Leadership & Governance
Executive Committee
- Commissioner Kraig Kinney (IN), Chair
- Commissioner Wayne Denny (ID), Vice Chair
- Commissioner Joe House (KS), Secretary
- Commissioner Brad Vande Lune (IA), Treasurer
- Commissioner Aaron Koehler (WY), Member-At-Large
- Commissioner Joe Schmider (TX), Immediate Past Chair (non-voting)
Executive Director
Donnie Woodyard, Jr., MAML, NRP
Donnie Woodyard, Jr. is a visionary leader with over three decades of experience shaping the future of Emergency Medical Services. His distinguished career spans EMS operations, leadership, and government roles, earning him national recognition for his innovative approach and commitment to advancing the profession.
Donnie has served as State EMS Director in two states and as the Chief Operating Officer of the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians, where he championed pivotal initiatives to elevate EMS standards nationwide. A key architect of the United States EMS Compact’s operationalization, he served as Colorado’s Commissioner, was elected Vice-Chair, and later Chairperson of the Compact’s Executive Committee, demonstrating his steadfast dedication to interstate EMS collaboration.
Beyond his leadership in U.S. EMS systems, Donnie has a decade of international experience developing EMS and trauma systems in war and disaster-affected regions, helping to establish sustainable emergency care models in resource-limited environments. He is a graduate of the Naval Postgraduate School’s Center for Homeland Defense and Security Executive Leaders Program and is completing his Doctorate in Law and Policy. With a career rooted in both field EMS experience and administrative excellence, Donnie continues to lead with purpose, shaping policies and systems that empower EMS clinicians and enhance the profession’s future.
Compact Counsel
Doug Wolfberg, JD
Doug Wolfberg, JD is a founding partner of Page, Wolfberg & Wirth, and one of the best known EMS attorneys and consultants in the United States. Widely regarded as the nation’s leading EMS law firm, PWW represents private, public and non-profit EMS organizations, as well as billing companies, software manufacturers and others that serve the nation’s ambulance industry. Doug answered his first ambulance call in 1978 and has been involved in EMS ever since. Doug became an EMT at age 16, and worked as an EMS provider in numerous volunteer and paid systems over the decades. Doug also served as an EMS educator and instructor for many years.
After earning his undergraduate degree in Health Planning and Administration from the Pennsylvania State University in 1987, Doug went to work as a county EMS director. He then became the director of a three-county regional EMS agency based in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. He then moved on to work for several years on the staff of the state EMS council. In 1993, Doug went to the nation’s capital to work at the United States Department of Health and Human Services, where he worked on federal EMS and trauma care issues. Doug left HHS to attend law school, and in 1996 graduated magna cum laude from the Widener University School of Law. After practicing for several years as a litigator and healthcare attorney in a large Philadelphia-based law firm, Doug co-founded PWW in 2000 along with Steve Wirth and the late James O. Page. As an attorney, Doug is a member of the Pennsylvania and New York bars, and is admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court as well as numerous Federal and state courts. He also teaches EMS law at the University of Pittsburgh, and teaches health law at the Widener University School of Law, where he is also a member of the school’s Board of Overseers.
Doug is a known as an engaging and humorous public speaker at EMS conferences throughout the United States.
He is also a prolific author, having written books, articles and columns in many of the industry’s leading publications, and has been interviewed by national media outlets including National Public Radio and the Wall Street Journal on EMS issues. Doug is a Certified Ambulance Coder (CAC) and a founder of the National Academy of Ambulance Coding (NAAC). Doug also served as a Commissioner of the Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services (CAAS).
In his free time, Doug is an avid bicyclist and musician.
Christie M. Mellott, JD
Christie Mellott, JD is Of Counsel to Page, Wolfberg & Wirth, and is the firm’s resident “Medicare Provider Enrollment guru.” She joined the firm shortly after it began in 2000. She counsels clients on Medicare Provider Enrollment, employment and volunteer personnel issues, corporate, tax exemption, contracting, intellectual property, workplace safety, HIPAA, regulatory compliance, administrative law issues, compliance matters and a variety of other issues affecting the EMS and public safety industries.
Christie became an EMT a few months after joining the firm. Prior to becoming a lawyer, she worked in the healthcare field for ten years, working or volunteering in doctor’s offices and hospitals, before making the decision to go to law school. She also briefly worked as a Chemist for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, before deciding to go to law school.
During law school, she served as the assistant editor of the Environmental Law and Technology Journal, worked in the University’s Small Business Development Center, worked for a solo practitioner practicing labor and employment law, and interned for Pennsylvania’s Office of General Counsel. After law school, Christie worked as a litigator for Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection and then for another healthcare law firm for several years.
Christie loves speaking before and working with all levels of EMS and public safety professionals. In additional to speaking at many state and regional EMS conferences, she is also a featured speaker in PWW seminars and webinars. She has also written and co-authored numerous articles on a variety of EMS and public safety-related issues.
In her free time, Christie volunteers with local community nonprofit organizations. She also enjoys walking and spending time with her husband and children.
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Page, Wolfberg & Wirth services are provided pro bono to the EMS Compact.