EMS Leadership of Tomorrow Class of 2020

Steve Castro, Operations Manager, Central EMS – Roswell, GA

Steve has worked in the EMS field for 10 years, starting his career in as an EMT, paramedic and ultimately operations manager for Central EMS.

In his current role, Steve wears many hats. His responsibilities include oversight of training programs for first-level supervisors, system status demand management, front-line communication with field employees, clinical continuing education efforts, employee recruitment and retention programs, as well as new employee onboarding and training.

Steve is an alumnus of the Georgia EMS Association leadership program and serves on the Fortis College Advisory Board. In that role, Steve is tasked with identifying and mentoring future leaders in the EMS industry. He is a certified paramedic and resides in Acworth, Georgia.

Kelly Cope, Assistant Chief of Operations, St. Charles County Ambulance District – St. Peters, MO

Kelly Cope has spent nearly three decades as an EMS professional, starting as an EMT in a rural system to his current role as a leader in one of the largest county ambulance systems in Missouri.

In his current role as Assistant Chief of Operations for the St. Charles County Ambulance District (SCCAD), Kelly has leadership responsibilities over four departments and oversight of more than 200 paramedics in a suburban third-service EMS agency. The department runs 18 active 24-hour 911 ambulances, as well as seven non-emergency units, two full-time mobile integrated healthcare paramedics, along with SWAT and USAR teams. The system serves approximately 400,000 citizens and spans more than 600 square miles.  In that system, Kelly was integral in implementing a strong public outreach system, as well as the restructuring of the agency’s part-time transfer division.

Kelly is a member of the Missouri EMS Association and Chairman of the Partnership for Community Care program. Professional accolades over the course of his career include SCAAD Paramedic of the Year (2001), Missouri Paramedic of the Year (2002), SCAAD Impact Award recipient (2008), and the SCAAD Award for Excellence in Leadership (2018). Kelly is active in community and civic organizations, including SCAAD Paramedic Outreach, Brace for Impact outreach for Haitian orphans, the Shoeman Water Project, and The Way Church. He resides in St. Peters, MO.

Chris Cullen, Operations Supervisor, Greater Baldwinsville Ambulance Corps – Memphis, NY

Chris’ professional EMS career began 10 years ago as a critical care paramedic for Finger Lakes Ambulance in central New York.  He also served as a paramedic for Jordan Ambulance and Marcellus Ambulance services before joining Greater Baldwinsville Ambulance Corps as Operations Supervisor five years ago.

In his current role, Chris is responsible for staffing, scheduling, supply orders, inventory control, narcotic control and employee assessment and development. During his tenure with Greater Baldwinsville Ambulance Corps, Chris has taken the lead in implementing crew and vehicle safety programs, overseeing programs to equip ambulances with power stretchers, auto loaders and Lucas devices.

Chris is regional council member of the Central New York Regional EMS Council. In 2019, Chris was recognized as the ALS Provider of the Year by the CNY Regional EMS Council and the New York State EMS Council/Department of Health EMS Bureau. Chris also serves as Assistant Fire Chief for the Warners-Memphis Fire Department in Warners, NY, the town in which he resides.

Tony Fauci, Operations Manager, National EMS – Conyers, GA

Tony is a career EMS professional, joining National EMS in 2001 as a paramedic shift commander after nearly five years as a firefighter/paramedic with DeKalb County Fire and Rescue.

In his current role as National EMS operations manager, Tony oversees day-to-day supervision of mid-level managers, as well as employee recruitment, supply chain management, incident resolution, and dispatch communications. His accomplishments also include the research, development and implementation of a sleep deprivation mitigation and awareness class for the staff of National EMS.

Tony has been actively involved in emergency preparedness planning for National EMS, which includes 911 medical responses in four counties. He also has been honored multiple times by his peers as National EMS’ Paramedic of the Year and was the recipient of the Community Safety Award from the Athens Rotary Club in 2016.

Tony is a graduate of the University of Georgia Terry College of Business with a bachelor’s degree in business administration He also is an alumnus of the Georgia EMS Association Leadership Program.

Christie Grice, Division Chief – EMS, Hall County Fire Services – Cleveland, GA

Christie began her 22-year career in the EMS industry as a paramedic/firefighter and battalion chief with Hall County Fire Services.

As the division chief of EMS, she manages all aspects of EMS operations and EMS administrative duties. Hall County Fire Services is the 911 zone provider for Hall County, averaging 1,100 EMS calls monthly and operating under a $33 million annual budget. During her tenure with Hall County Fire Services, Christie has been instrumental in fleet acquisition and configuration, as well as equipment replacement programs, inventory and asset tracking. She also oversees the agency’s field training program and implemented a mentor program for students.

Christie serves as secretary/treasurer of the Region 2 EMS Directors’ Association, is a member of the Region 2 Council, serving as chair of the prehospital providers committee, which hosts one of the largest trauma symposiums in the state of Georgia each year. She is a member of and instructor for the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians.

Christi’s community and volunteer activities also run deep. She has served as a YMCA coach, a volunteer instructor for the North Georgia Heart Foundation and as member of WomenSource. She often volunteers her time to local churches, Boy Scouts, small business and high-school students to teach hands-only CPR and AED use. She holds an associate’s degree in business from Columbia Southern University. She resides in Cleveland, GA.

Althea Kidd, Director of Operations/Captain, LifeCare Medical Transport – Fredericksburg, VA

As the Director of Operations (Captain) for LifeCare Medical Transports, Althea maintains a broad range of contacts and am involved in every aspect of the company’s operations. She communicates and works with other managers, employees and our leadership, as well as engages in employee relations and with our customers.

Kidd holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Healthcare Administration from the University of Phoenix. She is a past recipient of the American Ambulance Association’s Star of Life Award.

Christina Kiley, Operations Manager, Medshore Ambulance – Anderson, SC

Christina discovered her passion for EMS following a career as a business development and sales professional in the real-estate and financial industries. Her heart of service moved her to become a certified paramedic in 2016.

Christina recently began her position as Operations Manager for Medshore Ambulance’s 9-1-1 and interfacility services in Anderson County, South Carolina.

Previously, she served as a paramedic supervisor for Maricopa Ambulance overseeing the 911 personnel and fleet that serves the City of Scottsdale, AZ.

In her time there, Christina dedicated her work to building and maintaining a strong relationship with the Scottsdale Fire Department  (SFD) administration and employees. She was responsible for supply chain management for eight Maricopa Ambulance stations and 15 SFD stations throughout the city and was the special-event and EMS committee liaison between SFD and Maricopa Ambulance.

Christina volunteers her time to Stepping Stones of Hope, a non-profit organization that serves grieving families, and serves as a photographer for weekend camp events.

Susan Lananger, Paramedic Supervisor, Trans Am Ambulance – Olean, NY

Susan became interested in EMS when volunteering her time through her local volunteer fire company. She joined Trans Am Ambulance in Olean, New York in 2001 and has developed her career as a paramedic and educator.

In her role as paramedic supervisor, she manages the schedule and assists with the QA/QI programs and education programs. She is a certified instructor with Allegany County and manages the training and certifications courses for EMTs and paramedics in New York and Pennsylvania.

She continues to volunteer with her local volunteer fire company, Richburg Fire Company and has served as assistant chief, EMS captain and treasurer. She has previously been named Fireman of the Year and EMS Provider of the Year.

Lananger has completed the Ambulance Service Manager Course (ASM) through Fitch & Associates. She has completed courses at St. Bonaventura University in Allegany, NY and Cornell University, Elmira, NY.

Tony Lowery, Training Coordinator, Priority Ambulance of Tennessee – Knoxville, TN

Tony has been a leader in the Loudon County 9-1-1 emergency service system since the company began serving the community 2014. He has served in the Loudon County EMS system for thirteen years.

Tony is most passionate about his contributions to the training and community outreach programs in Loudon County. He is the liaison and instructor for the Loudon County schools community outreach program that provides annual CPR, first aid and stop the bleed training to every schoolteacher in the county. In 2017, this program allowed a first grader teacher to save the life of one of her students through appropriate use of the Heimlich maneuver.

Tony is a member and leader for emergency response strike team to hurricane Florence, Irma, Matthew and Katrina. He completed the Leadership Loudon course learning more about becoming a community leader in Loudon in 2019.

He is an EMT-Advanced and holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice focusing on homeland security and emergency management from Strayer University in 2013.

Angela Mabry, Operations Manager, Baptist Ambulance – Memphis, TN

Angela Mabry has more than 25 years of experience in the emergency medical services field. Currently working as operations manager in Shelby County for Baptist Ambulance, she oversee daily operations of an 18-unit ambulance operation with  more than 150 employees. Baptist Ambulance’s greater Memphis area operation is a growing, multi-state transportation service, including a children’s specialty transport team and 911 mutual aid assistance. Mabry was a part of the original startup team for Baptist Ambulance in 2017 and was soon promoted to her current role as operations manager.

Prior to this, she worked as a paramedic and supervisor in the greater Memphis area for various companies. She completed the Ambulance Service Managers (ASM) program through Fitch & Associates in 2019 and was selected as part of the team to present at the 2020 Pinnacle Conference.

Josh Shore, General Manager, Medshore Ambulance – Anderson, SC

Josh has been working in the EMS industry since he was 16 years old when he first joined his family business, Medshore Ambulance. From his beginnings cleaning and detailing the ambulance units, he advanced through dispatch and field and was promoted to general manager of the company’s western region in 2018.

Shore follows Medshore’s company philosophy of community involvement and has been a fixture in the Anderson community for years. In addition to his role at Medshore, he also has served as the deputy coroner for the Anderson County Coroner’s Office since 2007. He was selected as one of the 2017 “20 Under 40” class members by the Anderson Independent Mail.  He also served on the Upstate Senior Network Group and the Upstate Champions’ Committee, as well as currently serves on the Tri-County Tech College Paramedic Advisory Board.

During the years at Medshore, he focused on modernization of the agency and creating opportunities for the younger generation in EMS. In 2015, he began a logistic department in the Anderson operations, which developed strategies to improve efficiencies in staffing and supplies management. This allowed teenagers to work in the logistics department giving them the opportunity to learn more about EMS while creating cost efficiencies to the company. This program has produced EMTs that are now working on the ambulances.

Shore holds a bachelor’s degree in emergency management this spring at Anderson University. In 2013, Shore completed the Ambulance Service Manager Certification from Fitch & Associates, the leading management training program for the EMS industry.

Adam Stockton, Director of EMS, Maricopa Ambulance – Phoenix, AZ

Adam joined the Maricopa Ambulance team in 2016 when the company started up in Maricopa County, Arizona. As the company grew, Adam quickly advanced from paramedic supervisor to EMS Director in less than two years due to his talent and commitment to serving his communities. Adam Stockton currently serves as EMS director for the 9-1-1 service areas of Glendale and Goodyear where he was instrumental in the implementation and optimization of those systems in 2019.

He served as the lead supervisor for the City of Scottsdale during the startup of the 9-1-1 EMS system and was instrumental in the startup of the City of Surprise backup 9-1-1 service.

Stockton’s interest and dedication to EMS stems from his father who has been a Paramedic in Avondale/Goodyear areas in Central Arizona for 25 years.

Stockton is an Arizona native who resides in Litchfield Park with his wife and two children.