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 just received his BSN from Chamberlain University and now 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. He also chairs the NAEMT Advocacy Committee.

  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.
  
  

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

  Rommie L. Duckworth, MPA, LP, EFO, 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.

  
  

• Steven Kroll, Director, Region I (2022-2023)

  

  Steven Kroll, MHA, EMT, is the executive director and volunteer chief of Delmar-Bethlehem EMS in Albany County, New York. He is also the chief delivery officer at UCM Digital Health, a telehealth triage, treatment and navigation medical practice. Kroll 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, New York. 

  Kroll holds a Master of Health Administration from Duke University and 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.

  Kroll is a member and past chair of his state’s Emergency Medical Service 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.

   

• Juan C. Cardona, Director, Region II (2022-2023)

  

  Juan C. Cardona is a 28 year veteran of the fire and EMS service. He has served at the Coral Springs-Parkland Fire Department for the last 24 years, 12 of those as Division Chief in charge of Emergency Medical Services (EMS), and the fire department’s community health initiatives.
  
  Chief Cardona has a Bachelors’ degree in Professional Management from Nova South Eastern University and a Masters’ degree in Public Administration from Barry University. He holds the Chief EMS Officer designation by the Center for Public Safety Excellence and a State of Florida Fire Service Instructor 3 Certification. Chief Cardona is a well-known international speaker and presenter who travels regularly and collaborates to improve fire and EMS in several Latin American countries and around the world.

   

• Melissa McNally, Director, Region II (2023-2024)

  

  Melissa McNally, MMSc, BCEM PA-C, NRP, is a nationally certified physician assistant who is board certified in emergency medicine. She is also a nationally registered paramedic with over 27 years of experience in pre-hospital and emergency medicine. She practices clinically in emergency medicine and 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 medical practitioner and educator in the field of MIH and has provided clinical oversight to Florida’s largest MIH program, Evolution Health which managed 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 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 also is the assistant Advocacy Coordinator and is the Membership Coordinator for the State of Florida.

  
  
  

• David Edgar, Director, Region III (2022-2023)

  David Edgar, MHA, CCP, is the assistant chief of EMS for the City of West Des Moines, Iowa. Edgar started his career as a volunteer with the department in 1986 and is starting his 36th year in EMS. He obtained his Master of Healthcare Administration in 1999.
  
  Edgar is a member of the Iowa Department of Public Health’s Highly Infectious Disease Committee, the FEMA Region 7 EMS workgroup, Iowa EMS for Children Committee, the regional implementation committee for Pulsara, Metro STEMI and Stroke Committee, and is the EMS representative for the Des Moines Metro Emergency Departments Committee. In addition, he also serves as Chair of the NAEMT Lighthouse Leadership Committee and represents NAEMT on the CAAS Board of Directors. Edgar was recognized as the Iowa Career Paramedic of the Year in 2000. He was the recipient of a 2013 JEMS EMS 10 Innovators in EMS Award, AAA Star of Life Award, and an NAEMT Presidential Leadership Award.
  
  

• Shannon Watson, Director, Region III (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. 

  
  

• Tim Dienst, Director, Region IV (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.

  
  
  

• Karen Larsen, Director, Region IV (2022-2023)

  

  Karen L. Larsen, DNP, MSN, APRN, ENP-C, NP-C, CFRN, CEN, CPEN, FP-C, NRP, has more than three decades of healthcare experience with an extensive background in prehospital medical care and emergency nursing. She is a Nurse Practitioner for both St. Luke Hospital & Living Center and StatCare of Kansas, and has over 15 years of experience as a Flight Nurse/Education Specialist for LifeSave Transport, all in Kansas. She also volunteers as a paramedic for Marion County EMS and is a reserve paramedic and education specialist for Concordia Fire/EMS.

  Karen holds numerous certifications, is Board Certified with the American Association of Nurse Practitioners and is a Kansas Certified Paramedic. She is a member of several professional associations including ASTNA, ENA, KEMTA, KEMSA, and is an Affiliate Faculty member for NAEMT and AHA. Karen serves on the education committee for NAEMT as well as representing NAEMT on the IBSC Board. 

  Karen has received many awards, including a KEMTA’s Advanced Life Support (ALS) Attendant of the Year award and Lyle Eckert award, as well as NAEMT’s education recognition for Advanced Medical Life Support (AMLS). She earned her Doctorate of Nursing from Chatham University in Pennsylvania, Master’s in Nursing-FNP from Graceland University in Missouri, Bachelor’s in Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau Cum Laude, from Southwestern College, and Paramedic certification from Midwest Academy of Pre-Hospital Sciences in Kansas.  

  
  

• Maria Beermann-Foat, At-Large Director (2022-2023)

  

  Maria Beermann-Foat, Ph.D., MBA, NRP, has over 20 years of prehospital emergency care experience in privately-owned, hospital-based and county government-based emergency services.

  Beermann-Foat is the EMS Training Coordinator for the Eugene Springfield Fire Department in Oregon. She recently retired as a battalion chief of operations for MED-ACT Emergency Medical Services, after 22 years of service to the community of Johnson County, Kansas. Since joining the department in 1999 as a paramedic, she moved up the ranks in the roles of community education officer/PIO, captain/field training officer, battalion chief of training, and division chief of quality management.

  She earned her MBA from MidAmerica Nazarene University and a Ph.D. in Organization Management from Capella University. She serves on NAEMT’s EMS Workforce Committee.

  
  
  

• Matt Zavadsky, At-Large Director (2023-2024)

  

  Matt is the Chief Transformation Officer for MedStar Mobile Healthcare in Fort Worth, TX.  He has helped guide the implementation and financial sustainability of numerous innovative programs with healthcare partners that have transformed MedStar fully as a Mobile Integrated Healthcare provider. Most recently, he has led the negotiations with multiple third-party payers to change the basic economic model for EMS to better align patient, provider and payer focus on patient centered care as opposed to simply payment for ambulance transport.

  Matt serves as an EMS SME for multiple consulting firms working with city and county leaders to evaluate and redesign EMS systems with a focus on high performance and high value for the community.

  Matt also chairs NAEMT's EMS Economics Committee. He has recently worked with CMS/CMMI to help facilitate recent new payment models such as Emergency Triage, Treat and Transport (ET3) model and Medicare waivers for Treatment in Place during the pandemic. He has a master’s degree in Healthcare Administration, with a Graduate Certificate in Healthcare Data Management.

  
  

• 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.