About Our Coalition: Our Team

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	Chad S. Priest, RN, MSN, JD
	Chief Executive Officer
	Chad Priest is the Chief Executive Officer of MESH. Drawing upon his clinical, military, legal and policy experience, Chad works with coalition members and stakeholders to improve preparedness throughout the healthcare sector.
	View Full Biographical Sketch (1026K PDF)

	Charles Miramonti, MD
	Chief Medical Officer
	Dr. Charles Miramonti is the founder and Chief Medical Officer of MESH. Dr. Miramonti also serves as the Chief of the Indiana University School of Medicine Division of Out of Hospital Care and, in January of 2011, will be the Chief of the Indianapolis EMS agency.

Marion E. Broome, Ph.D., R.N. FAAN Dean and Distinguished Professor Indiana University School of Nursing		Virginia A. Caine, MD Director Marion County Public Health Department

Lisa E. Harris, MD Chief Executive Officer and Medical Director Wishard Health Services		Gregory N. Larkin, MD Indiana State Health Commissioner Indiana State Department of Health

Clif Knight, M.D. Chief Medical Officer Community Health Network		Robert Lubitz, MD Vice President Academic Affairs and Research St. Vincent Hospital and Health Care Center

Thomas Mattice Director Richard L. Roudebush Veterans Affairs Medical Center		Susan McRoberts, MSN, RN Chief Nursing Officer St. Francis Hospital and Health Centers

Pitt Thompson Vice President - Operations Indiana University Health

	Melanie Block-Thralls, RN, CEN, RNC-OB, FNE/SANE, NR/CCEMT-P
	Contract Instructor
	Melanie Block-Thralls has been working in urban emergency medical services since 1995. She completed her Emergency Medical Technician -Basic Course in 1995, her Emergency Medical Technician-Paramedic Course in 1995, and her Critical Care Paramedic course in 2004. Her Associate in Nursing degree was earned from Excelsior College in 2006. She is currently a Nationally Registered Paramedic and an Indiana Licensed Registered Nurse. She holds specialty certifications as a Certified Emergency Nurse, RNC-OB and Forensic Nurse Examiner/Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner. She is a member of the Emergency Nurses Association (ENA) professional association. She was honorably discharged from the Indiana Army National Guard after serving as a Combat Field Medic from 1996-2004. She has worked in a Level One Trauma Center Emergency Room and in a regional high risk obstetrical intensive care unit. She has experience as an emergency RN, labor & delivery, postpartum, scrub, circulating and recovery RN. She has been a member of several medical missions to Haiti and most recently lead several medical missions to Haiti immediately following the earthquake of 2010. In 2010 she spoke at the Indiana Emergency Response Conference and was also awarded Indiana Hero by the Indianapolis Pacers for her efforts in Haiti after the earthquake. She currently serves as a volunteer for the Marion County Medical Reserve Corps and the Hendricks County Medical Reserve Corps. Her current employer is Indianapolis EMS as a trainer. She also works as a part-time Forensic Nurse Examiner/ Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (FNE/SANE) for Wishard Hospital and a part-time RN for Indiana University Hospital in their OBICU. Her current educational endeavor is focused on completing her Bachelor in Nursing and a Family Nurse Practitioner/Certified Nurse Midwife MSN.

	Connie Boatright-Royster, MSN, RN, COL - USAR (ret)
	Contract Preparedness Advisor
	Connie Boatright-Royster has served in emergency management in health care roles for over 30 years. Since retiring as Deputy Chief/Acting Chief Consultant (and previously, Director of Training and Education) of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) National Emergency Management Strategic Healthcare Group, Ms. Boatright-Royster has served as a consultant/advisor to health care systems, hospitals, community health centers, and other health care and public health entities throughout the U.S. From 2005-2007, she served as Emergency Management Director of the Indiana Primary Care Association. Ms. Boatright-Royster currently serves as faculty at the Department of Homeland Security’s Center for Domestic Preparedness, Anniston, Alabama. Additional recent/current projects include consultant to the MESH Coalition, Indianapolis, Indiana and to the Marion County (Indianapolis) Health Department. She also advises health care systems throughout the U.S., e.g., the Washington, DC Primary Care Association, on comprehensive emergency management of systems that serve the homeless, at-risk and underserved populations. She is a retired U.S. Army Reserve Colonel.

	Bobby Courtney, M.A.
	Director of Planning and Policy
	Bobby A. Courtney is the Director of Planning and Policy at MESH. In this capacity he is responsible for MESH's collaborative, community-based planning programs and working groups. He also leads MESH policy efforts and serves as the Editor of the MESH News Brief. Bobby is pursuing a J.D./M.P.H from Indiana University, where he currently serves as Executive Managing Editor of the Indiana Health Law Review. His prior experience includes eight years in healthcare strategic planning at OSF St. Francis Medical Center in Peoria, Illinois. In 2010, Bobby was recipient of the Indiana University Health Law Faculty Award for Excellence in Health Studies, as well as the Indiana State Bar Association Health Law Section Distinguished Writing Award.
	View Full Biographical Sketch (136K PDF)

Anne Edwards, NREMT-P

Preparedness Advisor

	Aaron Edwards, B.S., WEMT, SARTECH-III
	Contract Preparedness Advisor
	Aaron Edwards is a certified Wilderness Emergency Medical Technician, Indiana Search and Rescue Technician/NASAR SAR Tech III, Wilderness First Aid Instructor, Indiana Master Naturalist, National Disaster Life Support Instructor and is licensed by the Federal Communications Commission as a General Class Amateur Radio Operator. A graduate of Purdue University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Food Science, Mr. Edwards holds numerous certificates from governmental and private agencies in emergency response, including a Certificate in Public Health Preparedness and the prestigious Professional Development Series Certificate from FEMA.

Kevin Gona, EMT-P

Logistics Coordinator

	Kristin Lion, MA, PEM
	Contract Preparedness Advisor
	Kristin Lion has worked in government and primarily public safety for the past 10 years. Ms. Lion worked for the City of Indianapolis Division of Homeland Security/Emergency Management Planning Division as the Deputy Administrator, serving primarily in a planning capacity in the Emergency Operations Center for planned and unplanned incidents and for special events, to include Super Bowl planning. While in Indianapolis from 2008-2011, she also served as the Deputy Planning Section Chief for the District 5 Type III Incident Management Team and as a Plans Manager/Technical Information Specialist for Indiana Task Force 1 (the FEMA Urban Search and Rescue Team). From 2004-2008, she worked for the Federal Government in Washington, D.C., initially as a Presidential Management Fellow with the Drug Enforcement Administration, and then as a Program Officer with the Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs at the U.S. Department of State. From 2003-2004 she was a consultant with the Texas Institute for Public Problem Solving, formerly the Regional Community Policing Institute in Austin, Texas. Prior to that, Kristin worked for the Defense Intelligence Agency in operational and intelligence capacities. She has a MA in Latin American Studies (with a focus on political science and communications) from UT-Austin and a BS/BA in Psychology/Spanish from the College of William and Mary. She also earned her Professional Emergency Manager (PEM) certification from the State of Indiana in November 2010. She has taken ICS 100, 200, 300, 400, 700, 800, HSEEP, GIS/HAZUS classes, and various CBRNE operational courses at the Center for Domestic Preparedness, the Emergency Management Institute, TEEX, New Mexico Tech, and the Nevada National Security Site.

	Andrew Pappas
	Preparedness Advisor
	Andrew is a Master of Public Health degree candidate and his research interests are in environmental health issues and the application of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to public health and disaster preparedness.

	Andrew Roszak, JD, MPA, EMT-P
	Senior Preparedness Advisor
	Andrew Roszak currently serves as Senior Preparedness Advisor at MESH. Previously, Andrew served as a Senior Advisor in the Office of the Administrator at the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), US Department of Health and Human Services and as the Senior Public Health Policy Advisor for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Emergency Care Coordination Center, located within the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR). During the 110th and 111th Congresses, Andrew served as a Winston Health Policy Fellow, working on health care reform, in the US Senate. Prior to moving and working in Washington, D.C., Andrew worked eight years as a firefighter/paramedic in the Chicagoland area, followed by two years of service at the Illinois Department of Public Health. Andrew has an Associate degree in Paramedic Supervision, a Bachelors degree in Fire Science Management, a Master Degree in Public Administration and a Juris Doctorate. Andrew has authored numerous publications on health law and policy and is admitted to the Illinois and the District of Columbia Bar.

	Michael Thralls, BGS, NR/CCEMT-P, PI, FP-C, CMO
	Senior Preparedness Advisor
	Mr. Thralls has been working in emergency medical services since 1990. During that time he has worked in rural, suburban, urban, private and public systems as a paramedic. He holds many EMS related certifications as a provider and instructor. In addition to serving as a medical provider he has been an instructor and dispatcher. For several years he worked as a flight paramedic with a national roto-wing company; he has retained his flight paramedic certification. His most recent accreditation is as a Chief Medical Officer through the Center for Public Safety Excellence. Outside of his professional life he has served as a member of several international medical missions to Haiti. Immediately following the earthquake disaster of January 2010 he led several missions to Haiti, which included administrative, financial, intelligence, logistical, and operation sections. Currently, he is a medical specialist for FEMA Urban Search and Rescue - Indiana Task Force One and an Operations Commander for the Indianapolis EMS agency. He holds an Associate degree in Emergency Medical Services from Ball State University and a Bachelor degree in General Studies with a Science concentration and minors in Psychology and Medical Sociology from Indiana University - Purdue University at Indianapolis. Currently he is enrolled as a paramedic to RN ASN transition student at IVY Tech Community College - Indianapolis.

	Courtney VanJelgerhuis
	Director of Operations and Preparedness Advisor
	Courtney VanJelgerhuis is a Preparedness Advisor at MESH. Courtney provides healthcare emergency management consulting and preparedness services for MESH coalition partners and stakeholders. She also handles a variety of special projects. Before joining MESH, Courtney worked as legal secretary/paralegal at Baker & Daniels where her experience was focused in health care, insurance and corporate law. Courtney is a graduate of the University of Indianapolis with a BS in Organizational Leadership.

	Richard T. Whitman, COL, USAR
	Contract Chemical and Radiological Advisor
	Richard T. Whitman teaches Homeland Security subjects for Indiana University at the School for Public and Environmental Affairs and for the Purdue University College of Technology. He is a native of Pennsylvania where he attended Villanova University as a Biology major and West Chester University to complete a Master of Arts in Physical Science. He is a graduate of the Army and Naval War Colleges and the National Defense University. His military reserve career included fifteen years in Special Operations and four mobilizations largely to support Peace Negotiations and WMD effects planning. He was the principal negotiator for the 21st Theater Command in Hungary, Croatia and most of Bosnia-Hercegovina when the Dayton Accords were signed. Mr. Whitman also had a three decade federal civilian career specializing in Health Physics (Radiation Program Management) for the Army, the Navy and the Veterans Administration before accepting a position with the US Customs in 2000 at the National Safety Office in Indianapolis, IN. He retired from US Customs and Border Protection in 2008 and was recalled as an Army Colonel with the Defense Threat Reduction Agency at the Nevada Test Site for a year as a Test Scientist and Officer in Charge. Mr. Whitman returned to Indiana in 2009 where he now provides Homeland Security and WMD advice to several federal agencies and teaches on Homeland Security matters and supports new standards for radiation protection. He has received the Commissioner of Customs Award, the Legion of Merit and the Indiana Governor’s Sagamore of the Wabash for his service.

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