Summit Speakers

Heidi Abraham, MD, completed her Emergency Medicine residency as a chief resident at the Wright State University Integrated Residency in Emergency Medicine. While in residency, she was the assistant medical director at Fairborn Fire Department, a tactical medic with local SWAT teams, and involved in MCI and regional disaster preparedness. She completed the EMS and disaster medicine fellowship at University of Texas at Houston. She served as an assistant medical director for Houston Fire Department. She continues to serve our system as well as medical director for New Braunfels Fire Department and San Antonio AirLIFE. She is the team physician for Comal County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team and associate medical director for other fire and EMS agencies. Dr. Abraham serves on the State of Texas’s Governor’s EMS & Trauma Advisory Council, EMS medical director committee, and on the board of directors for the Texas Chapter of NAEMSP.

Dan Batsie, is the deputy commissioner of the Vermont Department of Public Safety. He has been a paramedic in New York, Maine and now Vermont for more than 30 years. Over his career Dan has worked hard to elevate the profession of prehospital medicine and demonstrated a particular passion for high quality EMS education. Dan has directed two accredited paramedic programs, authored two EMS textbooks, and lectured both nationally and internationally on current EMS topics. In addition to his work at the state level, Dan is active in numerous national EMS projects and committees.

Shane Beck, EMT-P, has over 40 years of EMS experience, the last 26 with Trophy Club Fire Department as captain and EMS coordinator. Shane has worked for a variety of EMS agencies including private, hospital based, rural, SSM, aeromedical and FD based systems.

Angela Carr, LP, is the division chief of the employee development and wellness division for Austin/Travis County Emergency Medical Services. She is a nationally registered paramedic, Texas Department of States Health Services licensed paramedic, and a certified flight paramedic. Her current education oversight includes the new-hire academy, ALS promotion process, department wide continuing education, and the primary education paramedic program.

Lee Gillum, MPH, EMS-CC, LP, being from the Johnny and Roy era he discovered he could drive the ambulance while attending Texas A&M. During college not only did he get to hang out with notables Dudley Waite, Lance Villers, and Jeff Jarvis, he was also a student trainer, EMS volunteer and intramural medic. After college he worked as an offshore paramedic, firefighter/paramedic and EMS program director. He currently works for Montgomery County Hospital District EMS and oversees all initial and continuing education offered by MCHD.

Levi Hejl, AA, EMT-P, has served for 12 years as a paramedic in a busy metropolitan EMS system and seven years as an educator. Levi currently works on quality assurance projects, local credentialing and training, and evidence-based protocol development. He is a contributor to EMS clinical research and magazine articles.

Suzanne Hunt, BSN, RN, CEN, EMT-P/LP, DSHS EMS Instructor, has taught and  developed programs teaching EMS and emergency nursing skills and patient assessment for over 20 years. She currently serves as the trauma program coordinator for Methodist Mansfield Medical Center in Mansfield, TX.

Karl Johnson, M.Div, LP, is full time faculty and lab coordinator for the Wharton County Junior College EMS program. He serves part time as a paramedic with Washington County EMS and as a fire fighter with Round Top Warrenton Fire Department. Karl has been in EMS since 1997, and he has been teaching in EMS since 2012. He served 12 years as an ELCA Pastor, sacrificing a promising career in Major League Baseball.

Eric Keller, EMT-P, is currently serving with Hutchins FD and teaching at Navarro College. He contributes unique and innovative ideas for the classroom that encourages camaraderie, character development and a fun learning environment. and Ryan Woodward with Mansfield FD, have over 30 years of combined teaching experience at Navarro College. They have each contributed unique innovative ideas for their classrooms that encourage camaraderie, character development, and just plain fun.

Erin Lincoln, MD, MS, EMT-P, has been in EMS since 2003, when she took an EMT-B class in college. She has been involved in many aspects of EMS, including 5 years in a busy 911 EMS system as a paramedic, several years part time and 3 years full time teaching paramedicine in a community college setting. Erin then decided to attend medical school, completing her residency in emergency medicine in 2022 and is currently an EMS fellow with UT Southwestern in Dallas.

Melissa Miller, MD, currently serves as an associate medical director with the Office of the Chief Medical Officer – Austin-Travis County and is a full time Emergency Medicine physician in the central Texas area. She started her medical career serving as a volunteer EMT serving on ALS response vehicles and staffing special event medical tents while she completed her undergraduate and graduate school education prior to attending medical school. She has completed her residency and fellowship training at the University of Texas at Austin and is currently board eligible in Emergency Medicine with a subspecialty eligibility in Emergency Medical Services. Her areas of clinical interest lie in clinical education, ultrasound and event medicine.

Matt Nealand, BS, EMT-P, has been a paramedic since 1996 and has worked in Illinois, Texas and Alaska. He has a bachelor’s degree in law enforcement, has experience in special operations, and has been a firefighter. As the program director of EMTS Academy in Austin, he has helped train over 2000 EMTs and paramedics.

Adam Parkhurst, Paramedic, has worked in fire-based EMS since 2005. He holds a master’s degree in sociology and works as a firefighter/field training paramedic with the Euless Fire Department. Adam is also an adjunct EMS instructor at Tarrant County College and is a medical specialist for Texas Taskforce 1.

James Purdom, LP, began his career in EMS 26 years ago in the Texas panhandle. He is currently a captain for the Grand Prairie Fire Department and the lead EMT instructor at Weatherford College, where he also teaches in the paramedic program and fire academy.

Dave Quinn, EMT-P, IC, Dave is a medical educator for Platinum Educational Group. He is a licensed paramedic and instructor coordinator in the state of Michigan. He is approaching 30 years of experience in both EMS and fire service. Dave also is a critical care paramedic, tactical paramedic, and certified firefighter and fire officer. Dave continues to work for both his local ALS ambulance service as well as for his local part-paid fire department. Since 1999, Dave has been adjunct faculty for the local community college, teaching multiple levels of EMS programs and volunteering time with Health Occupation Students of America. In his free time, Dave is an avid wrestling fan and has been an assistant high school wrestling coach for many years. When he is not involved with a wrestling event, you will find him enjoying the outdoors with his wife and four boys, either hunting or fishing.

Paul Rosenberger, EdD, MPA, BS, NRP, has over thirty years of EMS experience with over twenty years of adult education instruction. He has performed ground and flight paramedic duties and leadership in town administration during his service. During his career as a practicing paramedic, he flew for an aeromedical provider, worked in Emergency Department and Intensive Care Units, and provided 911 ground paramedic duties for several Texas cities (Arlington, Fort Worth, and Austin). He has served as a faculty member and assistant program director for UT Southwestern. During his tenure, he has coordinated initial EMR, EMT, and paramedic courses in preparation for NREMT certification examinations. He was responsible for and maintained program accreditation with the Committee on Accreditation of Education Programs for the emergency medical services profession. Beyond his local roles, he was a primary instructor for the NAEMSE Evaluating Student Competencies seminars. In 2017 and 2018, Paul was a senior facilitator for the NREMT’s scenario workshops. Recently, he was a co-chair for the National EMS Education Standards Developmental/Revision Team and is a member of the NAEMSE board of directors. In July 2021, Paul accepted the role of examinations content manager for NREMT.

Robert Ruiz, LP, BAAS, Assistant Professor, has been a licensed paramedic for over 35 years. After recently retiring from the Corpus Christi Fire Department, where he spent the bulk of his duties assigned to the EMS training division and then the role of EMS supervisor. Robert is now committed to teaching the new generation of aspiring EMS professionals at Del Mar College. He holds an associate’s in applied science in paramedicine and a bachelor’s in applied arts and science in emergency management.

Gil Salazar, MD, is an associate professor of emergency medicine at UT Southwestern. He serves as the medical director of EMS education at Dallas College (Dallas, Texas), Collin College (McKinney, Texas), and DeSoto Fire Training Academy (DeSoto, Texas). He oversees both initial and continuing education of area EMS professionals. He practices clinically at Parkland Hospital Emergency Department. Dr. Salazar is dually board-certified in emergency medicine and EMS and serves as core faculty for the Emergency Medicine Residency and the EMS Fellowship programs of UT Southwestern Medical Center​. He is the creator of Campus Emergency Preparedness and Survival Training (Campus EPAST)^R. His main goal is to improve the quality of education in the management of natural and human-made disasters.

Shirlinda Savahl, NREMTP, LP, BS, 2022 marks 27 years of continuous EMS employment for Shirlinda Savahl. Her degree in higher education is used daily in her position as a training captain and Healthcare Academy executive director. Shirlinda has served as a SWAT medic, FTO, ER tech, educator, NREMT examiner and DSHS program director. Although her proudest achievement is her husband and three adult children, all fellow public servants.

Sheila Sotherlund, NRP, LP, CCEMT-P, FP-C, is a nationally registered paramedic and licensed paramedic through the State of Texas. She has specialized training in firefighting and rescue and critical care transport. Prior to joining EMS, she gained 20 years’ experience in plastics processing and HS&E in corporate America.

John Spencer, NREMT-P, I/C, began working with Platinum Educational Group in August 2015. He is a licensed paramedic and instructor coordinator in the state of Michigan. He brings with him over 20 years of experience in EMS and 10 years in the fire service. John is a certified firefighter, critical care paramedic, AHA basic and advanced cardiac life support instructor, as well as a NAEMT prehospital trauma life support and emergency pediatric care instructor. In his free time, he enjoys working the ambulance in the 911 system of Kalamazoo, MI, serving as a member of the security and medical response teams at his church, hunting, fishing, camping and anything that involves spending time with his wife and six children. John is a previous National Star of Life recipient and is passionate about advancing professionalism in EMS by teaching with a focus on the Affective domain.

Julianne Stevenson, MS, LP, fell into EMS “accidentally” but found a passion, and in EMS education, she found an avenue to truly impact change.  She holds a BS in biomedical science and an MS in molecular physiology and biophysics. She’s been in EMS since 1997 and EMS education since 1998.  When she landed in the EMS Ed program director chair she was frustrated with documentation required for accreditation–existing options were clunky and of no real benefit to students. In light of these things and believing healthcare providers should be held to the highest possible standards, she founded a business aimed at helping EMS capture and maintain “Sterling Credentials.”

Melissa Stuive, LP, M.Ed., Chair/EMS Program Director, is a licensed paramedic and advanced EMS coordinator for Del Mar College EMS program and the recipient of the 2019 Educator of the Year for EMS world. Melissa is active in many of the community and state levels that advocates for EMS education. These include Coastal Bend Regional Advisory Council, where Melissa is the education chair, and serves on the Governors’ Education and Trauma Advisory Council committee for the State of Texas. Melissa has also served on many of the item writing sessions with NREMT and continues to provide the continued education for the region. Melissa has been a paramedic for 25 years and an educator for 22 years, she continues to find ways to improve the education in EMS.

Dyann Tobar, BS, LP, has been at Navarro College as an instructor since 2011 and currently serves as the EMS program director. As a teen, Dyann often tutored in math and science to earn gas money and that turned into a passion for helping students achieve their moment of understanding. The most memorable moments in education are often fun and filled with laughter, and that is the kind of experience we hope to encourage in our classrooms.

Lance Villers, PhD, LP, is the program director and department chair of the Department of Emergency Health Sciences at the UT Health San Antonio. His doctorate is in adult teaching and learning and he’s passionate about helping educators be better teachers to help our students learn.

Amanda Wetz, LP, is full time faculty and clinical coordinator for Wharton County Junior College EMS program. She is also a paramedic for City of Wharton EMS. She has served as a paramedic in Temple and Palestine, and shares a passion for EMS with her husband Butch and son Beau. She also manages the WCJC Insect Zoo.

Richard Wilcoxson, NRP, EMT-P, Trauma EMS Liaison/Outreach, is a national registered paramedic and has 37 years of experience in EMS and hospital operations. He has served on many EMS and hospital executive and educational teams. Mr. Wilcoxson has also been a speaker at many EMS conferences, nursing internships, and at the American Heart Association. Richard has received many EMS and hospital awards; and was an EMS champion in the Dallas Caruth STEMI Initiative in 2010-2014. He now serves as the trauma EMS liaison/EMS outreach at Parkland Rees-Jones Trauma Center in Dallas, TX.