The Sixth Annual
EMS Leadership Summit
Premiering April 15-19, 2025
Thriving Under Pressure & Building a Better Future
Join EMS leaders from around the globe to take the next step in your leadership journey. Register now to enhance your capacity to lead at this five-day, virtual event.
The EMS Leadership Summit is back.
Enroll today for your free pass to inspiring speakers, dynamic panels, and the industry-specific professional development you’ve been searching for.
The Conference For EMS Providers & Leaders Looking to Better Themselves
Save your seat for FREE at the EMS leadership event of the year!
Don't miss out on this golden opportunity to learn how to take your leadership to the next level.
Leadership Strategies Revealed By Top EMS + Healthcare Experts In The World
Your journey to leadership could go one of two ways:
Option 1
Option 2
If you’re looking for your average, run-of-the-mill virtual summit, you’ve come to the wrong place.
If you’re looking for the top EMS Leadership strategies that are working right now, then you’re right at home.
FeaturING SPEAKERS FROM
How’d You Like To Access 25+ World-Class EMS Leadership Masterclasses?
These sessions will show you practices to cultivate your leadership that top people in the industry use and recommend. For a limited time, you can get FREE access to this exclusive content right here.
New & Returning Featured Speakers
I. David Daneils, Ph.D., CSD,
Author: Psychological Hazards Are Real
This presentation will help EMS leaders focus on ways to identify and address the psychosocial hazards that EMTs and Paramedics will be exposed to. Clarify the sources that contribute to exposure to psychosocial harm. Discuss the hierarchy of controls as a strategy to address psychosocial hazards in the workplace.
Is an occupational health and safety professional, thought leader, and President/CEO of ID2 Solutions, LLC. He is also the host of the Psych Health and Safety USA podcast. Dr. Daniels holds a Ph.D. in Occupational Health and Safety, is certified as a Safety Director, holds a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion certificate from Cornell University, and completed the Senior Executives in State and Local Government program at Harvard University. Dr. Daniels is a life member of the International Association of Fire Chiefs and has served over 30 years in fire/rescue, EMS, and emergency management.
Dr. Megan McElheran,
Clinical Psychologist and CEO
This presentation will bring an evidence-based focus to discussing employee morale and how leaders can engage with their employees from a relational perspective. The importance of basic relationship skills will be highlighted and consideration given to how leaders can incorporate new strategies into employee engagement without creating excessive burden on the leaders themselves. A focus on relational and process-based skills is increasingly being demonstrated to produce enhanced satisfaction, morale and employee performance.
Completed graduate training at the PAU-Stanford University Clinical Psychology Consortium, during which she obtained specialized training in the treatment of PTSD through the National Center for PTSD in Menlo Park, CA. She continues to focus on work with first responders, and her clinical practice involves work with active-duty military, Veterans, members of various firefighting organizations, medical personnel, and others who are directly or vicariously impacted by traumatic events. She completed a TEDx speech in 2011 related to Trauma, Change, and Resilience.
Amera Glichrist, Chief of EMS, Pittsburgh Bureau of EMS
With less than two years in her position as EMS Chief, her department has addressed staffing challenges head-on, including making the workplace more diversity and equitable for those serving the city. The Chief reveals their successful Freedom House EMT Academy for training and onboarding new dedicated members of their team and will share the numbers behind their initiatives.
Chief Gilchrist has served the city of Pittsburgh for 26 years and is the first woman and African American to hold this title. Amera became an EMT with the City in 1999 and was promoted to paramedic nine months later. Because of the hardships she endured while obtaining her certifications in the field of prehospital care, she has made it her personal mission to remove those barriers for those wishing to enter into this career field.
Lillian Bonsignore, FDNY Chief of EMS Operations-Retired,
Delve into one of the most pressing issues facing the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) sector today: the lack of structured career development and advancement opportunities. Through discussion and shared insights, this presentation aims to inspire change, encouraging stakeholders to prioritize career pathways within their EMS organizations.
Chief Bonsignore, Paramedic, CIC- is a retired, 31-year veteran of the Fire Department of New York who served as the FDNY Chief of EMS Operations from 2019-2022 during the COVID Pandemic. She was the highest-ranking Officer in the EMS command, the highest-ranking uniformed female in FDNY and the first female to achieve a 4-star rank in the history of FDNY. Bonsignore was responsible for the operational oversight and leadership of more than 4500 EMS Providers in New York City where EMS responds to 1.5 million calls per year and retired in December of 2022.
Asbel Montes,
Managing Partner of Solutions Group
Leadership is a journey that demands resilience, authenticity, and a commitment to purpose. This session explores how leaders can navigate criticism, amplify their strengths, and foster supportive relationships to create harmony in their personal and professional growth. Embrace the unique song that defines your leadership style and lead with clarity and confidence.
Began his career in the ambulance industry in '99. His EMS career includes directing and leading teams that provided revenue cycle consultation to air and ground ambulance agencies, culminating into the position of Managing Partner of Solutions Group Consulting. Asbel is a respected thought leader on reimbursement initiatives within the industry and is a requested speaker at many healthcare conferences. Asbel is a contributing author in several EMS magazines and co-authoring the book, Management of Ambulance Services, as published by Prentice Hall in 2014.
Mark Tenia
Public Relations/Media Manager
Strategic Communication is an essential component in gaining the necessary external and internal support for your EMS agency. Aligning your messaging with national advocates and associations can enhance your communication strategies. Learn how consistent communication and embracing national resources can help with your agency's short-term and long-term goals.
You'll learn:
• How consistent communication can help support essential funding/support for your agency.
• How national associations are aligning their messaging and how you can utilize their resources for your local objectives.
Is an experienced broadcast journalist who now serves as the Public Relations manager for the Richmond Ambulance Authority. His passion for helping promote prehospital providers through storytelling shines through. He is a returning speaker to the EMS Leadership Summit and has brought together an expert panel of our industry's top communications specialist where we can all learn how to grow awareness of our industry.
Alexia Jobson, NREMT, APR
Director of Public Relations
Strategic Communication is an essential component in gaining the necessary external and internal support for your EMS agency. Aligning your messaging with national advocates and associations can enhance your communication strategies. Learn how consistent communication and embracing national resources can help with your agency's short-term and long-term goals.
You'll Learn:
• How consistent communication can help support essential funding/support for your agency.
• How national associations are aligning their messaging and how you can utilize their resources for your local objectives.
Is a public affairs specialist with REMSA Health, a ground & fixed wing air medical provider, and the largest out of hospital healthcare provider in Nevada. It is her mission to help protect the brand of the REMSA Health organization, and their exceptionally talented providers. With an Accreditation in Public Relations she joins the EMS Leadership Summit on a panel discussion of leading industry PR experts.
Carmen Theobald
Wellness matters. It's can also seem impossible to find wellness within the current structures of first responder organizations. Creating changes that actually make wellness possible requires collective action and courage. Horses can be surprising teachers, healers and guides to help us get there, and this presentation will help us discover how to access the "power of the herd" as we lead the way to necessary change.
Objectives:
• Recognize the impacts of mental health and trauma.
• Empower courageous, outside-the-box choices that value wellness.
• Discover how Post Traumatic Growth and "the power of the herd" can lead to systemic change.
Chronic understaffing due to mental health-related leaves has left 94% of fire departments and 86% of EMS departments struggling to meet operational demands. This results in increased workloads for remaining staff, further compounding stress and burnout.
(Source: https://www.lexipol.com/resources/blog/lexipol-survey-uncovers-alarming-staffing-shortages-and-stress-levels-reported-by-first-responders/)
Carmen’s coaching, facilitation and speaking combine her experience in Post Traumatic Growth, and a determination to make a difference in this fractured world. Carmen is the Founder and Director of Horse Sense North, where they offer personal growth, leadership & team development, and trauma recovery. With over sixty thousand hours in the art of building bridges between the worlds of horses and humans, Carmen strives to help create a deeper sense of safety, wholeness, and freedom. She believes that healing, at individual and systemic levels, is part of the activism that our world needs. Carmen’s coaching, facilitation and speaking combine her experience working with thousands of individuals,
Save your seat for FREE at the EMS leadership event of the year!
Don't miss out on this golden opportunity to learn how to take your leadership to the next level.
Raphael M. Barishansky, DrPH (c)
Today’s EMS agencies require a unique combination of managerial acumen and leadership vision. Those in charge must not only ensure the smooth operation of their agency but also chart a forward-thinking course to adapt to evolving challenges.
EMS leaders must juggle both immediate operational demands and long-term strategic goals. This duality –whether focused on day-to-day initiatives such as workforce issues and accurate budgeting or more strategic initiatives such as community paramedicine - can be difficult to navigate and is made more so by the increasing complexity of EMS demands in public health, community care, and disaster response.
Ray will draw on his more than 25 years in EMS to discuss the realities of walking the line between manager and leader and offering practical advice based on real-world examples.
Raphael M. Barishansky is a public health and EMS leader with more than 30 years of experience in a variety of systems and agencies, with positions of increasing responsibility.
Currently an independent consultant providing his unique perspective and multi-faceted public health and EMS expertise for various organizations, his most recent position before this was as the Deputy Secretary for Health Preparedness and Community Protection at the Pennsylvania Department of Health, a role he recently left after several years.
Scott Moore, Esq.
In this session we will explore practical strategies for managing the demanding nature of emergency medical services while maintaining personal well-being.
Learn effective tools to reduce burnout, improve team morale, and foster a healthier work environment.
Whether you're an EMS leader or team member, this session will provide valuable tips for balancing the high-stakes world of EMS with a sustainable and fulfilling lifestyle.
Objectives:
• Provide an overview of the latest data regarding EMS turnover
• Provide the common practices EMS leaders have that hurts employee retention
• Provide best practices for EMS leaders to improve employee and management retention
Is the owner of Moore EMS Consulting, LLC & an active EMT for over 31 years. Scott has held various executive positions at several ambulance services in Massachusetts. Scott is a licensed attorney, specializing in Human Resources, employment law, reimbursement, and compliance matters. Scott is the Human Resources & Operational Consultant to the American Ambulance Association (AAA) and frequently lectures at EMS conferences. Scott is licensed to practice law in Massachusetts, Texas, and Illinois, a consultant for the American Ambulance Association and a panel member for the Commission for the Accreditation of Ambulance Services
Rob Cook, Ret. USAF
Post-Traumatic Stress (PTS) is often seen as a disorder, but what if it's actually untapped potential? In this talk, we'll challenge the conventional view of trauma and explore how high-stress experiences can reveal, rather than diminish, our innate resilience. Using a principle-based understanding, I'll share how shifting perspective from "damage" to "potential" can transform personal recovery, leadership, relationships, and daily life. This conversation isn't about coping but seeing the truth of your capacity to thrive.
1. PTS is not the end of the story—it's a signal. Like a flare in military defense, emotional responses are indicators, not threats, and learning to interpret them shifts your experience of stress and trauma.
2. You are not broken, and you don't need fixing. The mind's natural resilience means that no matter what you've been through, your capacity for well-being remains intact.
3. Insight, not effort, is the key to transformation. The most powerful changes happen not through force but through understanding—by seeing how experience is created from the inside out.
Globally recognized resilience expert, transformational speaker, and coach, Rob Cook is a force of presence, insight, and unwavering authenticity. A former USAF Protective Services Team Leader, Rob has spent decades operating in high-stakes environments, safeguarding top military officials, and leading elite security operations. But beyond the tactical precision and high-pressure decision-making, Rob's true expertise lies in something more profound—guiding individuals and organizations to unlock their fullest potential from the inside out.
Jonathan Washko
MBA, FACPE, NRP, AEMD
"To know thyself is the beginning of wisdom." - Socrate. Using a time tested mentoring method and decades of experience, a guided discussion with Jonathan Washko on the importance of knowing one's self through leadership science, using technology and lean systems thinking for developing a personal "system" to enhance productivity, and gaining the perspectives necessary to solve some of EMSs most challenging issues.
Objectives:
• Using leadership science to know one's self and how to do it
• The importance of developing a personal system
• Learn the importance of perspective mapping and its influence on how we think and lead in problem solving
Jonathan Washko, MBA, FACPE, NRP, AEMD, is a healthcare executive with 40 years of EMS experience. Currently Assistant Vice President at Northwell Health Center for EMS and Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at Hofstra/Zucker School of Medicine, he's a recognized expert in EMS system design, high-performance EMS, EMS Economics, and mobile integrated healthcare. He consults internationally, driving innovation in telehealth and community paramedicine. A prolific author and speaker, Mr. Washko transforms healthcare through technology and innovative, patient-centered solutions.
Rob Lawrence
Communications Chair
Strategic Communication is an essential component in gaining the necessary external and internal support for your EMS agency. Aligning your messaging with national advocates and associations can enhance your communication strategies. Learn how consistent communication and embracing national resources can help with your agency's short-term and long-term goals.
You'll Learn:
• How consistent communication can help support essential funding/support for your agency.
• How national associations are aligning their messaging and how you can utilize their resources for your local objectives.
Rob Lawrence has been a leader in civilian and military EMS for over 25 years. He is the Director of Strategic Implementation for PRO EMS and Prodigy EMS and the part-time Executive Director of the California Ambulance Association. Formerly COO of the Richmond Ambulance Authority and Paramedics Plus, he also led the East of England Ambulance Service. A former Army officer and Sandhurst graduate, Rob served globally in prehospital and evacuation roles. He is the President of AIMHI, an EMS1 columnist and podcaster, and serves on the EMS1 and EMS World Editorial Advisory Board.
Molly McCann-Pineo, PhD, EMT
Northwell Health EMS Researcher
Dr. McCann-Pineo is a clinical epidemiologist by training and currently serves at the Director of Clinical Research for the Emergency Medicine Service Line at Northwell Health. She holds dual faculty appointments in Emergency Medicine & Occupational Medicine, Epidemiology and Prevention at the Zucker School of Medicine. She also a licensed New York State Emergency Medical Technician.
Nick Carson
FP-C, CCP-C, TP-C, NRP, B.S.
This lecture explores the dynamics of a changing workforce through the lens of integrating the organization and the employee. Decades of information have demonstrated the key to a symbiotic relationship between employee and employer lies in the harmony of great leadership. This 1-hour presentation will dive into three evidence-based core concepts that can be implemented at any level to start retaining, recruiting, and reinvigorating members in organizations of all sizes.
Nick is a Flight Paramedic with the University of Vermont Health Network. He owns Precision Training, LLC, and hosts the Code 321 Podcast. Nick is a national conference speaker specializing in training, safety systems, trauma care, leadership, and active threat response. Nick has authored multiple training programs across emergency response agencies and currently sits on his organization’s training committee. He has worked in the career fire service, municipal EMS, and critical care medicine. Nick also works with Mind the Frontline, a 501 (c) 3 non-profit dedicated to responder mental health.
Eric Chase
Our presentations and workshops, use the principles of Applied Improvisation, meshed with Dare to Lead principles.
The sessions will address the following learning domains; cognitive, affective and psychomotor while addressing self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relational management.
Pushing from comfort zones or our "safe places" into Fear zone, making excuses, to Learning zone, dealing with challenges and problems while acquiring new skills and ultimately our Growth zone, finding purpose and meeting or exceeding objectives.
Eric Chase is a nationally registered paramedic, educator, and founder of EMSIMPROV LLC and the EMSIMPROV Podcast. He holds a BA from Mercyhurst University, a Post-Secondary Teaching Certificate from the University of Colorado, and completed the Critical Care Paramedic Course at UMBC. With roles spanning Flight Paramedic, Clinical Services Manager, and Adjunct Faculty, Eric is a sought-after speaker at national EMS and leadership conferences. He has presented on leadership, resilience, and accountability at events like STARS of Life and Gathering of Eagles. A dedicated mentor, he teaches at OSU/OKC and actively contributes to EMS education and innovation.
More Speakers Being Added!
Save your seat for FREE at the EMS leadership event of the year!
Don't miss out on this golden opportunity to learn how to take your leadership to the next level.
This Isn't "Just Another Webinar"
We're lining up over 25+ speakers to present jam-packed sessions that will help inspire your leadership and keep your organization on the leading edge.
Our annual EMS Leadership Summit has been virtual since day #1. We're in our sixth year of conference production, and have produced the EMS Safety Forum, the Prepare2Pass Paramedic Student conference, and many others.
Why Should I Sign Up For the
EMS Leadership Summit?
Once-In-A Lifetime Curated Speakers &
Actionable Content
Never before seen leadership and organizational change strategies explained by the top EMS and healthcare experts in the world (hand-picked just for the EMS Leadership Summit.)
You Don’t Even Need To Leave Your House — Attend From Your Computer, Phone or Tablet
There’s no flight or hotel room to book… saving you thousands of dollars, unpaid work leave, and time away from your family.
World-Class Quality Content
This not your ordinary online event. We take pride in delivering you the absolute best content so that you can get great results in creating an environment of trust, mutual respect, and excellence.
MEET YOUR HOSTS
Lisa Giruzzi
With over 25 years of experience as a transformational business coach, best selling author and speaker I've specialized in bringing out the best in others and help leaders operate at their best. From my early days of social work to working with Emergency Services leaders and nonprofits, I've found this work incredibly moving.
If you find yourself challenged, that's a good place to be, and I'm here to help you navigate the sometimes complicated world we find ourselves in.
As co-founders of the EMS Leadership Academy, an organization that provides leadership training and resources for EMS leaders worldwide, they are committed to addressing the difficulties EMS organizations are facing daily and help them to create magnetic, thriving, sustainable organizations. They have created transformational curriculum designed for EMS leaders and deliver training live from their streaming studio in Upstate New York.
Robbie MacCue
I served as the president of a non-profit EMS organization for 14 years, and currently as paramedic Assistant Chief for a municipal third-service in New York. I've graduated with a master's degree from Case Western Reserve University’s Weatherhead School of Management's Cleveland Clinic healthcare leadership program and I'm excited to bridge theory and practice for the prehospital world.
My mission is to bring together top thought leaders from public safety, public health, and healthcare to deliver the best leadership advice to prehospital organizations. If you are ready to put in the work, I’m here to show you the way.
FeaturING SPONSORS
Thanks to our Media Sponsors:
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