life care, trauma triage, EMS patient and practitioner safety and EMS airway management.

  Dr. Kupas’s EMS career began 40 years ago when he joined Lower Kiski Ambulance Service in Leechburg, PA, on his 16^th birthday as a volunteer. He later became a paramedic and a physician. He earned his medical degree from Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University and completed his residency in emergency medicine at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, PA. Dr. Kupas is the Medical Director of NAEMT, President-Elect of NAEMSP, and serves on the EMS Subboard of the American Board of Emergency Medicine. In 2020, Dr. Kupas received the Rocco V. Morando Lifetime Achievement Award from NAEMT and NREMT.