Chair: Alissa Fontaine

I’m born and raised a Northern Vermonter, spending the last 12 years or so in EMS (Emergency Medical Services). The last 7 of those years have been on obtaining further education including my Associates degree in Paramedicine, Bachelor’s Degree in Emergency Management and just this year my Masters in Public Safety Administration and Leadership.

Though I had no real plans to change my career path immediately, the COVID-19 pandemic along with the addition of a tiny human to our family in the fall of 2020 led me to the here and now. I have been the Emergency Preparedness Coordinator for NVRH since March of 2021 which directly led me to partaking in VHEPC meetings as part of my role. I have learned so much during this past year and credit a lot of that to the Coalition and the peers I have had the privilege of collaborating with. Though I’d like to think that our incredible role helping our facilities, communities and families through the pandemic is winding down, there are many challenges – or as I like to call them “adventures” - looming on the forefront.

Realistically my journey here has been so short, yet – I can barely remember a time when I wasn’t part of this team, learning from all of you, embracing and shaping the way that Emergency Preparedness has changed and is perceived within our hospitals, for our staff and our communities. I’m excited to see where we might be next year at this time, but for now we’ll just take it one adventure at a time.

Co-Chair: Jonathan Scott

My name is Jonathan Scott and I work at Central Vermont Medical Center as the Emergency Preparedness Coordinator. I have been in this position for three years. As the EP Coordinator for CVMC and my relevant duties include reviewing plans and policies, developing drills and writing After Action Reports.

My background in emergency management comes from my 20-year career in the U.S. Coast Guard. I was an enlisted member and held a position of a Marine Science Technician. I supported environmental health by responding to oil and HAZMAT spills, both because of industry or natural occurrences, and performed inspections of vessels and waterfront facilities for safety and security concerns. Additional duties included training and response using the Incident Command System (ICS) for responses such as large and small oil and HAZMAT spills along with natural disasters like hurricanes.

While in the Coast Guard I was qualified in several National Incident Management Systems (NIMS) roles, including Incident Commander, All Command Staff, and Operation Sections and Planning. Additionally, I was a Coast Guard-contracted ICS instructor for six months following my retirement. I have completed my FEMA approved ICS training certification through the State of Vermont, and I am receiving my Vermont certification as an Emergence Manager Director.

I currently live in Central Vermont, where I enjoy hiking, camping, and skiing. I am looking to expand my experience and hope to gain connections with hospitals and better understanding of the Healthcare system if given the opportunity for the VHEPC Executive Committee Co-Chair position. Thank you for considering my interest.

Member At-Large: Charlie Miceli

He is currently the Network Chief Supply Chain Officer with UVM. Charlie joined the University of Vermont Health Network in 2008 as VP of Supply Chain. He has served as Interim CEO for both Inter-Lakes Heath in 2010-2011 and 2014 as well as CIO for One Care Vermont and Deputy CIO and VP Pharmacy for UVM Medical Center.

Prior to his Supply Chain roles, he was a part of Chicago (Northwestern, Loyola, and Univ of Chicago) and Boston (Partners Healthcare and Newton Wellesley) as well as consultancy for BD Health Care Consulting and Services.

He earned a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Notre Dame and holds Board Memberships with Patient Safety Movement Foundation, Green Health Exchange, Northeast Purchasing Coalition, BTV Ignite, Health Industry Resilience Collaborative (HIRC) and Healthcare Transparency Initiative (HTI).

Last but certainly not least, Charlie is the Lead Guitarist for McKenna Lee and the Microfixers.

Member At-Large: Heather Rigney

Heather Rigney is the Emergency Preparedness Coordinator for the Vermont Department of Health. Prior to becoming the ECP, she served as an Emergency Preparedness Specialist out of two District Offices in the southern portion of the state.

Heather has been an active VHEPC member since 2017 and has participated in the Integrated Preparedness Planning workgroup, helping review guidance documents and design trainings for the Coalition.

Heather has seventeen years of emergency planning and response background, working in both natural disasters and anti-terrorism. She is a former EMT Basic and currently works with Vermont Task Force One doing search and rescue, in addition to her full-time employment.

Abby Spiegelman is the Manager of Emergency Preparedness for Rutland Regional Medical Center, which she joined from the Vermont Department of Health (VDH). Prior to working at VDH, Abby worked with American Indian Tribes in Texas and South Dakota on their response to the COVID-19 pandemic for 2 years and before that, she worked as a Congressional staffer for several years where she worked with numerous stakeholders and foreign nationalities, analyzing potential policy, including laws and regulations focused on healthcare and public health.

She received a master’s in emergency and Disaster Management with a concentration in Public Health Preparedness from Georgetown University and both a BS in USVM: Biomedical Science and a Certificate in Public Health Entomology from Texas A&M University.