Join fellow American Ambulance Association Annual Conference & Trade Show participants for a welcome from President Jamie Pafford-Gresham, the recognition of the 2025 class of EMS Next, and overview of AAA programs and services from CEO Maria Bianchi, and a thought-provoking keynote from top-ranked futurist and bestselling author Heather McGowan!
Solve Tomorrow’s Problems: Harness Human Ingenuity to Navigate What’s Next
Speaker: Heather McGowan
Think organizations can’t change quickly? History proves otherwise.
When naysayers said “it can’t be done,” humans accomplished the impossible—in weeks, not years. Each pivotal moment reminds us of humanity’s most underestimated asset: our ability to adapt in the face of seemingly impossible odds.
In this perspective-shifting keynote, Heather McGowan challenges the myth that we resist change using unforgettable stories about a mop, a burrito, and a hermit crab to demonstrate how we can tap into our natural curiosity and hardwired drive to collaborate to see and shape what’s next.
Drawing from her bestselling books The Adaptation Advantage and The Empathy Advantage, McGowan reveals how leading organizations thrive when they place adaptability at their core, allowing them to find breakthrough opportunities where others least expect them.
Sponsored by Bell Ambulance.
Speakers:
Top-Ranked Futurist; 2x Bestselling Author
One of Forbes' Top Futurists, Heather E. McGowan is a sought-after future-of-work strategist, keynote speaker, and 2x bestselling author. She equips leaders and organizations to navigate relentless change by activating their most critical resource: their people. By teaching audiences to ask better questions, she enables them to adapt at the speed of possibility to Solve Tomorrow's Problems™. Heather’s audiences range from startups and government organizations to publicly traded Fortune 500 companies,...
CEO
Pafford Medical Services
At Pafford Medical Services, Jamie Pafford-Gresham oversees the collective fulfillment of her company's vision, mission and core values. She also ensures the financial and operational effectiveness of the company's ground and fixed-wing ambulance operations in Oklahoma, Mississippi, and Arkansas. Jamie is a recognized national EMS leader who is uniquely qualified to address all providers' ambulance fee reimbursement issues — especially those of rural EMS providers. She serves as chairperson for...
CEO
American Ambulance Association
Maria Bianchi, CAE, has served as the CEO of the American Ambulance Association (AAA) since 2002 and has worked in non-profit health care management for more than 30 years. She has represented the Association on several National Task Forces and Committee and currently sits as a voting member of the Federal Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency's Emergency Services Sector. Her expertise in such areas as Board governance, strategic planning and...