Asbel Montes is a national leader in revenue cycle management, healthcare reimbursement, and EMS payment policy. As Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Solutions Group Services, he helps healthcare organizations uncover hidden revenue and remove operational friction through AI-powered audit, automation, and discovery technologies. With decades of experience in the EMS and healthcare finance sectors, Asbel is recognized for his expertise in navigating regulatory environments, improving financial sustainability, and driving strategic change across diverse provider settings.
Adam Paluka, APR has been EMSA’s Chief Public Affairs Officer since October 2020. Adam joined EMSA in 2013 as the Authority’s first Community Relations and Social Media Manager previously working at FOX23 News in Tulsa as an anchor and reporter. As the Chief Public Affairs Officer, Adam oversees the many aspects of communication and marketing for EMSA including media relations, community relations, internal communications, government affairs, and overseeing the marketing for the EMSAcare subscription program. One of Adam’s key responsibilities is to tell EMSA’s story to the 1.2 million residents in EMSA’s service area and help those residents see EMSA as a national EMS leader whose medics administer compassionate and clinically superior care each day in the communities we serve.
Before coming to EMSA, Adam was a reporter and fill-in anchor for FOX23 in Tulsa. Adam graduated with honors from the University of Colorado’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Adam has been involved as a Board Member for many local nonprofit organizations including Domestic Violence Intervention Services, Leadership Tulsa, Health Outreach Prevention Education, and Street School. He is a Past Chair for the Public Relations Society of America’s Southwest District and in 2021 was the President of the PRSA Tulsa Chapter. In 2018, Adam earned his Accreditation in Public Relations and that same year was named the PRSA-Tulsa Young Professional of the Year. In 2023, Adam was named PRSA Tulsa Professional of the Year, an award given to a PR Professional who exemplifies strong talent and passion for communications, leadership skills and dedication to PRSA.
Dr. Darria Long is a Harvard and Yale-trained practicing Emergency physician, Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Tennessee School of Medicine, burnout researcher, and international TV contributor and regular on CNN, NBC, Netflix, and other outlets. She is also the national bestselling author of Mom Hacks and TedX speaker of the widely popular “An ER doctor on ending the crazy busy” – and mom of 2. Dr. Darria founded Trueve.com to give every woman access to evidence-based and actionable health information — and the peace of mind that comes with that. The TrueveLab launched The Study of Burnout in Women – the first large scale, academic study focused specifically on burnout in women since the pandemic.
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, including Google, JPMorgan Chase, Accenture, Mastercard, FedEx, AT&T, and Kaiser Permanente. Whether she’s engaging in intimate conversations with senior executives or delivering keynotes to thousands, she transforms perspectives through data-driven insights, powerful visual frameworks, and practical optimism. Her approach helps organizations turn their distinctly human capabilities—adaptability, empathy, and curiosity—into strategic advantages in times of rapid change.
Heather’s approach to innovation was shaped by her early career as an industrial designer. At Safety 1st, she helped transform the company known for its “Baby on Board” sign in to a comprehensive baby safety products’ leader, developing multiple top-selling products. Her success continued at Wilson Sporting Goods, where she designed award-winning tennis footwear. Her innovative work extended to medical devices, where she designed surgical equipment controls, and sustainable consumer goods, creating a groundbreaking recyclable razor system that remains in production two decades later.
This hands-on experience taught her that true innovation isn’t just about finding solutions—it’s about asking better questions to Solve Tomorrow’s Problems. After earning her MBA from Babson College, Heather expanded into socially responsive investing and later led RISD’s Center for Design and Business, helping organizations integrate user-centric design thinking into business strategy.
As Strategic Architect at Philadelphia University (now Jefferson University), Heather created an award- winning, interdisciplinary college focused on innovation. Her achievements included integrating 18 existing programs into a new core curriculum and creating an immersive design thinking-based program. The curriculum won the Core 77 top National Design Award for Education.
Heather’s emergence as a global thought leader began with a viral LinkedIn series on the future of work—reaching 100,000 readers in 24 hours—which sparked speaking invitations worldwide. Often quoted in The New York Times, Pulitzer-prize winning columnist Thomas Friedman referred to Heather as an “oasis” for her insights into the future of work. Her bestselling books include The Adaptation Advantage, which became an accidental guide to the pandemic, and The Empathy Advantage, named a Top 10 Business Book of 2023.
Heather holds a BFA in Industrial Design from Rhode Island School of Design, an MBA from Babson College focused on Entrepreneurship, and was recently awarded an honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from Pennsylvania College of Art and Design for her contributions to innovating education.
Personal experiences, like mobilizing 7,000 strangers to find a life-saving bone marrow donor for her brother, fuel Heather’s unwavering optimism and core belief: humans are wired to help each other achieve extraordinary things. This drives her mission: to help leaders Solve Tomorrow’s Problems™ by teaching them to ask better questions today.
Zach Gaumer is an accomplished policy analyst and project manager with nearly 20 years of health policy experience. He possesses a deep understanding of Medicare, healthcare payment systems, federal and state policymaking, healthcare datasets, research methods and policy reform efforts. Zach is a skilled researcher with a passion for answering complicated payment policy questions.
Prior to joining HMA, Zach was a principal policy analyst at the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC). During his tenure at MedPAC, Zach was an expert advisor to U.S. Congressional committee staff on several Medicare payment systems and topics.
Zach is an expert on hospital payment policy, including Medicare’s inpatient and outpatient payment systems, non-Medicare hospital payment systems, and recent industry-wide developments. He also has a deep knowledge of industries such as ambulatory surgical centers, urgent care centers, emergency departments, telehealth, and ambulances. In addition to hospital payment systems, Zach has experience working with Medicare’s physician fee schedule and ambulance fee schedule. His expertise also includes hospital observation care, stand-alone emergency departments, special payments for new drugs and technologies, special payments for rural hospitals, electronic health records systems, quality measurement, bundled payment, global budgeting and value-based payment models. His work at MedPAC also exposed him to policy areas including post-acute care, Medicare Advantage, hospice, and end-stage renal disease.
Zach’s research and technical skills include policy impact estimation, payment policy modeling and forecasting, Medicare claims and cost report data analysis, private payer data analysis, regulatory and legislative analysis, and qualitative data gathering methods such as structured interviews and surveys. While at MedPAC, Zach also managed junior staff, published two articles in Health Affairs and presented at conferences on behalf of the organization.
Earlier in his career, Zach had positions at other entities analyzing federal and state health policy and health and pension benefits systems including the U.S. Government Accountability Office, where he conducted health policy research and produced reports related to the Medicare Advantage program, Accountable Care Organizations, Medicare’s end-stage renal disease program and specialty hospitals.
He also worked for the Massachusetts Health Management Organization Association, researching state legislative and regulatory insurance policy changes and Hewitt Associates (now AON Hewitt) consulting with Fortune 500 companies about their health and pension benefits programs.
Zach has a bachelor’s degree from Kenyon College and a Master of Policy Studies from Johns Hopkins University with concentrations in health policy and international affairs.
In his free time, Zach enjoys coaching his kids’ youth sports teams, spending time outside, and exploring new places.
Cynthia Shaffer, MS, MBA, Professional Certified Coach, is the Chief of Operations at Arudia, a firm dedicated to improving leadership, culture, collaboration and
communication. After a twenty-year career in healthcare administration, including in both an academic medical center and a Level I trauma center, Cynthia followed her
calling to support former colleagues and other professionals through individual and team coaching. She is an expert leadership and health and well-being coach who has
dedicated the last eight years to improving life for her clients through a “whole-person” approach. Clients seek her out because they appreciate that their well-being requires a
career that works, a healthy culture, and personal resilience.
Anne E. Collier, MPP, JD, Professional Certified Coach, is the CEO of Arudia, a firm dedicated to improving leadership, culture, collaboration and communication. She is an expert leadership coach steadfast in her commitment to excellence and her clients’ goals. She coaches and delivers programming designed to support individuals, teams and organizations in amplifying their accomplishments. Anne has designed and delivered custom tailored leadership development initiatives with associations and nonprofits generally, and specifically with community behavioral health organizations, and addiction agencies, both of which entail a level of crisis that can result in compassion fatigue, vicarious traumatization, and stress.
Christopher Kelly is a partner with Werfel, Moore & Kelly Law Group and serves as General Counsel for Amerimed. He has more than 25 years of experience focused on the mobile healthcare industry, including EMS and ambulance service, mobile integrated healthcare and community paramedicine, non-emergent medical transportation, and the billing and software companies that support these industries. He writes regularly for EMS World and sits on the magazine’s editorial advisory board. He has co-authored two guides on HIPAA for EMS and ambulance services. He has been an adjunct instructor for Virginia College, teaching Legal Aspects of Healthcare Administration and Health Law & Ethics. Chris is a contributor to various mobile healthcare publications, authoring dozens of articles over the span of his career, and is a frequent lecturer at State and National EMS conferences. Chris is a past member of the Board of Directors for the Non-Emergency Medical Transport Accreditation Commission (NEMTAC), and a current Board of Directors member for the National Association of Mobile Integrated Healthcare Providers (NAMIHP).
Dixon serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Amerimed Medical Solutions. Amerimed serves seven states with EMS and Mobile Integrated Healthcare services. Amerimed MIH is a pioneer in the Mobile Integrated Health industry since 2007.
Dixon started his EMS career at Winkenhofer Funeral Home and Ambulance Service, which served as the zoned “911” EMS provider in Cobb County, GA until 1992. Dixon was employed by Rural/Metro Corporation from the early 1990s until 2001. He served in several positions including Division General Manager for North Georgia, and ultimately, Chief Financial Officer for the Southern Emergency Services Group, covering 14 states.
In 2001, Dixon started Priority Emergency Medical Services. Priority EMS provided ambulance service throughout Georgia under Dixon’s leadership until 2011.
Dixon has been involved with various ambulance services across the country since the 1980’s. He also served as Communications Officer, Regional Director of Communications, Regional Director of Administrative Services, and Regional Manager during his tenure with his former employers. Dixon’s experience provides insight into the fiscal accountability, operational performance, and customer service needs of ambulance service users.
Dixon has provided direct oversight or support to many “911” EMS and General Transport systems throughout the southeast and Midwestern United States.
Dixon holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Brenau University and an undergraduate business degree from North Georgia University. He participates in many EMS, civic and public-safety related organizations.
Dr. Rawlins is an Assistant Professor and the Kinesiology Program Coordinator at Delaware State University, where the diverse and vibrant student body includes students from 41 states and 15 countries.
Dr. Rawlins’ central research interest is empowering underrepresented communities, with a focus on creating a diverse workforce. Most importantly, he believes that community programming and services must include representation in leadership positions that reflect the population served.
Prior to joining Sellers Dorsey, Alexa was the Head of Vertical Expansion at Filevine, where she supervised a team of project managers. In this role, she worked with over 100 clients on product reach to new markets. Before working at Filevine, Alexa was a Senior Project Manager at Punk Ave, where she managed digital product implementations for Ivy League institutions, luxury e-commerce retailers, and design firms. Alexa also worked at Finity as a Senior Project Manager, where she oversaw various health care related projects.
Adam Kuhs, Deputy Director of Operations for Bell Ambulance has been a licensed EMT/AEMT for nearly 17 years. New to speaking on a larger stage, Adam regularly speaks at various schools around the Milwaukee Metro area highlighting a career in EMS. Adams goal is to show how EMS can open your world to many different opportunities. Adam’s career started with Bell spending eight years in the field prior to entering management. Adam is part of a leadership team that has devoted years to reimagining how they get people in the door and consider making EMS their career.
Chris Lake has been Deputy Director of Fire and EMS Response System Development for the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) since 2021, previously serving as Fire-Based EMS Specialist since April 2020. Prior to starting his career with the IAFF, Chris retired as a Captain/Paramedic after a 23-year career with the City of Lansing, MI. Fire Department. Chris served in every elected position of Lansing Fire Fighters IAFF Local 421 including President. Chris also served as an IAFF Service Representative, District Field Service Representative, and the eighth district representative on the IAFF EMS Standing Committee.
Danielle joined LifeLine EMS, as the Chief Operating Officer, in early 2022, relocating from the East Coast. From Boston, Danielle comes to LifeLine as a dynamic executive with progressive leadership experience in developing and implementing advanced EMS strategies on a local, national and international level. Since choosing EMS as a second career in 2007, Danielle has delivered success across program development, education/training, communication, marketing, talent management, strategic partnerships, growth/scale and community engagement. A true change agent, skilled at forging lasting professional relationships critical for converting challenges to opportunities and successes. Recognized as a decisive leader with a deep understanding of business priorities and a unique ability to combine strategy development and thought leadership with implementation and operational execution. Credentialed as an instructor and coordinator of more than ten internationally recognized certification courses including serving as an American Heart Association Community Training Site Coordinator. Currently an affiliate faculty member for the NAEMT course, Prehospital Trauma Life Support (PHTLS) and TECC. Danielle has held previous positions including; Director of Pro EMS Center for MEDICS, Vice President Strategic Initiatives and Performance Improvement, and Chief Strategy Officer. Her most favorite and meaningful role is that of a Paramedic. Danielle continues to consult nationally as an expert in the tactical medicine space and leadership education. She currently serves as the Co-Chair for the California Ambulance Association Education Committee and as the Secretary on the Southern California Ambulance Association Board of Directors.
Rob Lawrence has been a leader in civilian and military EMS for over a quarter of a century. He is currently the director of strategic implementation for PRO EMS and its educational arm, Prodigy EMS, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and part-time executive director of the California Ambulance Association.
Rob is a member of the EMS1 Editorial Advisory Board and a frequent contributor. In his EMS One-Stop podcast, Rob breaks down takeaways from industry news and events, and tackles the challenges that face today’s EMS leadership. He is joined by a host of top names in EMS, who share their experience and insights into how to advance EMS.
He became an EMT in 1999 and a paramedic in 2004. His entire EMS career has been spent in Milwaukee, beginning with two years of full-time ambulance work, followed by various supervisory and management roles which led to his current position. In this capacity, Chris oversees all aspects of the operation of the company, from licensed ambulance personnel, maintenance of the fleet and facilities, to supplies and equipment. Chris enjoys working with other EMS leaders to further the interests of this unique industry.
Chris is the President of the Professional Ambulance Association of Wisconsin, having first been elected to the board in 2011, where he strives to increase the quality of EMS in Wisconsin. In 2017, Chris was appointed by Governor Scott Walker to the Wisconsin EMS Board. Chris was re-appointed to the Board by Governor Tony Evers in 2021, and again in 2023. In January 2022, Chris joined the Board of Directors of the American Ambulance Association, representing Region III.
Scott A. Moore, Esq. has been in the emergency medical services field for over 32 years. Scott has held various executive positions at several ambulance services in Massachusetts. Scott is a licensed attorney, specializing in Human Resources, employment and labor law, employee benefits, ambulance service reimbursement, and corporate compliance matters. Scott is the Human Resources & Operational Consultant to the American Ambulance Association (AAA) and frequently lectures at EMS conferences. In addition, Scott created Newton 360, a performance feedback and operational efficiency mobile platform designed specifically for EMS agencies.
Scott is a licensed attorney and is admitted to practice in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the State of Illinois, the State of Texas, and the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts. In addition, Scott holds certifications as a Professional in Human Resources (PHR), Society for Human Resources Certified Professional (SHRM-CP), and Certified Ambulance Compliance Officer (CACO). Scott has been a Site Reviewer for the Commission on the Accreditation of Ambulance Services (CAAS) for many years and currently serves on the CAAS Panel of Commissioners. In addition, Scott is currently serving on the Board of Directors for The Savvik Foundation, The Code Green Campaign, and the Employers Against Domestic Violence.
Scott earned his bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Salem State College and his Juris Doctor from Suffolk University Law School. Scott maintains his EMT and is still affiliated with the Fire Department in his hometown. Scott is a member of the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians, the National EMS Management Association, the International Association of EMS Chiefs, the American Bar Association, the Massachusetts Bar Association, the Illinois State Bar Association, the Society for Human Resource Management, and the Northeast Human Resource 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 fundraising lends itself well to working with associations of all types including individual membership organizations and trade associations.
Maria also has served as the Chair of Community Health Charities of the National Capital Area, a non-profit organization of 67 local and national charities that raises money through workplace giving campaigns. In addition, she is a sought-after speaker and has presented at numerous local and national conferences, including the National Downs Syndrome Society where she presented on Board and Volunteer Relationships and Development. Maria has been integral in the strategic planning process to several external organizations including Women in Government Relations, The Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine and the Emergency Department Practice Management Association.
Prior to joining AAA, Maria worked for the American Heart Association, the American Lung Association, and the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America in a variety of senior management positions. She received her Bachelor of Arts and master’s degrees from George Washington University’s School of Education and Human Development.
Christopher Way has been an emergency service professional for 32 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 County 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 levels.
In addition to his full-time role as Fire Chief he is involved at the local, regional, state, and national levels in advocacy and leadership for emergency services. 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.
Chris and his wife Jennifer live in Hayden, Idaho with their two daughters.
