Maria Beermann-Foat, Ph.D., NRP, has over 25 years of prehospital emergency care experience in privately-owned, hospital-based, county government-based, and fire-based emergency services. Dr. Beermann-Foat most recently served as the EMS Training Coordinator for the Eugene Springfield Fire Department (Oregon) during the department’s transition from a dual-role to a single-role EMS system. In this position, Dr. Beermann served as a primary change agent in the development of the newly formed EMS Division where she successfully structured an EMS-specific academy model and modified the existing EMS training program to achieve the strategic vision of becoming a regional training center. Prior to joining Eugene Springfield Fire in January 2022, Dr. Beermann-Foat served Johnson County (Kansas) MED-ACT- Emergency Medical Services, where she last held the position of Battalion Chief of Operations. Since first joining MED-ACT in 1999 as a paramedic, she moved up the ranks in the roles of community education officer/PIO, captain/field training officer, battalion chief of training, and division chief of quality management. She also held a position on the Diversity and Equity Committee for Johnson County Government.
Dr. Beermann-Foat has dedicated her career to improving emergency response throughout the community both locally and nationally. Her local involvement has included membership and participation in multiagency work committees such as the Eugene Springfield HeartSafe Program, the Lane County Medical Control Board, the Johnson County SafeKids program, the Mission Lifeline committee, the Johnson County Public Information Officers committee, the Johnson County Fire & Burn Prevention committee, the Kansas Area Government Webmasters association, and the Kansas State ImageTrend Users committee. She has also provided initial instruction and continuing education to local and regional emergency responders through her educational roles for Johnson County Community College, Children’s Mercy Hospital (KS), and Overland Park Regional Medical Center (KS). Through her position as a course developer and instructor for the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, Maryland – a leading emergency services instructional campus operated by FEMA – her efforts have contributed toward preparing fire department and EMS department administrators in the areas of quality management and application of research methods for organizational improvement.
At the national level, Dr. Beermann-Foat has served to further the EMS profession and resolve issues pertaining to EMS retention and recruitment, workforce engagement, and EMS research through volunteer roles in many professional and industry associations. She recently served as Director, At-Large for the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT) Board of Directors (term expired Dec 2023) and her current volunteer work includes:
- Editorial Advisory Board member and columnist for EMS1.com on topics pertaining to employee recruitment, retention, and engagement.
- Editorial Advisory Board member and scientific reviewer for the International Journal of Paramedicine.
- Prehospital Guidelines Consortium (PGC) committee member representative for NAEMT
- Prehospital Emergency Care (PEC) Journal advisory board member
- National conference speaker and webinar presenter
- Education committee member for the National Association of EMS Physicians (NAEMSP)
- Member for multiple committees for the National EMS Quality Alliance (NEMSQA)
- NAEMT Membership Coordinator for the State of Oregon
- Faculty member for contemporary workforce issues for the Ambulance Service Manager (ASM) and the Communication Center Manager (CCM) programs
- Board President for the Fitch Leadership Foundation
Dr. Beermann-Foat holds a Ph.D. in Organization Management from Capella University, a Master of Business Administration from MidAmerica Nazarene University, and a City and County Management Graduate Certificate from the University of Kansas. She holds a six-sigma green belt certification through Johnson County Community College. She is a member of various professional and trade associations, including the American Association of Municipal Executives (AAME), the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT), International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), the National Association of EMS Physicians (NAEMSP), the National EMS Management Association (NEMSMA), the National Association of EMS Educators (NAEMSE), the National EMS Quality Alliance (NEMSQA), and the American Society for Quality (ASQ).