Board of Directors

Board member & Appointing Organization:

Mr. David Blair – President                                 Huntsville City Council

Mr. John T. Brown, Jr. – Vice President             Mayor of Huntsville

Mr. Stan Chapman – Treasurer                           Madison County Commission

Ms. Melissa Musgrove – Secretary                    Mayor of Huntsville

Mr. John Seifert                                                     Madison City Council

Dr. Steven Werdehoff                                           Huntsville Hospital

Dr. John Wisda                                                      Crestwood Medical Center

Executive Leadership

Jon M. Howell, CEO

Howell began his EMS career as a dispatcher at Huntsville EMS, Inc. (HEMSI) in 1984 where he also served as field Paramedic/EMT until 1991, Urban Responder Coordinator (1991-1993), Assistant Director (1993-1998), and Assistant Director of Finance (1998-2001).  He assumed his role as CEO of the organization in 2001. He earned his BS degree in Chemistry from UAHuntsville and completed the Accelerated Ambulance Service Management Academy of the American Ambulance Association Management Training Institute.

Howell is active in his church, serving as Church Treasurer and on various committees. He also serves on the Panel of Commissioners for the Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services (CAAS).

Dea calce, COO

Calce became HEMSI’s new COO with extensive experience in both emergency medical services and the Army National Guard.  As Relief Shift Supervisor, EMS Program Manager, and Company Commander, he has managed every aspect of emergency medical services operations and readiness during his time with HEMSI, Redstone Arsenal, and the National Guard.  He leads HEMSI’s day-to-day operations to ensure efficiency and effectiveness.

Calce is still active with the National Guard and currently serves as a captain in a civil affairs position.

Don Webster, Community relations officer

Webster began working in the ambulance industry in 1974. Over the course of his career, he served as an EMT, paramedic, Urban Responder Coordinator, Assistant Director, and COO of HEMSI. He completed the Accelerated Ambulance Service Management Academy of the American Ambulance Association Management Training Institute in 1995, and currently holds the position of Community Relations Officer for HEMSI, for which he is responsible for strengthening relationships with community partners and agencies as well as working with HEMSI team members to maximize and maintain positive customer service throughout the organization.

Webster is active in the community through programs such as Leadership Huntsville/Madison County and local Emergency Management and Metropolitan Homeland Security initiatives.

Dr. Sherrie Squyres, Medical Director

Dr. Squyres is from Houston, Texas. She graduated from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas, then completed residencies in Internal Medicine at UAB and Emergency Medicine at University Hospital in Jacksonville, Florida. She is a Board Certified Emergency Physician. She has worked in the ER at Huntsville Hospital since 1988, and currently serves as one of the Medical Directors.

She has been HEMSI’s Medical Director since 1994. She encouraged us to seek accreditation through CAAS, and is proud of the fact that we are the first EMS agency in Alabama to have achieved this certification. She is also the Medical Director of AERO, Alabama EMS Region One, which includes 11 counties in North Alabama, and represents them on the State EMS Medical Control Committee. She is a passionate patient advocate, and works to assure that we deliver excellent care with professionalism and compassion.

Dr. Squyres is married and has two wonderful daughters.