A coalition of the industry's organizations, standing behind one foundation.

James R. Houser

Chair

James R. Houser is an accomplished healthcare leader and advanced practice provider with over twenty-five years of experience in emergency medical services and critical care. Currently serving as the President of UPMC's Center for Emergency Medicine of Western Pennsylvania, Inc., Jim has a proven track record of enhancing patient care, developing innovative programs, and leading high-performing teams.

Jim holds a Master of Science in Nursing from Ohio University and is a Certified Medical Transport Executive. He has contributed significantly to the field through leadership roles in renowned organizations such as UPMC, MedFlight, and Trinity Health Systems. A dedicated educator, he serves as faculty for the AAMS Medical Transport Leadership Institute and is a Lead Site Surveyor for the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems.

Under his leadership, the Center for Emergency Medicine (CEM) has continued its mission to improve emergency medical and prehospital care through research, education, and transport. CEM, a not-for-profit organization and a wholly owned subsidiary of UPMC, is renowned for its pioneering work in EMS training programs and critical care transport. The organization operates one of the largest not-for-profit air-medical transport systems in the United States, STAT MedEvac, with a fleet of helicopters and critical care ambulances, and has transported over 350,000 patients.

His passion for community and professional advancement is evident in his involvement with various boards and taskforces, including the Pennsylvania Emergency Medicine Foundation and The Association of Air Medical Services, where he has served as Chair. With certifications spanning emergency medical services, nursing, and executive leadership, Jim exemplifies a commitment to innovation, safety, and excellence in healthcare delivery. Known for his dedication and passion, Jim is not only a respected figure in the industry but also a mentor to many aspiring healthcare professionals.

Outside of work, Jim enjoys spending quality time with his family and exploring. Whether he's traveling, biking, (trying) to run, or simply enjoying a quiet evening at home, Jim values the balance between his demanding career and family.

Jenn Killeen, DBA, FACHE

Vice Chair

Jenn Killeen, DBA, FACHE, is the Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer for CareFlite, TX and a recognized leader in critical care transport and emergency medical services. With more than 30 years of healthcare experience, she provides strategic and clinical leadership focused on patient safety, quality outcomes, operational excellence, and workforce development. Jenn serves as President of the Air & Surface Transport Nurses Association (ASTNA) and is a member of the LIFT Faculty, where she supports the advancement of current and future healthcare leaders. She holds a Doctorate in Business and Organizational Leadership and is passionate about driving innovation and clinical excellence across the transport medicine industry.

Tom Allenstein, RN, MBA, CMTE

Executive Director

Tom currently is the Director of Critical Care Transport and Prehospital Services for Children's Nebraska. This is a pediatric and neonatal transport team with one EC 145C2 helicopter, one Pilatus PC12 47NG airplane and a fleet of four ground critical care trucks completing nearly 3500 transports annually. Previously Tom was the Chief Clinical Officer/Chief Operating Officer before taking on the President/CEO for MedFlight and MedCare Ambulance out of Columbus, Ohio. MedFlight and MedCare combined is an ALS/BLS/Critical Care transport system with 8 helicopter base and over 70 ambulances completing 60,000+ transports throughout Ohio.

Mr. Allenstein began his career in air medical transport in 1985 when he was involved in the start-up of a flight program in Idaho Falls, ID. After a couple of years, he transferred his family back to Minnesota and continued in nursing in the cardiac surgical ICU before joining the Mayo One flight program as a staff flight nurse in 1987. He took on the role of Transport Nurse Manager for Mayo Medical Transport in 1996.

Along with his duties with his program, Tom has served in the past as Chair of the Minnesota Air Medical Council and President of the Ohio Association of Critical Care Transport. Tom also has served as the Region II Director on the Board of Directors for AAMS as well as serving as the Secretary and the Vice President on the Executive Committee of AAMS. As part of his duties with AAMS, Tom also served several years as chair of the Research Committee. He was also involved in the merger of the Foundation for Air Medical Research (FAR) and AAMS Foundation into the Foundation for Air Medical Research and Education (FARE) which eventually has turned into MedEvac Foundation International. On the ground transport side, Tom also has served on the board of the Ohio Ambulance and Medical Transportation Association.

Currently in addition to be one of the Regents for the Medical Transport Leadership Institute, Tom is also a site Surveyor for the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems and the interim Executive Director for The VITALS Foundation for Medical Transport Professionals. Finally, he also is a past board chair and board member for the Emergency Medical, Fire, and Transportation Board for Ohio as well as COTS formerly known as Central Ohio Trauma System.

In his personal life, Tom is the father of 5 children ranging in age from 26 years of age to 38. Tom and his wife Anne have been married for 41 years this year. His hobbies include golf, running, and enjoying beach vacations.

Kevin Collopy, MHL, FP-C, NRP, CMTE, FICAPP, FAEMS

Secretary

Kevin Collopy, MHL, FP-C, NRP, CMTE, FICAPP, FAEMS, is a 25+ year critical care and air medical transport leader who has taught emergency and wilderness medicine in 7 countries and has authored more than 200 publications, including 30 peer-reviewed abstracts and papers. He is the International College of Advanced Practice Paramedics representative to the VITALS board and works full time as the Director of Clinical Integrity for Life Link III, where he is responsible for clinical quality management, research, and compliance programs. He is currently the Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Air Medical Journal.

He has been honored as an EMS10: EMS Innovator (2014), with the John Jordan Award for contributions to CCT literature (2021), with the Allen Wolfe Excellence in Leadership Award (2023), and was named a Founding Fellow of FICAPP (2026). Besides his work for The VITALS Foundation, he also serves on the International Paramedic Registry advisory board, the Global Critical Care Transport Higher Education Council, the EMS World Editorial Advisory Board, the Public Safety Group EMS Advisory Board, and is a NAEMT Lighthouse Program Mentor.

Brian Doughty

Treasurer

Brian Doughty, a Charleston, West Virginia native, serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of HealthNet Aeromedical Services, Inc. (HealthNet), a nonprofit EMS aeromedical organization based in Charleston. Since joining HealthNet in March 2012, Brian has overseen finance, business development, payroll and benefits, human resources, supply chain management, and information technology. Prior to HealthNet, Brian worked for Arnett & Foster, PLLC, now known as Baker Tilly.

Brian earned Bachelor of Science degrees in Accounting and Management Information Systems from West Virginia University. In September 2022, Brian joined the Board of The Association of Critical Care Transport (ACCT), a nonprofit patient advocacy organization dedicated to advancing safe, high-quality critical care transport. Brian currently serves as Vice-Chair of the Board and is also active in a variety of civic and charitable organizations.

Brian lives in Charleston with wife Sara, daughters Claire and Grace, and their dogs, Ruby and Scout.

Adam Gottula, MD

BOARD MEMBER

Dr. Adam Gottula is an Assistant Professor in the Departments of Anesthesiology, Emergency Medicine, and the Center for Resuscitation Medicine at the University of Minnesota. He is board-certified in Emergency Medicine and Anesthesia Critical Care and provides clinical care in the Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit (ICU), the Adult Emergency Department, and the Mobile ECMO Program through the Minnesota Mobile Resuscitation Consortium. His clinical and research focus is ECPR, CCTM, and systems of care for OHCA.

Dr. Gottula’s research is centered on optimizing systems of care to increase neurologically intact survival after cardiac arrest, which is grounded in a central physiologic principle: neurologically intact survival after refractory cardiac arrest is governed by time to reperfusion. ECPR is effective only when systems are designed to achieve extracorporeal flow within a narrow and unforgiving ischemic window. Accordingly, his work shifts the field’s focus toward disciplined system architecture that minimizes cumulative low-flow time.

Using GIS modeling, he demonstrated that under conventional hospital-based paradigms, nearly 90% of clinically eligible OHCA patients lack timely geographic access to ECPR-capable centers. He further showed that integration of HEMS-based ECPR deployment, either through scene response or structured rendezvous models, can expand eligibility approximately fourfold. This work reframes ECPR access as a systems engineering problem rather than a procedural limitation.

His ongoing research program focuses on designing high-reliability ECPR systems capable of consistently achieving reperfusion within approximately 60 minutes of collapse. Dr. Gottula’s work has been recognized nationally, including awards from the AAMS, the National Association of EMS Physicians, and the Wolf Creek Conference. Supported by the multidisciplinary infrastructure of the University of Minnesota’s Center for Resuscitation Medicine (the highest-performing ECPR systems internationally), he is involved in systems-level investigations that redefine how and where ECPR is delivered, ensuring that survival is determined not by geography, but by disciplined, time-optimized system design.

Krista Haugen, MN, RN, CMTE

BOARD MEMBER

Krista Haugen, MN, RN, CMTE, is the Director of Clinical, Quality, and Patient Safety at Airlift Northwest. She is a registered nurse whose work centers on clinical quality management, patient safety, and the continuous improvement of critical care transport operations.

As a Certified Medical Transport Executive, Krista brings a clinical and safety perspective to the VITALS Foundation board, advocating for the transport professionals who deliver care in the air and on the ground.

Thomas Johnson

BOARD MEMBER

Thomas Johnson is the Maintenance Operations Director at Apollo Medflight, where he oversees the maintenance operations that keep the program’s aircraft flying safely and reliably. His background in aviation maintenance brings an operational and airworthiness perspective to the air medical community.

On the VITALS Foundation board, Thomas represents the maintenance and operations side of transport medicine, ensuring the professionals who keep aircraft mission-ready are part of the broader conversation around safety and support.

Jeff Kelly, MPA, FACPE

BOARD MEMBER

Jeff Kelly has over 30 years of frontline and executive level experience in prehospital medicine. A paramedic by training, he holds a Master of Public Administration degree and is a former Fellow of the American College of Paramedic Executives (FACPE). He has held leadership positions in the public and private EMS sectors, and has also led authority based and hospital-based EMS services.

Jeff is recognized for his work advancing EMS documentation, compliance, and organizational leadership. In addition to his position on the VITALS Foundation board, Jeff also serves on the EMS West Regional Council, the National EMS Memorial Service, and previously held a board position with the Ambulance Association of Pennsylvania (AA-P).

Jeff resides in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, PA with his wife and children.

Scott “Smoke” Moak

BOARD MEMBER

Scott “Smoke” Moak is a helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) pilot and retired U.S. Navy Commander with more than 27 years of military service. His aviation background spans both helicopter and fixed-wing operations, with experience in flight instruction, aviation safety, military and airline operations, and air medical transport. He has accumulated more than 3,800 flight hours.

As a board member of the National EMS Pilots Association (NEMSPA), Scott serves as its representative to the VITALS Foundation Board. He joined the board to bring an aviation perspective to discussions affecting the air medical community and ensure the pilot perspective is part of the broader conversation.

Scott mentors veterans pursuing careers in air medical aviation, helping them navigate the transition to civilian flying and the FAA medical certification process. He holds an Airline Transport Pilot certificate and is a certified flight instructor with instrument instructor privileges. In 2025, Scott was named a finalist in the Inspiration of the Year category at the U.S. Forces in Business Awards.

Scott lives in Chesapeake, Virginia, with his wife of 30 years, Sarah. They have two adult children and enjoy traveling internationally together.

Kenneth J. Panciocco Jr.

BOARD MEMBER

Kenneth Panciocco is the President of the Board for the International Association of Medical Transport Communication Specialists (IAMTCS), where he has served since 2018. Ken joined the board from his role as Director of Communications for Boston MedFlight in Bedford, MA, where he has spent 26 years leading the Communications Center.

Throughout his career, Ken has helped shape the air medical industry, with a particular focus on the communications field. He serves as an instructor for IAMTCS, teaching the Certified Flight Communicator (CFC) course, and as an instructor at the CommLab at the Helicopter Flight Training Center in Shreveport, Louisiana. These roles have allowed him to work with communicators across the industry.

A passionate advocate for education, Ken is a graduate of the MTLI course and a certified EMT-B, and he recognizes how VITALS serves this need within the industry.

Ken lives in New Hampshire with his wife, Alison, and their pup, Raya, just 15 minutes from their two grandchildren.

David FE Stuhlmiller, MD FACEP FAEMS FAMPA CMTE

BOARD MEMBER

David FE Stuhlmiller, MD FACEP FAEMS FAMPA CMTE received his Bachelor degree from Cornell University, Doctor of Medicine degree from Temple University School of Medicine, and completed emergency medicine residency at Indiana University School of Medicine. He has practiced at MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland, OH; University Hospital in Newark, NJ; Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, NY; and currently practices at RWJBarnabas Health Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Rahway in Rahway, NJ.

Dr. Stuhlmiller is American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) board certified in both Emergency Medicine and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) medicine. He serves as a Physician Advisor for Air Methods, LLC and Physician Medical Director for LifeNet of New York. He currently represents NAEMSP® on the Board of Directors of the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems (CAMTS) and represents CAMTS on the Board of Directors of the VITALS Foundation for Medical Transport Professionals.

Dr. Stuhlmiller has a passion for critical care transport medicine, both air and ground.

Jana Williams

BOARD MEMBER

Jana Williams is the President & CEO of the Association of Air Medical Services (AAMS), the international trade organization representing the global air medical and critical care transport community. With more than 35 years of experience across healthcare, EMS, incident management, and air medical, she leads the diverse and complex sector’s peak advocacy and education as it faces unique pressures around safety regulation, reimbursement reform, and workforce sustainability. Her leadership of AAMS puts her at the center of international conversations about how air medical and critical care transport services are viewed, utilized, funded, certified, and held to safety and clinical standards.

Her consistent advocacy for safety as a non-negotiable baseline is rooted in deep personal loss. Much of her professional and volunteer work today reflects the power of post-traumatic growth. Jana’s collaborative nature and a life-long belief in the efficacy of shared governance is strengthening cross-organizational conversations, including philanthropic efforts. She enjoys championing the air medical and EMS communities, and her focus on taking care of our own reflects her heart for the people at the center of this noble work.

In her spare time, she enjoys wandering and family activities, particularly maintaining the title of “favorite Aunt Jana” to the many children in her life.