Matt Pelak is currently working as a Firefighter/Paramedic in Poughkeepsie, NY and has over 13 years experience in EMS and technical rescue. He has worked in a multitude of environments from busy urban systems, to rural, to third world. Matt also has over 12 years of Army service as an infantryman and forward observer and is currently serving in the National Guard in NY. Matt has deployed to Iraq with the Army in 2004 and has also worked as a contractor abroad with the US State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service as well as deploying to Pakistan with Team Rubicon.

Ali Adnan is the CEO and President of ReGen Consulting Group. He served over 5 years as a logistics officer in the US Army, deploying to Iraq in 2003 as a platoon leader where he earned the Purple Heart for being wounded in action. His past experience in volunteer disaster relief includes trips to Pakistan, Egypt, and the Gaza Strip. Ali has been fortunate enough to share his experience as a guest lecturer at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey’s chapter of Oxfam in 2009 on his work and experience in the Gaza Strip. Ali holds a BS in Criminal Justice from Rutgers and an MS in Criminal Justice from Boston University.

Shawn Beidler served nearly six years in the Marine Infantry, deploying to Iraq twice, Afghanistan once, and as part of the 31st MEU in Southeast Asia, all with the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment. He attended the Scout/Sniper Basic Course in Quantico, receiving the Charles W. Mawhinney Award as the honor graduate. He served as Chief Scout/Sniper and Team Leader and was awarded multiple decorations for his actions in combat, including the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with “V” combat distinguishing device. He holds a BS in Biology from Southern Arkansas University where he competed in Cross Country and Track and Field.

Todd Bowers Todd served two tours in Iraq as a Civil Affairs Specialist with the United States Marine Corps Reserve, and was awarded the Purple Heart and Navy Commendation medal with “V” device for Valor. Todd also served in Ayacucho, Peru in 2008, where he conducted Civil Military Operations and humanitarian development. In May 2009, he deployed to Afghanistan for 8 months, where he was responsible for developing governmental infrastructure and humanitarian relief efforts.

Levi Briscoe is an EMT-Basic currently pursuing a Bachelors of Science in Nursing at Massachusetts College of Pharmacy. Levi was a Recon Marine operating with the 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion. With them, he served on a Marine expeditionary unit and later deployed to Iraq as an assistant team leader. He is trained in tactical combat casualty care and assisted a rural medical clinic in Sumpango, Guatemala.

Jamie Fleishhacker graduated with Merit from the United States Naval Academy and was commissioned in the Marine Corps in 2000.  After finishing Logistics Officer Course, she was first assigned to Okinawa, Japan where she was a platoon commander, company executive officer and led a detachment of combat service support Marines on Exercise Millennium Edge . After returning from Japan she transferred to Camp Pendleton. There she deployed four times: Operation IRAQI FREEDOM (2003), Operation ENDURING FREEDOM (2005) and two the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit. Additionally she supported relief operations after Hurricane Katrina (New Orleans) and Cyclone Sidr (Bangladesh).

Brian Geary served on active duty with the U.S. Army for 5 years a Field Artillery Officer. He has 24 months of combat experience in both Iraq and Afghanistan. He spent the majority of his active duty time supporting a light infantry battalion as a Fire Support Officer, Executive Officer, Platoon Leader, and Operations Officer. Brian works full time as a contractor for the U.S. Department of State in their Office of Emergency Management. He is also an Army Reserve CPT in the 450th Civil Affairs BN (ABN).

Glenn W. Geelhoed, M.D. received his BS and AB cum laude degrees from Calvin College and his MD cum laude from the University of Michigan. Following his Harvard surgical internship and residency at the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital, Boston, he served as clinical associate and senior investigator at the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland. Dr. Geelhoed was commissioned a LtCdr in the USN in 1970 and assigned to the Bethesda Naval Medical Center where he served as a surgeon. Later he was promoted to Commander and seconded to USPHS. He joined the full-time faculty at George Washington University as an Associate Professor of Surgery in Washington, DC in 1975. His major clinical interests are in endocrine surgery, surgical physiology, oncology and transplantation.

Nicole Green is an Air Force Academy graduate who deployed to Iraq from 2003-2004. After her military service she earned an MA in Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution from Norwich University, while teaching English in Russia. She currently works for Deloitte Consulting in Washington D.C. and enjoys crossfit, hiking, writing, and helping other veterans in her free time.

David Griswell, M.D. is a board-certified Emergency Physician and a member of Emergency Medicine Associates of Germantown, Maryland. Prior to medicine, Griz was a hard-stripe Sgt E-5 in Company C 793rd MP BN in Bamberg, Germany. He is the son of Rev. John and Mrs Billie Griswell, former missionaries to South America. He is a brother of Dr. John Griswell, another member of TR, father of Jerry Griswell and partner of Sergio Jimenez Rios of Puebla, Mexico. He responded to Hurricanes Georges and Mitch and – as a member of both the Dominican and Honduran Red Cross – he deployed across the Dominican Republic and Mosquitia.

Mark Hayward is a physician assistant specializing in tactical and operational medicine. He is a member of Medical Emergency Professionals (MEP), an emergency medicine practice in southern Maryland.  Mark served sixteen years in the US Army, including four years as a Special Forces medic and five years as a combat-arms battalion physician assistant. He holds a BA in History from the College of William and Mary, and a BS in PA Studies from the University of Nebraska. He is married to the former Cammie Burger; they live in Virginia with their son Corwin (12) and daughter Peregrine (10).

Adam Henderson, a 2LT in the U.S. Army, is a current medical student at the DOD medical school, Uniformed Service University of Health Science, in Bethesda, MD. He attended the University of Missouri St. Louis for his undergrad. Prior to that he served seven years active duty in the Army as an Infantryman. He began to transition toward life saving skills throughout his military career receiving his EMT license and then completing his paramedic certification.

Hans Holmes is currently serving active duty in the United States Navy as an Information Systems Technician. He joined the Navy right out of high school and his 10 years of service include 3 years in Europe and a deployment to the middle east in 2005. His parents instilled in him a passion for helping people in need and a love for outdoor adventure. In his off duty time, he is pursuing a degree in Emergency Management and can usually be found hiking, biking or paddling around New England with his family.

Thomas Hudson has responded to disasters as a participatory photojournalist since Katrina in 2005, when he organized volunteer trips for his peers at Marlboro College. Three days after the January 2010 Haiti earthquake, he located flights to Port-au-Prince for a medical team and accompanied them as their photographer. Three weeks later, he secured funding for and helped sail a schooner laden with five tons of medical supplies from Miami to Haiti. In Haiti, he used social media and SMS to build op intel, and fixed for Bill Rancic’s relief flight. Thomas is a freelance photographer based in Arkansas, where he responds to tornadoes regularly.

John T. Long, former Navy SEAL, is the Founder and President of Primar Filtration, whose focus is on permeable ceramics for High Performance Filtration. John served 10 years on active duty with the U.S. Naval SEAL Teams, and is a veteran of the first Gulf War in 1991. Currently a Senior Member of the National Ski Patrol, John is trained in Outdoor Emergency Care, Triage’ and advance techniques of Back Country/Avalanche Search and Rescue. Along with receiving U.S. and Canadian Patents for water filtration, John also holds a FFA Pilots License and an U.S. Merchant Marine Captains License.

Deanna Mahanand served as a Hospital Corpsman in the US Navy from 1988-1996.  After separating from active duty, she received her BS in Business Management from University of Phoenix and her MBA from University of Maryland University College.  She lives in Maryland and currently works as an auditor for DoD.

JC McGreehan is a former US Army Warrant Officer with various deployments, including Afghanistan, throughout seven years of service. His military background includes chemical and biological weapons as well as aviation. Currently, JC is a NREMT-Paramedic working in the Pittsburgh area while also enrolled to become a Cardiac Perfusionist. Amongst EMS, his medical experiences include technical rescue, tactical, wilderness and emergency medicine both in practice and as an instructor.

Meghan Meade has been in the Air National Guard since 2002. She served 8 years as Security Forces before lateral moving to Air Transportation. She lives in NY and works for the Department of Social Services.

Jane Nelson, M.D. is a board certified Family Practice physician who has been practicing in the Northern Virginia area for 24 years. Five of those years were at Arlington Urgent Care Clinic. She grew up in Minnesota and attended the University of Minnesota, where she earned a BA in Urban Studies and an MD from the Medical School.  She did her Family Practice residency at Franklin Square Hospital in Baltimore, MD.  She has two grown children.  She hopes to combine her love of travel and multi-cultural experiences with service to those in need of medical care.

Alan Ogles, M.D. is currently a Board Certified Family Physician in rural Clay County Alabama. A graduate of The University of Alabama and Alabama School of Medicine, Alan has trained and practiced in small towns. He is also a youth sports coach for his boys Chip and Boyd and is active in his community. He currently owns Ashland Family Care LLC and practices with his wife Beth who is a Family Nurse Practitioner. Alan is an avid duck hunter, snow skier, and guitar player.

Josh Peters is a medical device sales manager who currently lives in the Philadelphia area. He has traveled to 15 countries during his collegiate and military years. He served two tours of duty in Iraq with the US Army’s 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment as a combat medical sergeant. He was awarded the combat medical badge and the Army Commendation Medal with “V” device for actions taken while under fire on the outskirts of Fallujah, Iraq in 2003. He volunteers with Team Rubicon in honor of his fellow cavalry troopers who now rest on Fiddler’s Green.

Sam Pezzino is Marine with two tours in Iraq with Camp Lejeune’s 3rd Battalion 6th Marines. Sam filled several infantry billets and was certified as a combat life saver. Sam is currently a Computer Science and Engineering student at the University of Buffalo in New York.

Mark Plaster, M.D. is a board certified emergency medicine physician with 28 years experience. He is the founder and executive editor of Emergency Physicians Monthly, the largest and most widely read publication for emergency physicians. Dr. Plaster is a Commander in the US Navy Reserve with two combat tours in Iraq (2003 and 2008) as the Officer in Charge and Senior Medical Officer of a Marine Corps Shock Trauma Platoon. Dr. Plaster was awarded the Fleet Marine Force warfare qualification. As a civilian he has served on medical outreach trips to Peru, Brazil, Vietnam, Haiti (previously), Sudan, Kenya, Ukraine, and the Republic of Georgia.

Chris Safulko is a law student at SUNY at Buffalo. He earned a BA in Political Science from Canisius College in 2006. Chris served four years in the US Army as a scout platoon leader and troop executive officer. He deployed to Afghanistan in 2008 where he received a Bronze Star Medal. Chris is also a Purple Heart recipient. He still serves as an operations officer in the US Army Reserve.

Kannan Samy will be receiving his MD from the University of Toledo College of Medicine in 2011. He received his bachelor’s degree in biology from the Ohio State University. He will begin his training in general surgery after his graduation, and hopes to continue his career in the field of transplant surgery. Kannan had the opportunity to participate in a medical mission to Tanzania, where he observed the need for skilled surgeons in developing and underserved countries. He hopes to use those skills from his training in concert with international groups to help those in underprivileged areas around the globe by providing surgical care and helping to train surgeons in other countries.

Doug Schemmel is a Marine who served 4 years with the Presidential Honor Guard in Washington, D.C.  He currently works as an electrician with 25 years experience in renovation work. He has responded to previous disasters following Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana as well as the earthquake in Haiti. On a mission to help the less fortunate.

Bryan Eagle Shaw is a National Registry Paramedic involved in rural and urban EMS since 1994. Bryan has extensive training and experience in trauma, critical care, tactical operations, pediatrics, mass casualty incidents in addition to instructing several life support programs. Bryan is pursuing a career in disaster response/preparedness.

Deirdre Spina, R.N. Deirdre currently works as a Medical Surgeon RN in New York.  She earned a B.S. in Physical Education and an M.S. in Education from St. Bonaventure University, where she also played softball.  She managed the Partial Hospitalization Program in Bradford, PA for 8 years, and also coached Women’s Soccer and Softball at Alfred State College for 7 years.  She most recently earned her A.A.S. from ASC in nursing.

Namrata Trivedi, Pharm.D. is a practicing pharmacist and is currently completing a pediatric focused pharmacy residency in Washington DC. Prior to attending pharmacy school at the University of Hawaii, Hilo, Namrata, a California native, graduated from University of California, Davis with a BA in International Relations and a BS in Neurobiology.  Namrata is an avid swimmer and enjoys cooking Indian food in her spare time.

Ben Walker graduated with a B.S. in Social Science in 2006 before being commissioned in the Army. During his four years of service he was deployed to Iraq and Haiti with the 82nd Airborne Division. He now works for Booz Allen Hamilton in McLean, VA and volunteers with the Shenandoah Mountain Rescue Group.