Kurt Williams, Chief Executive Officer, Southwest and Hawaii Region:
Southern California, Hawaii & Nevada
Mr. Williams has more than three decades of experience in the medical transportation and health care industries. He oversees AMR’s Southwest / Hawaii Region, which includes Nevada and Hawaii, with major operations in Los Angeles, San Bernardino, San Diego and Riverside counties in California. The Southwest/Hawaii Region is AMR’s second largest region. It employs more than 6,000 employees and responds to more than 714,000 calls for help annually.
Mr. Williams is a recognized leader in the implementation of innovative changes in the approach and technology used in pre-hospital care and is leading AMR’s entry into remote monitoring, remote presence and other innovative technologies. In addition, he serves as the liaison officer in AMR’s National Command Center for AMR’s Department of Homeland Security FEMA contract.
In 2010, Mr. Williams was one of 51 leaders invited to participate in the World Economic Forum mHealth Summit, based in Davos, Switzerland. The summit brings together world leaders to discuss the worldwide implications of wireless health technology in developed and emerging countries, an area that is attracting considerable attention and is expected to change the lives of millions of people around the globe.
Under Mr. Williams leadership, AMR has been recognized for its work with the San Mateo County, Calif., EMS system, an innovative public-private partnership. The EMS system received the prestigious California League of Cities Helen Putnam Award, the National Council for Public Private Partnerships (NCPPP) Award in the fall of 2000, the International Association of Fire Chiefs’ 2001 Award for Excellence, and the International City Managers Association Award for Outstanding Public and Private Partnerships in 2001. Under his direction, AMR’s San Diego operations received the California Award for Performance Excellence in March 2005. The award is modeled after the Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award criteria. Mr. Williams has managed emergency medical systems across the western United States for AMR. He has worked with fire and healthcare professionals in Hawaii, California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, New Mexico and Washington state.
In 2007, Mr. Williams was appointed to the State of California’s Emergency Medical Services Authority Directors Advisory Group. He also serves as a member of the Clark County, Nev., Medical Advisory Board and the Helicopter Medical Advisory Board. In addition, he has been a member of the San Diego Greater Chamber of Commerce CEO Roundtable and is a former member of the Board of Directors for First Choice Health Care in Seattle, Wash. He also served for 12 years on the American Ambulance Association’s board of directors and is active on numerous other governance boards of directors as well.