Educational Services Specialists

Allen Ribblett is an Educational Services Specialist at Laerdal. He believes strongly in the power of simulation education to help save lives by better preparing healthcare providers for real-life situations. Based in sunny La Jolla, CA, Allen has extensive experience as a simulationist for healthcare education, having worked in major medical and nursing school simulation programs on both coasts. He holds a Master of Science in Medical and Healthcare Simulation from Drexel University College of Medicine and is a Certified Healthcare Simulation Operations Specialist recognized by the Society for Simulation in Healthcare.

Prior to his work in healthcare simulation education, Allen lived and worked in Madrid, Spain, where he was a translator and English teacher for nearly a decade. He continues to love languages and travel, and also practices yoga and outdoor sports.

Bill Summerfield is an Educational Services Specialist and Field Service Engineer at Laerdal. As a paramedic with more than 30 years of experience, Bill has functioned in roles centering on outreach education, marketing, business development, supervision, and training throughout his career, involving air medical, 911, and tactical EMS. Bill has received numerous awards for service, both locally and internationally.

Dan Plumby is a Virtual Education and Content Development Specialist at Laerdal. In this role, Dan delivers education and training to customers and users, while also designing new courses and working to refine existing programs.

Before joining the Laerdal team, Dan spent nearly six years managing the operations of the Center for Excellence in Practice at the Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences. During that time, Dan and his team supported the college’s nursing and 13 other health sciences programs. In addition to internal users, Dan’s team also facilitated training for dozens of external stakeholders, including Penn Medicine’s Lancaster General Hospital, which relied on Dan’s team for their BLS, ACLS, and PALS courses, Nurse Residency, Novice OB, ALSO, and Massive Transfusion Protocol courses, and numerous mock/drill experiences within the hospital, such as mock codes and trauma drills. Dan holds a Master of Education from Colorado State University, specializing in Organizational Learning, Performance, and Change, and a Bachelor of Arts from Millersville University of Pennsylvania. He is a Paramedic with National Registry and Pennsylvania certification.

Ed Coleclough is an Educational Services Specialist at Laerdal. His experience includes a decade of serving the medical simulation community, including in his previous role as a Senior Marketing Manager for the Americas at Laerdal – a role that has afforded him a unique understanding of the simulation community and their needs. A native to Ontario, Canada, Ed joined the Laerdal Medical Canada team before relocating to the United States.

A graduate of Humber College’s Ambulance and Emergency Care program and later Durham College’s Advanced Care Paramedic program, Ed has over 18 years of experience as a career Paramedic, EMS Educator, and later, the Supervisor of a municipal EMS system’s education center. It was through these experiences that he developed a passion for simulation and recognized its value in improving patient outcomes and patient safety.

Jordan Pate is an Educational Services Supervisor at Laerdal. Jordan joined Laerdal in 2019 and has many years of simulation experience obtained from his previous role as a Paramedic Program Director at one of the largest educational programs in the United States.

Jordan is a Nationally Registered Paramedic, Registered Nurse, Certified Flight Paramedic, and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Emergency Medical Care. Along with these credentials, he maintains instructor certifications in Advanced Cardiac Life Support, Pediatric Advanced Life Support, Basic Cardiac Life Support, and Pre-Hospital Trauma Life Support.

Prior to joining the team at Laerdal, he held many roles throughout his 15 year career in healthcare to include emergency nursing, paramedicine, flight paramedicine, EMS administration, and EMS education.

Kayla Markham-Gazave is a paramedic with nearly five years of experience working on ambulances throughout Montreal and Laval. She has degrees in paramedicine and social science. From her student experiences, she brings a fresh viewpoint to simulations. Her clinical knowledge and experience will give her unique insights into how simulation can enhance the student experience and competency.

Kelly McKeever is a Senior Virtual Education and Content Development Specialist at Laerdal. He is responsible for the development, delivery, and growth of virtual training. Having been with Laerdal for 14 years, Kelly has served in several capacities for the company. Most recently, he was assigned to lead a global initiative and build a virtual delivery program that has seen rapid growth since its inception. Before that, Kelly acted as a Senior Education Specialist and also served as Manager of Education Services for the Laerdal Americas for 4 years.

Kelly studied Biology, Chemistry, and Anatomy/Physiology as an undergraduate student athlete. He also finished his MS in Physiology in 1993. Kelly has historically focused on the physiology and biomechanics of human performance, particularly the metabolic cost of closed chain kinetics as influenced by a diversity of shoe designs. Results of Kelly’s research have contributed to the development and marketing of several major brand shoe types. Kelly and his wife of 35 years reside in Dillon, MT.

Lori Kurtz is a Virtual Education and Content Development Specialist at Laerdal Medical. Lori came to Laerdal in 2011 with a diverse background in healthcare, specifically nursing, as well as an educational background in simulation experiences. As a Registered Nurse, Lori has worked in a variety of clinical areas, including Oncology, Cardiac Telemetry, Outpatient Surgery, Post Anesthesia Recovery Room, and Postpartum mother-baby care. Lori completed a Master of Education and transitioned into academia in 2008. She worked as the Lab Coordinator for a highly ranked State University BSN program, where she ran high-quality simulations. Lori has also been a member of and participated in professional simulation organizations: the Arizona Simulation Network at the state level; the Society for Simulation at the national level; and internationally, the International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation and Learning.

Lori has completed several degrees and certifications over her career. She received a Registered Nurse diploma and then went on to complete two Bachelor of Science degrees in Nursing and Health Services. She also completed a Master of Education program. Additionally, she is a Certified Healthcare Simulation Educator (CHSE), and also holds an ATD Facilitating Virtual Training Certificate.

Max Dannecker is an Educator at Laerdal. He joined Laerdal Medical in 2019. He is a Certified Healthcare Simulation Operations Specialist with over 9 years of simulation operations experience, as well as an EMT with over 13 years of pre-hospital care experience, having worked 911 response and intra-facility transports. He has presented numerous times at IMSH and has presented internationally at SEMA in Saudi Arabia. His research interests include making simulation readily available to as many pre-hospital providers as possible, improving pediatric assessment and care in the pre-hospital setting, improving outcomes from sudden cardiac arrest through the use of real-time feedback devices, and use of simulation in disaster preparedness and active shooter training.

Meg Miller is a Lead Educational Services Specialist at Laerdal. She has an M.Ed. in Instructional Design and Technology and degrees in Biology and Economics. She is CHSE and CHSOS certified and is a BLS, ACLS, and PALS AHA Instructor. Her EMT and Paramedic training, as well as experience teaching EMS providers utilizing simulations for nearly thirty years, gives her a unique insight into training students of diverse backgrounds. Meg's fourteen years as an educator at Laerdal have provided a perspective on the wide variety of teaching methods, resources, and challenges in developing today’s healthcare professionals.

Melisa Colon is an Educational Services Specialist at Laerdal. She has been involved in simulation since 2017 in various roles, including education and operations, and is a big advocate for proper simulation education for staff to assist with quality improvement and better patient outcomes. Her background is in EMS as a Paramedic with over 10 years of experience. She is based in the Orlando, Florida, area, the backyard of Mickey Mouse.

She holds a bachelor’s in health science with a concentration in Healthcare Simulation Education, a master’s in healthcare business administration. She is duo as a Certified Simulation Operation Specialist & Simulation Educator through the Society of Simulation in Healthcare since 2019.

Ola Gonzalez is a SimCapture Education Specialist at Laerdal. Ola is a seasoned trainer in remote/virtual or onsite training.

Ola has over 30 years of experience training different software products. She has a wide range of experience with multiple types of software, including medical EMR, claims ad billing, and simulation. Ola’s career started in the Air Force, teaching CPR and first aid classes. She was also certified in the USAF as a Dental Lab Tech, making dentures and ortho appliances. She spent 8 years traveling as a private consultant, training EPIC at different medical organizations. Ola is certified to teach, build, and implement the Epic Ambulatory module. She also spent 2 years as a System Analyst and 20 years working in medical practices in multiple roles. From this wide range of experiences, Ola has developed a love of training clients. She teaches/trains as if her loved ones will personally encounter someone in a medical event. Ola hopes she has helped in that person’s journey to ultimately do their best job for everyone’s loved ones. 

Patricia Sedgwick is an Educational Services Specialist at Laerdal. Patricia has multiple years of experience in the Healthcare simulation environment as a clinical educator in the Acute Hospital Setting. In this environment, there was a strong focus on quality patient care and positive patient experience, through which simulation was the key to ensuring the best possible patient outcome was attained.

Patricia is currently licensed as a Vocational Nurse in California and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Management, along with Certification in Healthcare Simulation. She was previously Director of Staff Development with the California Dept of Public Health. Along with these certifications, she maintains her American Heart Association provider/instructor status for Basic Life Support, Advanced Cardiac Life Support, and Pediatric Life Support. Other certifications include Workplace Violence Master Trainer which provided self-defense hands-on education for the healthcare setting.

Tyler Richmond is a SimCapture Education Specialist at Laerdal. Before coming to Laerdal, Tyler worked as a trauma coordinator and paramedic/instructor for 10 years in urban and rural communities in central Arkansas. He has held instructor certification in BLS, ACLS, PALS, PHTLS, AMLS, and paramedic. Tyler was part of the Disaster Medical Assistant Team (DMAT) unit for the Health and Human Service (HHS) department during Hurricane Maria and was deployed to Puerto Rico.

Tyler is a graduate of Arkansas Tech University, with a degree in emergency management and administration and a graduate candidate in the Clinton School of Public Service, focusing his capstone project on implicit bias in Healthcare. Tyler loves to travel to clients’ locations and explore the local attractions. His hobbies include road biking and hiking. Tyler is based in North Little Rock, AR.

John started his medical career as a Registered Radiologic Technologist and spent 7 years as an X-Ray tech in a Cardiac Catheterization Lab.

John spent 17 years as a medic/firefighter, finishing his last 5 years as the EMS training captain. During this time, he was also a clinical educator for a Cardiac Pacemaker company and worked with Cardiac Monitoring.

Marty Miller is an Educator at Laerdal. He has more than 40 years of experience as an ALS provider (Paramedic) and Firefighter. Before joining Laerdal, He spent 27 years as a member of the FDNY, retiring as a Company Commander (Captain). He is also a Private Pilot and serves as a Fire Commissioner. Marty attended SUNY Stony Brook and SUNY Farmingdale, specializing in Electrical Engineering.