Kelsey Boyer
Founder & Executive Director - Save A Brain

Kelsey Boyer is a former professional snowboarder and the Founder and Executive Director of Save A Brain, a nonprofit dedicated to concussion education, prevention, and awareness. After suffering multiple head injuries during her athletic career that led to emergency brain surgery, Kelsey experienced firsthand the life-altering impact of traumatic brain injuries and the lack of accessible education surrounding them.

Through Save A Brain, she is working to shift the culture around brain health by bringing real, relatable education to students, athletes, and communities across the country. Her work combines powerful storytelling with practical tools for prevention, reaching thousands of individuals and providing access to protective equipment, including over 4,000 helmets donated to youth in need.

Kelsey now speaks nationally, using her story to inspire action, raise awareness, and help others better understand how to protect their brain and advocate for their health.

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Michael Dean, NRP, FP-C
Training Captain - Park City Fire District

Michael Dean is a Training Captain and Critical Care Paramedic with Park City Fire District, with experience in EMS since 2005. He has also served as a flight paramedic, with a focus on high-acuity patient care.

He currently leads the development and oversight of the district’s Critical Care and RSI programs, emphasizing advanced airway management, ventilator use, and prehospital critical care. Michael is actively involved in training, protocol development, and quality improvement initiatives, working to align field operations with practical, high-performance care.

His approach centers on building strong, capable providers and delivering consistent, high-quality patient care in complex and time-sensitive situations.

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Stephanie Effros, BSN, RN, C-EFM, C-OBE
Intermountain Health- Flight and Ambulance Services
Medical Transport Education Coordinator, High Risk Obstetrics

Stephanie is a high-risk obstetrics system educator with Intermountain Health Flight and Ambulance Services, where she specializes in maternal transport education, simulation-based training, and system wide protocol development. With a strong background in high-risk obstetrics and critical care transport, she is passionate about improving outcomes for mothers and babies through standardized education, evidence-based practice, and hands-on learning.

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Sgt. Lawrence Hopper
Coordinator, Public Information and Education Division - Utah Highway Patrol

Sgt. Hopper has been with the Utah Highway Patrol for over 20 years, spending his entire law enforcement career with UHP.   He has been involved with public information and education for his entire career, he just finally made it official in October of last year when he transferred to the PI&E division.   He has the opportunity to present to businesses and community groups throughout the state on topics such as DUI, road rage, distracted driving, etc.  He manages the seat belt convincers, pedal karts, and distracted driving simulators, bringing them out to community events or safety days for businesses.  He oversees the driver's education program for UHP and has the great opportunity to partner with local trauma nurses to co-present at local high schools and community events. He understands this message is bigger than just one person and is grateful for the partnership that exists with all the agencies and representatives.

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Brandon Howard, NRP, FP-C
Battalion Chief, Medical Division - West Valley City Fire Department

Brandon Howard, NRP, FP-C, is a seasoned Battalion Chief in the Medical Division for the West Valley City Fire Department with nearly two decades of progressive leadership and clinical experience. He has demonstrated a consistent ability to develop and sustain high-impact programs that improve patient outcomes, operational efficiency, and workforce development. His leadership has been instrumental in advancing EMS practices across Utah, including successfully implementing the first pre-hospital blood transfusion in Utah, establishing a statewide benchmark for critical care delivery in the field. 

Brandon has led numerous initiatives, including the creation of a Community Paramedic Outreach Program targeting at-risk populations, development of an IBSC-accredited critical care course, and implementation of advanced treatment protocols such as non-opioid pain management and sepsis alert criteria. He also created a pediatric tool within the EMS reporting system that provides exact equipment selection, medication dosages, and real-time guidance for high-acuity pediatric calls. His focus on data-driven performance improvement significantly increased cardiac arrest survival rates within his department. 

In addition to operational leadership, Brandon is deeply committed to education and mentorship, serving as an adjunct instructor and contributing to state and national EMS training programs. His collaborative work with local, state, and federal partners highlights his ability to coordinate complex systems effectively. Brandon’s career reflects a balance of clinical excellence, innovation, and dedication to advancing prehospital medicine. 

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Madison Okumura
Outreach Lead - Zero Fatalities

Madison is a passionate advocate for traffic safety and the safety and success of students throughout the state of Utah. As a Zero Fatalities Outreach Lead, Madison has developed a strong foundation in the importance of teaching, guiding, and empowering others. Although her degree is in Communication Studies and Public Relations, she grew up with a family of educators, which inspired a career dedicated to working with students across the state, providing valuable resources and education on the importance of safety.  Madison has given over a thousand assemblies and presentations throughout the years for Safe Routes, Zero Fatalities, and Truck Smarts programs throughout Utah.

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Cory Russo, DHSc, MBA, F-ABMDI
Chief Medical Examiner Investigator - Utah Office of the Medical Examiner

Dr. Russo is a board certified Medical Examiner Investigator who graduated with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in the fields of forensic science, psychology, medical health sciences, and business administration. She earned her doctorate in medical health sciences from Eastern Virginia Medical School. She has worked in multiple hospitals in the ED and NICU. She has conducted research in HIV drug targets, child homicides, and suicide, and she loves the public health focus of the office. She worked as a medical examiner investigator in multiple states before moving back to Utah in 2020. In 2022, she assumed the role of Chief Medical Examiner Investigator for the state of Utah. 

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Jamie Sessions, MSN, RN, CEN
Neurosciences Outreach Educator, University of Utah Neurosciences Outreach

Jamie Sessions, MSN, RN, CEN is a Neurosciences Outreach Nurse Educator with nearly two decades of clinical experience spanning emergency care, critical care, interventional radiology, and neurology. She currently works with a large academic health system, where she leads education and quality initiatives for rural and partner hospitals, focusing on stroke and neurovascular care. Jamie specializes in developing practical, evidence-based training programs for nurses, EMS providers, and interdisciplinary teams, with an emphasis on improving access to high-quality neurological care in underserved areas. She is also the creator and host of Brain to Bedside, a clinical podcast designed to translate complex neuroscience topics into real-world practice.

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Peter Taillac, MD, FACEP
Clinical Professor, Dept. of Emergency Medicine, University of Utah School of Medicine
Medical Director, West Valley City Fire Dept and Bureau of EMS, Utah Department of Public Safety

Dr. Taillac is a Clinical Professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of Utah School of Medicine. He is active in EMS and serves as both Medical Director for the West Valley City Fire Department and for the Bureau of EMS, Utah Department of Public Safety. In addition, he served as a Colonel, US Army Medical Corps with combat medical experience in Iraq and Afghanistan. As an EMS medical director, he has advocated for evidence-based improvements in prehospital care, including the early initiation of blood products in hemorrhagic shock.

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Lacie Tye MSN, RN, C-EFM
Intermountain Health- Flight and Ambulance Services
Medical Transport Clinical Supervisor, High Risk Obstetrics

Lacie is an experienced nursing leader with 18 years of clinical practice and a specialized focus in high-risk obstetrics (HROB) transport. She has spent the last seven years providing advanced care to critically ill obstetric patients during air and ground transport. Lacie has a passion for program development, safety, and improved outcomes for maternal and neonatal care across diverse settings. She provides real-world experience and a collaborative approach to caring for the obstetric population.

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Stephanie Vega, MS-AGNP, MBA, RN, CCRN-K
Trauma Program Manager
Intermountain Health Lutheran Hospital

Stephanie Vega is the trauma program manager for Lutheran Hospital in Wheat Ridge, Colorado, a Level II Urban trauma center. She started her career as an ICU and ED nurse at a level I trauma center in Phoenix, Arizona in 2004. Since 2011 she has been in performance improvement for trauma programs at level I and II centers across the country in Arizona, Florida, and now in Colorado. She has led committees on performance improvement for the Colorado Trauma Network and is currently the Lead Nurse Partner for the TQIP Best Practice Guideline Committee. She was the lead nurse consultant for the new TQIP Best Practice Guideline for Chest Wall Injuries Management.