Board Members
Donald Richards. Donny is the program director for the Strengthen your Mind Initiative. He has provided treatment and training to first responders, active duty military, and combat veterans in stress management and resiliency techniques for over a decade, in both clinical and non-clinical settings.
Donny has presented nationally on the topic of stress reduction for first responders and has conducted critical incident debriefings for departments throughout New England and New York. He has trained in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center and has been practicing and teaching mindfulness for over 20 years. Donny served with the 318th combat support company United States Army Infantry.
Richard Heck. Richard Heck is a highly versatile and experienced executive and hands-on administrator with extensive familiarity in both public and private educational institutions. As President of Heck Consulting, he provides expert guidance in higher education administration, financial operations, software selection, and institutional research. His career highlights include serving as Associate Dean of the College and Executive Officer at Dartmouth College, where he managed an $80+ million budget and over 600 employees, overseeing financial, human resources, facilities, and technology planning, as well as auxiliary operations. Earlier, as Director of Alumni and Parent Relations at Binghamton University, he was instrumental in financial planning, endowment management, and establishing the institutional research office, co-founding key professional associations like NEAIR and HEDS. Mr. Heck excels in team-building, coaching, and energizing personnel towards achieving goals through strategic planning, assessment, and skill development. His specialties encompass financial planning, data systems technology, human resources, fundraising, grant writing, and policy development. He holds a BA in Social Psychology and Chemistry from Cornell University.
Ronald Steinvurzel. Ron is a principal with Steinvurzel & Levy Law Group. He has extensive experience representing commercial and industrial real property owners and operators, remediation and construction contractors, and engineers. Ron has worked on projects across the nation and in Europe. In addition to his legal experience, Ron has a background in the environmental sciences and environmental policy. Having worked on a broad spectrum of corporate, litigation, construction, and regulatory matters for clients of all sizes, Ron appreciates and knows not only the time-sensitive nature of matters, but also the need to develop a solution that relates benefit to cost.
Richard Nebelski. Rich served the US Navy for 21 years, retiring in 2011 as a Master Chief in the submarine nuclear operations field. Following the Navy, he has held several positions ranging from consulting services, software development, teaching nuclear power plant engineers, and currently supporting the government program office for submarine shipbuilding. Rich has a BS in Human Resource Management from New School University in NYC and a Master's in Business for Veterans (MBV) from the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles, CA. Rich and his wife Nichole also own and operate the historic 1827 House in West Dover, VT, and have three children and two dogs.
Ed Sawicki brings over 37 years of leadership experience in Emergency Medical Services (EMS), spanning the private, public, and volunteer sectors. He holds a bachelor's degree in Biology from Westfield State University and a Master of Business Administration from Golden Gate University. He has been a Nationally Registered Paramedic since 1988. Throughout his career, Ed has held senior leadership roles, including Operations and General Manager in the private EMS sector, where he played a critical role in system design, development, and integration across diverse stakeholder groups. He was instrumental in the strategic merger of the San Francisco Department of Public Health Paramedic Division into the San Francisco Fire Department, a key initiative that improved operational alignment and service delivery.
Ed has also served as a lead instructor for EMT and Paramedic programs and clinically supervised over 30 EMTs and Paramedics as a Paramedic Rescue Captain. He remains actively involved at the national level in disaster preparedness, EMS policy development, and workforce advancement.
In the medical technology sector, Ed served as a Professional Education Manager at Ethicon, a Johnson & Johnson company, where he oversaw educational symposiums for surgeons and contributed to both domestic and international product development teams. He later worked at Maquet Cardiovascular as a Product Manager, where he was responsible for generating $269 million in annual revenue.
An accomplished author and thought leader, Ed has contributed articles
to JEMS and EMS Insider and served on the Editorial Advisory Board for JEMS. He has also
served as an expert witness and held key leadership positions with the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT), including Treasurer and Chair of multiple committees.
Ed has extensive nonprofit governance experience, having served on several Boards of Directors for 501(c)(3) organizations. His blend of operational expertise, strategic insight, and commitment to professional development makes him a valuable asset to any board seeking leadership in healthcare, education, and public service sectors.
William Verrochi.