Speakers and their Bios for the 2019 AEMTA Educational Symposium and Trade Show

 

Rod Barrett

Rod Barrett got lucky in 1978 and took an EMT course. Following the gaining of his EMT, he figured he would work for the required six months in the field to obtain his EMTA and then go back to a real job. Thankfully that didn’t happen. Over the next 40 years he became a paramedic and served in the field with many amazing people in several services and is retired from Bella Vista Fire and EMS.  He has also had the privilege of serving on the AEMTA Board of Directors with a few terms as president and on the NAEMT Board of Directors as Region 2 representative. He currently represents the AEMTA on the Arkansas Governor’s Advisory Council on EMS as the current chairman.  He also chairs the Advisory board for the NWACC EMS program. He is a recipient of the David Taylor, Sr Leadership in EMS Award and was inducted into the Arkansas EMS Hall of Fame.

 

 Danny Bercher, PhD, NRP

Arkansas Trauma Rehabilitation Program Assistant Director

UAMS Institute for Digital Health & Innovation/Arkansas Department of Health

Dr. Bercher has been an Arkansas licensed paramedic and instructor as well as certified National Registry of EMTs since 1985. He attained a Bachelor of Science Degree at the University of Arkansas, a Master’s Degree in Adult Education from the University of Arkansas – Little Rock, and PhD in Health Sciences from the University of Arkansas. He was a full time paramedic for Metropolitan Emergency Medical Services in Little Rock as well as a flight paramedic for Baptist Health Medflight. He has served as chairman of the Arkansas EMS Training Committee, Arkansas EMS for Children, and the Arkansas ALS Curriculum Task Force. He has served on the National Association of EMS Educators Research Committee, contributing author to the Community Paramedic Curriculum 4.0, and the International Board of Specialty Certification Writing Group for the Community Paramedic Certification Examination. He was the program director for the UAMS Bachelor of Science in EMS, the Associate of Science and Certificate in EMS-Paramedic, and the EMT Program. He is currently serving as the Assistant Director of the Arkansas Trauma Rehabilitation Program at the UAMS Institute of Digital Health & Innovation/Arkansas Department of Health.

 

James Bledsoe, MD, FACS

Chief Physician Specialist – State EMS Medical Director

Dr. Bledsoe is the Chief Physician Specialist with the Arkansas Department of Health, EMS section. Dr. Bledsoe brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to his position.  His background includes earning his Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from Ouachita Baptist University in 1965.  At UAMS, he earned his MD and BSM in 1969. He was awarded the Mosby Book Award his senior year for academic excellence. Dr. Bledsoe is a Diplomate in the American Board of Surgery (1975), Fellow in the American College of Surgeons (1978), the Society of Laparoscopic Surgeons (1991), and former member of the Credentials Committee for the American College of Surgeons. Dr. Bledsoe was in the Air Force where he attained the rank of Major. He was in private practice of surgery from 1976 to 2013 in Rogers, Arkansas.    Dr. Bledsoe was appointed the Arkansas State Medical Director of EMS in May 2015. He subsequently was appointed the State Medical Director for Trauma in November 2016.  Dr. Bledsoe is married. He and his wife Cecile, have 3 children and 10 grandchildren.

 

Ken Bouvier, NRP

Chief Ken Bouvier is known both nationally and internationally as a professional EMS speaker. Chief Bouvier began his Fire & EMS career in as a volunteer in 1975 at the Westwego Volunteer Fire Department. In 1975 he was hired by Monsanto Company as a firefighter/EMT. In 1982 Bouvier was promoted as Monsanto Fire Chief where he retired after 37 years of service in 2012. In 1989, Bouvier joined New Orleans EMS as an EMT Intermediate and went on to become a paramedic. In 2012, Bouvier was appointed to the rank of Deputy Chief of Operations where he served, until he retired in March of 2019. Chief Bouvier while working at New Orleans EMS served as the commander of most New Orleans major events including Mardi Gras, Sugar Bowls and Super Bowls. Chief Bouvier was the recipient of the 1989 National EMT of the Year Award and the 2008 Rocco V. Morando Lifetime Achievement Award. Chief Bouvier served as President of the National Association of EMT’S from 2004-2006, and presently serves on the EMS World Editorial Advisory Board since 1998. Chief Bouvier has an extensive educational background in both Fire and EMS. He has made written contributions in 11 EMS textbooks. Today, Chief Bouvier continues to serve both Fire & EMS as a professional speaker & educator.

 

Greg Brown, BS, NRP

Branch Chief of Health Trauma, Preparedness, and Emergency Medical Services

Greg Brown is the Branch Chief of the Trauma section, Public Health Preparedness /Emergency Response and Emergency Medical Services. Greg’s 30 years of experience provides proven leadership and oversight of these systems which includes 65 designated trauma systems, 205 EMS services, and over 7000 EMS providers. Greg has a passion for public health and ensuring plans are developed to prepare for public health crises and delivery of prevention programs and training that empowers organizations, communities, and individuals to be part of safer communities.

 

Allen Buford

Paramedic, Quality Control – MEMS

Allen has over 20 years of experience in EMS in Arkansas.  During this time, he has remained an active paramedic throughout his career.  He is currently the Quality Coordinator for MEMS.  His focus at MEMS is cardiac arrest care and documentation, data submission to the state, all aspects of the ePCR, and other various clinical measures.  Allen is the chair for the Arkansas Data Subcommittee.  He is also a member of the EMS-C Committee.

 

Timothy Calicott, M.D., FACEP

Arkansas Medical Director-Air Evac Lifeteam, Chairman Arkansas EMS Advisory Council,

Past President Arkansas Chapter ACEP

Dr. Calicott started his career in medicine in 1982 in Texarkana, Arkansas. He worked as an orderly at St. Michael’s Hospital while attending college. He graduated from Hendrix College in 1984 with a B.A. in Biology. He later attended Buchanon School of Nursing at Texarkana College and received an Associate Degree in Nursing in 1987. During that time, he worked as a dispatcher for Air Life medical helicopter service, now known as LifeNet, EMS. He completed EMT training simultaneously with Nursing School. He continued his EMS training by graduating from Paramedic School at Texarkana College in 1989. His plan to become a Flight Nurse/Paramedic was derailed when he was accepted to Medical School at UAMS in 1989. Dr. Calicott graduated from the University of Arkansas, College of Medicine in 1993. Dr. Calicott is a staff physician in the Emergency Department of Conway Regional Medical Center and St. Vincent’s Infirmary in Little Rock. Dr. Calicott serves as the EMS liason for the hospital and his medical group. He works closely with MEMS in Faulkner County. He has maintained certifications as provider and/or instructor in BCLS, ACLS, ACLS-EP, PALS, PHTLS, and ATLS. Dr. Calicott has been active as an EMS educator. He has served as a preceptor for EMTs, EMT-Ps, Nursing students, Acute Care Nurse Practitioner students and Medical Residents. His involvement in EMS Medical Directorship spans 11 years. He provides medical direction for first responder and volunteer agencies as well as Basic Life Support and Advanced Life Support services. He serves on the Arkansas Emergency Physicians Foundation which is the medical direction oversight committee for Metropolitan EMS (MEMS) which is the largest EMS in the state of Arkansas. He also serves as Arkansas Medical Director for Air Evac Lifeteam. He is one of 15 medical directors who provide medical over-site for Air-Evac, which provides air medical transport for over 30,000 patients per year and has 100 bases nationwide.  Dr. Calicott has been actively involved in EMS protocol development both for Air-Evac and for EMS services in Arkansas.

 

Nathan Collie

Nathan is the EMS Coordinator and EMT Instructor for the Little Rock Fire Department and the Little Rock Fire Department Training Academy.  He has worked in the EMS field for 25 years as an EMT and a Paramedic respectively. He has worked in the UAMS Emergency Department, MEMS as well as other ambulance services, and has worked as a Little Rock Firefighter for 19 years.  He has been an EMT Instructor for the Little Rock Fire Department since 2008, and the Coordinator for the Fire Department’s EMS services since 2014. He also volunteers at Collegeville Volunteer Fire Department where he teaches EMS based classes.

 

Adam Cordell

Adam Cordell started his fire service adventure in the spring of 2004 at South Malvern VFD. From there he went to a paid per call firefighter at Malvern Fire Dept. In 2006, he was hired at Maumelle Fire Dept., went to rookie school, and became a EMT. He has always been known as a “bull in a china cabinet” and known for breaking things. So truck work seemed to be a great fit. He became the resident truckie on scene even though Maumelle FD only operated off of Engines. 1 thing I have figured out is that if you can merge brute strength and training with technique you can become a dangerous combination. So it was fitting that in 2014 he became a part of the first truck company in dept history.  In Jan of 2017 he was promoted to Capt on the Tower. In the last 15 years the 1 thing that I have learned is that I am still an infant in the fire service with much to learn, but continuing to study and push myself to master and further our craft. While not at the firehouse or training, he spends his time with his wife and 2 kids, building a small farm, hunting, and enjoying the outdoors.

 

Zedok Crabbe, Captain/Paramedic, NRP, FO, TP-C

Springdale Fire Department

Zedok has been a Paramedic since 1999 and has worked for various private ambulance services in Northeast and Northwest Arkansas.  He has been on the Springdale Fire Department for almost 16 years and serves at the Technical Rescue Station #2 as Captain/Paramedic in addition to working as a part-time paramedic at Central EMS in Fayetteville.   He is an EMT instructor as well as an instructor for CPR, ACLS, ACLS EP, PALS, AMLS, PHTLS and TCCC.  Zedok serves as a TEMS certified SWAT Medic for Springdale Police Department.

Joshua Davis RN, EMT-B, CEN

Joshua Davis is a nurse at Air-Evac 30 in Morrilton, AR. He has been working in EMS as a flight nurse for 4 years. Prior to working at Air-Evac, he worked as an ER nurse at UAMS along with a tenure at Conway Regional. Join him as he talks about how practicing situational awareness and critical thinking can have a positive impact on our patient outcomes.

 

 

Ryan Davis, NRP, FP-C

Ryan has worked in EMS for the past 16 years and in Critical Care air transport for the past 5 for Air Evac Life Team. Ryan is very active in education and the improvement of EMS throughout the state.

Chris Ebright

Chris Ebright is an EMS Education Coordinator with the National EMS Academy in Covington, Louisiana.  He has been a Nationally Registered paramedic for over 24 years, providing pre-hospital emergency care ranging from primary EMS response to critical care transportation by land and air.  Chris has also educated first responders, EMT’s, paramedics, nurses and doctors for over 23 years. He holds Bachelor of Education degree from the University of Toledo in Toledo, Ohio and is currently an annual presenter at local, state, and national EMS and public safety conferences. He is a self-proclaimed sports, rollercoaster and movie junkie and enjoys traveling as often as possible throughout the United States.

 

Darren Flamik, MD

Dr. Flamik has been an Emergency Room physician at Baptist since the 1990’s.  His many accolades in EMS include Paramedic, Med Flight Medical Director, Arkansas’ GAC on EMS, 2018 AEMTA EMS Medical Director, Jacksonville Fire Department Medical Director, and he currently serves on the Arkansas Dept. of Health Board of Directors.  Join Dr. Flamik as he provides some insight on Medical Direction and adopting “Evidence Based Guidelines” for EMS Protocols.

 

 

Brandon Foshee, NREMT-P, CFP

Brandon Foshee has been involved with Emergency Services for over 25 years. He has been an instructor in multiple aspects of emergency medicine for over 15 years and has an extensive background of medical training and emergency response that began with the Navy. It continued in law enforcement and most currently in to rotor wing medicine. Brandon serves on several committees, both at the state and national level and is also affiliate faculty for several continuing education courses, certifying parties of emergency medicine. Through which, he has gained a well-versed knowledge on being able to help his EMS community by sharing his knowledge with those around him and assisting with the continuing changes that EMS face. He continues to work in the field of emergency medicine for Air Evac Lifeteam and teaches on a routine basis.

 

Daisy Fultz, RN, CEN, EMT-B

Daisy has 18 years of experience in the Emergency and Intensive care setting and 10 years of experience in Prehospital Critical Care/Air Medical setting. She completed the 1600-hour Paramedic program. She is currently the Base Clinical Lead/Educator for Air Evac 4, an AHA Course Director, NAEMT Courses Instructor and TNCC Instructor. She also serves as the Cardiac Services Hospital Liaison for Air Evac 4 – Springdale, AR.

 

 

Major Clayton H. Goddard, BS, NREMT-P

Major Clayton Goddard is a Nationally Registered paramedic and certified Arkansas law enforcement officer with more than twenty years of experience in pre-hospital care and twelve years in tactical law enforcement respectively. Major Goddard currently serves as the Special Operations Supervisor for Metropolitan Emergency Medical Services (MEMS) in Little Rock.  MEMS is a non-profit, public utility model (PUM) agency and the largest ambulance provider in the State of Arkansas, covering more than 2100 square miles and serving a population of more than 516,000 people. Major Goddard oversees the recruitment, training and response operations for the teams that comprise MEMS Special Operations: STAR Team (Special Tactics Advanced Response Team) and SORT (Special Operations Response Team). In addition to his paramedic-supervisor duties, Major Goddard serves as the State’s representative for EMS and Tactical Emergency Casualty Care (TECC) on the Arkansas State Strategic Planning Committee for FEMA/Homeland Security. Major Goddard has spent the majority of the past five years leading bleeding control initiatives throughout the State of Arkansas.

Some of these efforts include;

1. Establishing a Statewide TECC/STB Stakeholders Committee through the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management (ADEM) in order to expand and fund these programs within the State of Arkansas. (December 2013)
2. Obtaining more than $500,000.00 in grants to purchase TECC/STB training equipment, public access medical kits for Arkansas K-12 schools and individual first aid kits (IFAK’s) for law enforcement officers in the State. (2014-present)
3. Assisting in the implementation of the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT) TECC-LEO (previously NAEMT LEFR-TCC) program into the Arkansas Law Enforcement Training Academies – ensuring that all newly sworn law enforcement officers have been trained in the principles of TECC. (2015-present)
4. Writing a proposal to the Arkansas Department of Education (ADE) outlining a plan to implement the American College of Surgeons’ (ACS) “Stop the Bleed” program into every school in Arkansas. (May 2017)
5. Developing additional TECC/STB instructors throughout the State in order to achieve a goal of ensuring that every law enforcement officer and every school in the State receives the training. (2014-present)
6. Adding “Stop the Bleed” training to cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) as a graduation requirement for Arkansas public schools.

Impact of this initiative to the State of Arkansas to date:

• More than 5000 law enforcement officers trained in TECC-LEO programs across the State.
• Over 750 Arkansas Schools trained in the “Stop the Bleed” program.
• Numerous documented lives have been saved throughout the State as a result of this training.

 

Dr. Mike Hillis

Mike Hillis, MD, ABPS-EM, ABFM, EMT is an Emergency Medicine physician at Mercy Northwest in Rogers Arkansas and the Medical Director for Sebastian County EMS and Rescue and Lavaca Fire and Rescue. He is a native Arkansan who attended Medical School at UAMS and Residency at AHEC-Fort Smith. He was the recipient of the 2017 AEMTA Medical Director Supervisor Award. He has also provided training for Franklin County EMS, Tulsa Life Flight, and assists with Wilderness First Responder training. He, his wife, Shannon, and his son Thomas love spending time outdoors backpacking, kayaking, camping, and playing on the creek with their numerous four-legged children.

 

Shannon Hillis

I am a lifelong member of the Arkansas EMS community, starting out at the age of 16 with my local volunteer fire department and progressing from FF/EMT to Paramedic to Educator to RN to Flight RN/Paramedic. I hold a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, Bachelor of Science in Biology, Bachelor of Science in Chemistry, and four Associate Degrees including an AS in EMS and Nursing. My accreditations include Certified Emergency Nurse, Trauma Certified RN, NREMT-P, ERYT-200, SAR Tech II, Swift Water Rescue and all the alphabet soup courses I can get my hands on.  I have been a NREMT-P for 24 years, serving several central Arkansas services and an RN for 14 years with UAMS-ED & Adjunct Faculty.  In 2008 I started my flight career as a Flight RN/Paramedic with Lifenet Air.  In 2016, I uprooted from my central Arkansas EMS family and I moved to Fayetteville. I am now honored to serve with Mercy Lifeline 5 in Rogers as a Flight RN/Paramedic and Sebastian County EMS as an Educator for the past 2+ years. I’m blessed call NWA my home with my wonderful husband Dr. Mike Hillis, Thomas Hillis and our ever increasing fur family.

 

John Hogue

John Hogue is a Captain in the fire marshal’s division with the City of Little Rock. He has worked in the fire marshal’s division for the last 7 years, before that he worked 16 years on the heavy rescue and in total a member of the Little Rock Fire Department for 23 years. He is a fire instructor with the Arkansas Fire Academy, a member of the Central Arkansas Task Force which he serves as the rescue member. He teaches C.E.U. classes for fire inspectors and fire code and building code officials for the City of Little Rock. He is a member of the editorial advisory board of Fire Engineering and of the FDIC advisory board.

 

Helen Huitt, Regulatory Administrator

AR Department of Health, Section of EMS

Helen Huitt is a Regulatory Administrator at the Arkansas Department of Health for the Section of Emergency Medical Services. She is responsible for new and renewing EMS services and vehicles. She is also overseeing the background process for EMS providers and investigations. She is an Advanced EMT and received certification from “The Council on Licensure, Enforcement, and Regulations” June 14, 2011.  She is also active in her community as a member of Ward Chamber of Commerce and Ward Planning Commission.

 

Mack Hutchison, NRP

Mack was born in Memphis, Tennessee on August 6, 1965. That year, the Beatles released 4 Albums one of which was “Help”. Maybe that’s why Mack ended up in a profession of “Helping” people……Mack has been involved in EMS for 35 years. His EMS Career began in the summer of 1983 when EMT Certification was obtained in Quitman, Arkansas where he grew up and joined the Quitman Volunteer Fire Department, there he volunteered for the ambulance service. Since then, he has worked as a Dispatcher, EMT, Paramedic, Flight Medic, and was the Operations Director for one of the largest private ambulance services in Arkansas. He is currently the Quality Manager at MEMS where he is responsible for 387 FTEs to assure quality service is delivered to every patient. MEMS will exceed a response volume of 100,000 requests this year. Mack’s has EMS Experience with all types of EMS providers including: Volunteer, Hospital Based, Public Utility Model, Private and Air Medical. Mack has served as board member and held many positions on Arkansas EMS Associations, the Arkansas Ambulance Association and numerous Advisory Boards and Committees. He is the hospital liaison for MEMS and serves on Sepsis, STEMI, Stroke and Trauma committees at the hospitals in the MEMS service area. He obtained an Associate of Science in EMS from UAMS in 1998, a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Chemistry from UALR in 1992 and a Master of Health Administration from Webster University in Little Rock. Mack is married to Tina who works at Acxiom and they have 4 children. He loves his profession “EMS” which to him stands for “Every Minute Serving”….

 

Billy Jones

Captain Jones, with a Bachelor of Science in Emergency Medical Sciences from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, supervises all phases of training, ensuring that fire department members are properly trained in fire suppression, rescue operations, emergency medical, and hazardous materials response. He is a National Registry Paramedic, EMS Instructor, and Fire Instructor. He has over 27 years of municipal and volunteer firefighting and EMS experience. As the Health and Welfare Officer for the department, he has partnered with UAMS researchers on two Firefighter and EMS health related projects. Together with his wife, Dr. Sara Jones, he has been instrumental in driving a program of research that explores the mental health needs of Arkansas first responders, which aims to develop a more effective mental health service model for the state. The second project is a partnership with UAMS utilizing cancer “sniffing” dogs to evaluate the department’s firefighters for thyroid cancer. Captain Jones was born and raised in the Indian Hills neighborhood of North Little Rock and works to give back to the community that raised him.

 

David Jones, MSOM, BSEd, NRP

David Jones is the Operations Supervisor, Safety Officer, and Public Information Officer for the Jacksonville Fire Department.  David has been in EMS for 28 years. Of those years, he has been a Paramedic for 26 and Instructor for 20 years.

 

 

 

KC Jones, NRP, BSE

KC has been involved with EMS for more than 40 years. He is a Charter member of NAEMT (with a membership number of 44) and the NAEMSE.   He has served as a board member of the National Association of EMT’s serving Region IV and is a 2013 Arkansas EMS inductee into the EMS Hall of Fame. His vocation has spanned the gambit of EMS from being a Basic EMT for a rural hospital to a Paramedic in an urban medical center.    His passion for teaching has ranged from teaching community CPR to Paramedics with recognition from the Arkansas EMT Association twice as Instructor of the Year in 1992 & 2007.  He currently holds a Certification as a National Certified EMS Educator from the NAEMSE. He is honored to currently serve as Chaplain for AEMTA and coordinator of the AEMTA CISM Team. His involvement in his community has led him to become active in the American Heart Association; he is past member of the Emergency Cardiac Care Committee for American Heart Association in Arkansas.   He was a member of the Boone County Local Emergency Planning Committee where he served as Volunteer Coordinator for disaster preparedness and CERT Instructor. KC was the director of EMS Programs for North Arkansas College until his retirement in June 2018.  He was a past EMS representative on the Arkansas Governor’s Trauma Advisory Council. He currently enjoys gardening and keeping up with friends and past students. Married to the love of his life, Teresa for almost 41 years, he has two sons, Sgt Clinton Jones of the US Army, and Corporal Nathen Jones Boone County Detention Center.  The apple of his eye are three Grandchildren, Cid, Flynn and Isaac.

 

Sara Jones, PhD

Sara Jones, PhD, is a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP) with over 10 years of practice as psychiatric nurse. She is an Assistant Professor at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, and coordinates the PMHNP program. Her current program of research focuses on the mental health effects of daily duty-related trauma exposure on first responders. Married to a firefighter, she has also experienced first-hand the effects of duty-related trauma on first responders.

 

 

Tabitha Jones, NRP

Tabitha “Tabby” Jones is a Paramedic Instructor that is current working at St. Vincent’s North in the Emergency Room.  Tabby’s 20 years of EMS experience includes the roles of Dispatch Supervisor, Paramedic, and Shift Supervisor at EASI.  Tabby has also taught at Conferences and the ArAA/AEMTA Difficult Airway class.  Join Tabby as she navigates evidence based “Pain Management” for EMS in today’s world.

 

Ken Kelley, BBA, NRP, CACO, CAC, CAPO, CADS, EMS Educator (Ret.)

Ken Kelley is President and CEO of ProMed Ambulance and is a well-known member of the Arkansas EMS community having enjoyed a more than three decade career as a paramedic, educator, and emergency manager. Ken earned his Bachelors of Business Administration degree from Southern Arkansas University in Magnolia, obtained his paramedic education at Texarkana College, and completed the EMS Management program at Rural/Metro University in Scottsdale, Arizona. His entire career has centered on EMS and emergency services. Ken is a National Registry Paramedic, an EMS educator, and holds advanced instructor credentials in numerous related courses. Outside of clinical care, Ken is a Certified Ambulance Compliance Officer, Certified Ambulance Coder, and will soon obtain his Certified Ambulance Privacy Officer credentials. In addition to leading his own team, Ken is well known as an EMS educator. He recently retired as Professor of Emergency Medical Technology and served as the EMS Program Director at South Arkansas Community College in El Dorado for 28 years. He was twice named the Arkansas Instructor of the Year in 1996 and most recently in 2018, and was recognized on the national stage as the Finalist for the Mary Ann Talley National EMT Instructor of the Year Award in 1997. That same year, Ken was named Outstanding Faculty by South Arkansas Community College and received the Outstanding Allied Health Faculty Award presented by the Arkansas Association of Two Year Colleges. Ken is an honored inductee at the National Institute of Strategic and Organizational Development (NISOD) at the University of Texas – Austin. Ken serves on many industry boards and committees, and he holds memberships in State and National Associations. He is a past president of the Arkansas Ambulance Association and currently serves as the Association’s Secretary and Government Affairs Committee chair. He was a charter member of the Arkansas Trauma System Governor’s Advisory County having been appointed by both Governors Mike Huckabee and Mike Beebe, and currently serves at the pleasure of Governor Asa Hutchinson on the Arkansas EMS Advisory Council.

In May 2019, Ken was named as an Arkansas EMS Hall of Fame inductee. His dedication, experience and strong

advocacy for the industry has earned him this honor. When he is not taking care of others, he enjoys spending time

playing golf and tennis, traveling, and reading. Most importantly, he enjoys his time with his family.

 

 

Delaney Kinchen, MD

Dr. Delaney Kinchen has been practicing medicine for more than 16 years and is board certified in emergency medicine. He graduated from the University of Health Sciences – College of Osteopathic Medicine in Kansas City, Mo., and went on to pursue a Residency in Emergency Medicine at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. He has a passion for educating the next generation of medical professionals and has served as clinical faculty at both UAMS and Unity Health where he is currently the Program Director of the Emergency Medicine Residency Program.  In addition to medicine, his interests include: hunting, fishing, welding and spending time with his family: wife Christy and three children Drake, Caden and Kate.

 

Christy Kresse

Christy is the Section Chief of EMS.  She is a nationally certified paramedic with a Bachelor of Science in Speech Pathology and Audiology. Prior to entering EMS, Christy was a personal trainer and a small business owner before her making her later in life career change to EMS. She worked as an EMT/Paramedic in a high-volume metropolitan area.  Christy has just under a decade of experience between her years in the field combined with time at Arkansas Department of Health.  Her compassion and dedication as a healthcare provider enhances her leadership as the State Director of EMS.  In her off hours she enjoys spending quality time with friends and family, practicing yoga, reading, and traveling.

 

Felix J. Marquez Jr., BA, PMD

President/CEO, Orlando Medical Institute

He is a well-respected veteran in the emergency medical field with over twenty-five years of experience. Mr. Marquez began his career as a Paramedic for the New York City Fire Department, where he worked for twelve years. He currently serves the great City of Orlando as Certified Paramedic/Firefighter. Felix is a U.S. Navy and Army Veteran, and served two tours in the Middle East.  Mr. Marquez has over eighteen years of instructor experience in EMS, with certifications in multiple disciplines. Mr. Marquez is the President/CEO of Orlando Medical Institute and currently the Florida State Coordinator for Prehospital Trauma Life Support (PHTLS) and Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC), serves on multiple committees, and is an author for Pearson Education. Mr. Marquez brings with him years of education and simulation experience, having served as faculty of LaGuardia and Borough of Manhattan Community College. Mr. Marquez currently serves as a board member of the Florida Association of EMS Educators (FAEMSE).

 

Dr. Todd Maxson

Dr. Todd Maxson is the Surgeon in Chief at Arkansas Children’s Hospital as well as serving as the Chief of Trauma and Burn.  He is a Professor of Surgery at the University of Arkansas.   Dr. Maxson completed medical school at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. He completed his general surgical residency at the University of Arkansas and pediatric surgical training at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. He was on faculty in Houston before moving to the University of Texas –Southwestern in Dallas to begin the trauma program at Children’s Medical Center of Dallas, the first level I pediatric trauma program in the southwest United States to be verified by the American College of Surgeons. He then moved to Austin, Texas to build the trauma service at the new Dell Children’s Medical Center, taking this facility to Level I status as well. He then moved to Arkansas to set up the State’s trauma system and bring the Children’s Hospital to Level I verification.  He serves the ACS as a pediatric trauma representative on two committees and as Chair of the Verification Review Committee.

 

Matt McIntosh, NRP, FP-C

Matt began his career at Northstar EMS in 2002, as a dispatcher. He later earned his EMT certification in 2003 and Paramedic in 2004. He flew with Air-Evac Lifeteam from 2008-2014. Matt started working at Survival flight in 2014 and is still currently with them. He holds certifications in Certified Critical Care Flight Paramedic (FP-C), received in 2014 and Certified Critical Care Paramedic (CCP-C), received in 2017. Matt holds instructor certifications in multiple different disciplines including PHTLS, AMLS, BLS, ACLS, and PALS.

 

 

Jay Meeks

Jay Meeks currently works on HazMat 11 for the City of Little Rock Fire Department.  He has been a member of the Little Rock Fire Department and an EMT since 1998.  He has previously worked for MedTran Ambulance for 11 years, Currently works for the Little Rock Fire Department as a HazMat Technician since 2005, has worked as a HazMat Tech Instructor for ADEM since 2010.  He is the HazMat Response Team Coordinator for the LRFD and the Pulaski County OEM Haz Mat Coordinator since 2016.

 

 

Becky O’Bar, NRP Instructor

Becky has been a Paramedic for 24 years. She is currently the Paramedic Instructor for the Kiamichi Technology Center: Poteau Campus, where they teach Para medicine to sites all over Oklahoma. She actively serves with the AEMTA & Arkansas EMS Foundation. She has volunteered at Camp Sunshine since 2002, which is Arkansas Children’s camp for burn survivors and serves as a Sunday School Teacher and Parish Council Member/Secretary at her church. She enjoys spending time in her pool, traveling and time with her family and friends.

 

 

John Payne

Chief Payne has been a member of AEMTA for 30 years, serving in many capacities including four terms as Parliamentarian.  His service to the organization also includes three terms as the Industrial Society President and numerous terms as a board member of the Industrial Society and the Fire/EMT Society.  He is a charter member of both organizations. Chief Payne’s education has been ongoing and is current on many levels that deal directly with the EMS world and its relations to other organizations on the Police and Fire Sides of our Emergency response system.  As an EMT for 30 years in industrial, police, fire and ambulance have given him a unique overview of all areas that AEMTA is trying to represent. Chief Payne completed a degree in Fire and Emergency Response in 2006 from SAUTech and in 2013 graduated from the Executive Fire Officer Program (EFOP) a four-year Master level program from the National Fire Academy. He believes strongly in the continuation of our EMS education though formal programs and current state of the art lectures at our conference and Spring Fling. He stated; “I have been blessed to have instructed numerous times at both venues.  I believe we need to deliver classes and information that are based on lessons learned from brothers and sisters that have spent their careers developing a working knowledge of our field as well as new trends.” Currently, he serves as a Division Chief for the Maumelle Fire Department a combination department as its Fire Marshal.  He also serves the community of Oppelo as the Chief of Department where his career started 40 years ago as a volunteer. He was the Industrial Fire Chief of Green Bay Packaging’s Arkansas Kraft division for 11 years before leaving to instruct for the Arkansas Fire Academy.

 

Jon Puryear, NRP/Owner of Jon Puryear EMS CE, LLC/Educator

Jon is a NRP, the owner of Jon Puryear EMS CE, LLC, and a partnered owner of Texas EMS Institute (an EMS medical direction company). He has been in EMS since 1983 and an instructor since 1987. He has worked as a medic/FTO in the field, a Clinical Educator/Coordinator, the Assistant to the Medical Director at the Office of the Medical Director in Fort Worth Texas, performs live streaming and recorded online CE classes/refreshers, on site educational and motivational seminars, and has spoken at many national and state EMS Conferences/Symposiums. He is a happily married man to his wife Rocel, a proud father of five children, and the owner of many horses which he enjoys to train and ride. He has started Mounted Equine EMS Teams for MedStar Mobile Healthcare and CareFlite in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex. He is a State District Representative of the Association of Texas EMS Professionals and on the Education Committee, and also a member of the Johnson County Sheriff’s Posse in Cleburne Texas.

 

Jarrod Ritchie

Jarrod Ritchie, NRP, EMD is the Licensure Administrator for the Arkansas Department of Health, Section of EMS. His responsibilities are overseeing EMSP licensure and EMS education accreditation. Jarrod graduated from South Arkansas Tech with a Diploma in Paramedic Science, East Arkansas Community College EMT program, Southern Arkansas University Tech with a diploma in Law Enforcement, Eastern College of Health Vocations diploma as a Medical Assistant. Jarrod holds a state license as a paramedic; National Registered as a paramedic, certified as an advanced emergency medical dispatcher. Jarrod is an Amateur Radio Operator and is active with several emergency communications groups around Central Arkansas. Jarrod also served in the Navy as a Gunner’s Mate after high school.

 

Michael Sipes

My name is Michael Sipes, I started my EMS career as an EMT and Air Medical Communicator at Angel One at Arkansas Children’s Hospital. I currently fly for Air Evac 30 out of Morrilton Arkansas. I’ve been with Air Evac since April of 2014. I also work PRN as an ER Medic at CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs where I have worked since 2010. I also work PRN for South West EMS out of Mt. Ida. I previously worked for Lifenet ground out of Hot Springs for 6 years. I spent four years in the United States Air Force as a Survival and Rescue specialist with focus on escape and evasion, water survival and rescue and chemical warfare trainer. I have held my FP-C critical care certification since 2015. I graduated Paramedic school in 2008 from UAMS in Little Rock and I am currently working on my BSN.

 

Velvet Shoults

Velvet has been a Registered Nurse for 30 years work in ICU, OR and ER Trauma care. She is currently the EMS and Clinical Outreach Liaison for the five hospital Northwest Health Systems. She also oversees the trauma programs for the health system. Velvet has a Masters in Health Care Administration, a Masters in Business Administration, and her CEN, TCRN, and CBIS.  She is an instructor in ABLS, AMLS, ASIST, SafeTalk and PHTLS. She serves on the Northwest Arkansas Critical Incident Stress Management Team, is a certified suicide interventionist through Living Works, and teaches suicide awareness classes throughout Arkansas. She owns her own consulting firm that specializes in emergency services restructuring.

 

Jeff Tabor, Program Director, ATCC

Originally from Clarendon, Arkansas, Jeff began his EMS career 22 years ago in Stuttgart, Arkansas & has since served in multiple facets of EMS in around the state including rural & urban EMS, as a Flight-Paramedic, Tactical-Paramedic, and Operations Supervisor for Arkansas’ largest EMS system. In his 19th year at MEMS, he has been the Program Director for Arkansas TraumaComm since its inception in 2010 and established the nation’s first hand-trauma specific telemedicine program. His program is responsible for coordinating all patient movement due to trauma for the States 700 + air and ground ambulances as well as it’s 82 hospitals. He also serves in the Navy Reserves as a Hospital Corpsman Senior Chief Petty Officer and is currently the Executive Officer of Navy Security Forces, Navy Support Activity Souda, Greece and has served as the Program Director for the Navy Reserve Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC) program.  He serves as the military representative for the Governor of Arkansas’ advisory council on EMS. He is married to Sara Miller-Tabor and they have 2 children, Landon 15, & Isabella 5, whom all are avid Arkansas Razorback supporters….GO HOGS GO!!

 

Greg Thompson

Greg has been in EMS for over 27 years and has served as a member of a crisis response team for over 20 years. Believing in the importance of first responder well-being Greg’s educational pursuit has focused on the goal of discovering ways to better care for first responders. He received his Bachelor’s degree in organizational management, his Master’s degree in psychology and is currently pursuing is Ed.D in Psychology with a focus on trauma. Greg is a Fellow in the American College of Paramedic Executives (FACPE) and is an instructor in the ICISF (International Critical Incident Stress Foundation) and a member of IATP (international Association of Trauma Professionals) He is also a member of ARLEAP (Arkansas Law Enforcement Assistance Program)

 

Allen “Bubba” Usrey, NRP

Allen “Bubba” Usury is the Director of Operations for Southern Paramedic.  Bubba has been in EMS since the early 80’s and is very well known in Arkansas EMS.  Bubba has served as a Paramedic and Instructor though most of his career.  Bubba has been the driving force behind many of Southern’s safety initiatives and strives to make a safe work environment for his employees.  Join Bubba as he covers the topic of “Ambulance Safety” and learn how to you can help yourself make it home after the end of the shift.

 

 

Robert “Bo” Vest

Robert “Bo” Vest is an 18-year veteran with the Little Rock Fire Department where he holds the rank of Captain and is currently assigned to Engine 8, downtown. Captain Vest also serves as an adjunct Fire and EMS instructor for the department’s training division. Throughout his career, Vest has been assigned to several companies including 8 years assigned to the city’s only heavy rescue.  Captain Vest has an AAS Degree in Fire Science and graduated paramedic school in 2001. In addition to working for Little Rock Fire Department, Captain Vest has also worked for MEMS, North Star EMS, Arkansas Children’s Hospital, and Arkansas Air Ambulance.

 

Sara Walker, MS, EMTP

Sara is the Program Director of the Emergency Medical Services Program at Arkansas State University.  The EMS program falls under the Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management program. Sara holds degrees from Arkansas State University (BA in History and MS in Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management).  Sara has been active in the field of EMS as a paramedic for over 18 years.  She has extensive experience on both the air ambulance and ground ambulance.  She is currently involved in the research of the “flipped classroom” methodology for the EMS classroom with fellow EMS educators in Florida, North Carolina, Kentucky, and California.  She has presented at various EMS conferences across the United States. Sara is a member of several EMS organizations, such as Arkansas EMT Association (AEMTA), National Association of EMT (NAEMT), and National Association of Emergency Medical Services Educators (NAEMSE).

 

Amanda Warren-Newton

Amanda Warren-Newton entered the field of EMS in 1999. She is the wife of Joey, mom of 4 rambunctious boys and President/CEO of Columbia County Ambulance Service in Magnolia, Arkansas. She is a Paramedic provider and instructor. She has a passion for educating in EMS, and especially enjoys helping EMS professionals gain knowledge and confidence in the areas of pediatrics and special needs.

 

 

Clark Wilkerson, Division Chief/Training Officer

Bentonville Fire Department

Clark Wilkerson is a career firefighter, National Registry Paramedic for the Bentonville Fire Department since 1993. He is the Division Chief Training Officer and oversees training for over 80 full time firefighters, EMT’s, and Paramedics. He also oversees the Active Shooter/ Attacker program for his department. He is a member of the High Threat Crisis Team, and is certified as an instructor in ACLS, ABLS, AMLS, PHTLS, ASIST, SafeTalk and CPR. He serves on the Northwest Arkansas Critical Incident Stress Management Team, is a certified suicide interventionist through Living Works, and teaches suicide awareness classes throughout Arkansas. He has been a speaker at numerous conferences on Active Shooter/ Attacker, and the mental health aspect of being a firefighter and EMS provider.