Maria Beermann-Foat, PhD

Maria Beermann-Foat, Ph.D, NRP, has 25 years of prehospital emergency care experience in privately-owned, hospital-based and county government-based emergency services. Dr. Beermann currently serves as the EMS Training Coordinator for the Eugene Springfield Fire Department in Oregon. Dr. Beermann retired from Johnson County (Kansas) MED-ACT- Emergency Medical Services in December 2021, where she last served as a 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.

At the national level, Dr. Beermann is involved in many organizations to further the EMS profession and resolve issues pertaining to EMS retention and recruitment, workforce engagement, and EMS research. Dr. Beermann serves as: Director, At-Large for the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT) Board of Directors and is a member of NAEMT’s EMS Workforce Committee; Editorial Advisory Board member and regular columnist for EMS1.com on topics pertaining to employee recruitment, retention, and engagement; Editorial Advisory Board member and scientific reviewer for the recently launched International Journal of Paramedicine; National conference speaker and webinar presenter for NAEMT, EMS1.com and Fitch & Associates; National Fire Academy course developer and instructor for courses in EMS quality management and applied research methods for organizational improvement; and as board member for the Fitch Leadership Foundation.

Dr. Beermann received the 2019 Emerging Leader Award, during the Pinnacle EMS Leadership conference, from Fitch & Associates.
She holds a Ph.D. in Organization Management from Capella University and a Master of Business Administration from MidAmerica Nazarene University. She obtained a City and County Management Graduate Certificate from the University of Kansas in 2020. She holds a six-sigma green belt certification through Johnson County Community College. She is a member of the International City and County Management Association (ICMA), the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT), the National EMS Management Association (NEMSMA), and the American Society for Quality (ASQ) Kansas City Section.