Lighthouse Leadership Committee

The Lighthouse Leadership Committee is responsible for reviewing candidates and then matching them with an EMS leader (mentor) who possesses the specific knowledge and experience to help the participant achieve his/her goals. Read about the committee members below:

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Lighthouse Leadership Committee

David Edgar, MHA, CCP, Chair

David Edgar, MHA, CCP, is the assistant chief of EMS for the City of West Des Moines, Iowa. West Des Moines EMS operates as a public-private partnership between the city and a local hospital system. Edgar started his career as a volunteer with the department in 1986 and is starting his 35^th 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 on the NAEMT Lighthouse Leadership Committee. 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.
Juan C. Cardona, MPA, NRP

Juan C. Cardona, MPA, NRP, is a 28-year veteran of the fire service and EMS. He has served at the Coral Springs-Parkland Fire Department in Florida for the last 24 years, starting as a firefighter-paramedic. For the past 12 years, he has been division chief in charge of EMS and the fire department’s community health initiatives.

Cardona has a bachelors’ degree in professional management from Nova South Eastern University and a Master of Public Administration from Barry University. He holds the Chief EMS Officer designation from the Center for Public Safety Excellence and a State of Florida Fire Service Instructor 3 Certification. 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. He serves on NAEMT’s Lighthouse Leadership Committee and received an NAEMT Presidential Leadership Award.
Chris Cebollero, BS, CCEMT-P

Chris Cebollero is a nationally recognized EMS Leader, advocate and podcast host. Outside of EMS Chris is recognized as an International Leadership Specialist, multi number 1 best selling author and motivational speaker. Chris is currently the President/CEO of his own consulting firm concentrating on leadership development, organizational process improvement and the transition of EMS to the MIH/CP service model.
Rom Duckworth, Paramedic, MPA

Rom Duckworth is a dedicated emergency responder, author, and educator with more than thirty years of experience working in career and volunteer fire departments, hospital healthcare systems, and private emergency medical services. Rom is currently a career fire captain and paramedic EMS Coordinator for Ridgefield (CT) Fire Department, the founder and director of the New England Center for Rescue and Emergency Medicine, and is the recipient of the American Red Cross Hero award, Sepsis Alliance Sepsis Hero award, and the JEMS EMS 10 Innovators award.

As the author of chapters in more than a dozen EMS, fire, rescue, and medical textbooks as well as over 100 published articles in firefighting and EMS magazines and websites Rom is working to advance leadership in modern emergency services education.
Baxter Larmon, PhD, MICP

Baxter Larmon, PhD, MICP, is currently a professor of emergency medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) and Emeritus Director of the UCLA Center for Prehospital Care. He has been actively involved in EMS for more than 45 years. Dr. Larmon has dedicated his life to the professionalism of EMS.
Jon Politis, MPA, NRP

Jon is a proven and respected emergency services leader and educator. Starting in college in 1971, he has served in many capacities... EMT, firefighter, ski patroller, paramedic, paramedic program director, state EMS official (VT and NY), EMS Chief and Fire Chief.

He has a reputation of integrity and solid leadership in both career and volunteer organizations. He served on the Board of Directors of the National Registry of EMTs, Committee on Accreditation for the EMS Professions, been co-investigator of original research and authored numerous articles and texts. In 1989 he lead the Town of Colonie, NY to consolidate the Town’s six Rescue Squads into a single municipal EMS department.

He served as the Chief of the Town of Colonie EMS Department from 1989 to 2010 when he retired. During his tenure as Chief, Colonie EMS won two national awards, two regional awards and the New York State EMS service of the year award. In retirement he served as the interim director of a community ambulance service and led them through a consolidation effort with a neighboring agency. He has also served as the Chief of his community volunteer fire department. He is a highly sought after educator and has presented at many local and national conferences across the US and Canada

He holds a BA degree from Castleton State College and a Masters Degree in Public Administration from Marist College, Pougkeepsie, NY. In 2010 he was the recipient of the NAEMT Rocco V Morando EMS Lifetime Achievement Award.
Macara Trusty, MS, Paramedic

Macara Trusty, MS, is a paramedic and manager of project management for Global Medical Response South Region in Arlington, Texas. She has been involved in EMS for over 25 years, has over 23 years of EMS teaching experience, and more than 14 years of EMS leadership experience. During her EMS career, she has worked as a dispatcher, an EMT, a field paramedic and on an Advanced Practice Paramedic team. Before joining Global Medical Response, she was education and community programs manager for MedStar Mobile Healthcare in Fort Worth.

Macara serves as the chair of the EMS Education Committee for the Texas Governor’s EMS and Trauma Advisory Council (GETAC). She has led collaborative and cross-functional teams toward innovative solutions that improve the quality of clinical education and training in Texas. She also serves as the NAEMT Education Coordinator for Texas, and is a member of the NAEMT Education Committee. She has experience working in both rural and urban environments.

She has been married to her husband, Paul, for over 22 years and has two daughters. She holds a bachelor of science in business management, a master of science in management and leadership, and is currently working toward her doctorate in strategic leadership. She also holds several certifications such as Project+, SHRM-SCP, Just Culture Champion, and others.
Shannon Watson, CCEMT-P, Paramedic

Shannon Watson began her EMS Career in Jacksonville, NC, where she earned her Paramedic license and Associate’s degree in Emergency Medical Science. She since completed her Bachelor’s in Business Administration and is starting her Master’s program this year. Shannon joined Christian Hospital EMS ten years ago, diligently working her way to the Assistant Chief position for the EMS Department. Watson is an instructor for a variety of certifications and teaches nationally at EMS conferences. She is a member of the East Central Region EMS Committee for St. Louis, and in 2012 became a contributing author of the Pediatric Education for Prehospital Providers (PEPP) textbook and author of the chapter on resuscitation. Watson was the NAEMT Emergency Pediatric Care (EPC) Regional Coordinator for two years prior to joining the EPC committee.

Shannon realized her love for education while at Christian Hospital EMS, where she was a field training officer and member of the education committee. Then, she became Clinical Supervisor and assisted in the development of the Christian Hospital EMS Academy, which offers more than 30 EMS courses annually to employees and outside EMS participants. She advanced to Community Health Supervisor and assisted in developing and implementing the Community Health Access Program (CHAP). She supervised the mobile integrated healthcare (MIH) program and EMS portion of CHAP for three years prior to moving into the Assistant Chief role for Christian Hospital EMS. She is married to a firefighter/paramedic and has two children.
Steve Wirth, MS, JD

Steve Wirth is a founding partner of Page, Wolfberg & Wirth (PWW). In a distinguished four decade public safety career, Steve has worked in virtually every facet of EMS—as first responder, firefighter, EMT, paramedic, flight paramedic, EMS instructor, fire officer, and EMS executive. He was one of central Pennsylvania’s first paramedics. Steve brings a pragmatic and business‐oriented perspective to his diverse legal practice—he served for nearly a decade as senior executive of a mid‐sized air and ground ambulance service, helping to build the company from the ground up.

Steve is a dynamic and sought‐after speaker on a variety of EMS law and public safety subjects. He has authored many articles and book chapters on a wide range of EMS leadership, reimbursement, risk management, corporate compliance and workplace law topics. A contributing writer for JEMS, EMS1 and EMS World, Steve has co‐authored the highly acclaimed and popular compliance manuals and video training programs produced by PWW. He enjoys teaching and is an adjunct professor for the University of Pittsburgh EMS degree program.