Leadership
Greg Santa Maria, DHSc, MA, CHEP
CEO
Emergency Management Community Partners
Dr. Greg Santa Maria is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Emergency Management Community Partners (EMCP), bringing more than 30 years of leadership experience in emergency response, healthcare preparedness, disaster operations, and strategic emergency management. His career in public safety began as a volunteer firefighter and EMT with the Massapequa Fire Department on Long Island, New York, where he responded to his first major disaster during the 1990 Avianca Flight 52 crash in Cove Neck, Long Island. Over 12 years of service, he advanced to Engine Company Captain, developing a strong operational foundation in emergency-response leadership.
Greg later served as a paramedic in New York City and as the Paramedic Program Director at Saint Vincent’s Hospital in Lower Manhattan. During his tenure, he trained under the Department of Defense Nunn-Lugar-Domenici program in domestic terrorism response and served as a responder during the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. In recognition of his service and leadership during that response, he was formally honored by Saint Vincent’s Hospital.
In 2003, Greg relocated to South Dakota and joined Sanford Health, one of the nation’s largest rural healthcare systems. In executive emergency management leadership roles, he oversaw preparedness initiatives for more than 200 hospitals, clinics, and long-term care facilities across 26 states. His work included the development of mass vaccination planning during the H1N1 pandemic, Ebola transportation coordination strategies with EMS and healthcare partners, and one of the nation’s first ESF-based corporate healthcare response frameworks.
These programs later supported complex operational responses, including healthcare evacuations during Hurricane Dorian and the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as significant cyber incident preparedness and response efforts.
Greg also provided leadership support for the South Dakota Healthcare Coalition, helping transform it into a healthcare response support organization and developing one of the first Area Command models for healthcare coalitions in the country.
Throughout his career, Greg has collaborated with national partners including the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), The RAND Corporation, Deloitte, Juvare, and numerous healthcare and public safety organizations nationwide. In recognition of his contributions to innovation in disaster preparedness and response, Juvare awarded Greg the William Ryan Honorary Award for Excellence.
Greg holds a Master’s Degree in Emergency and Disaster Management and a Doctorate in Health Science with a concentration in Global Health and Politics. His doctoral research focused on the immediate impact of critical stressors on decision-making during large-scale incidents and disasters. Building on this work, he developed specialized training programs to improve decision-making performance under stress among emergency leaders and responders.
Today, Greg continues to lead EMCP as its CEO and technical strategist, helping organizations build modern, resilient, and operationally effective preparedness and response programs.
Ann Santa Maria
Vice President of Client Services
Emergency Management Community Partners
“At EMCP, we believe the strongest preparedness programs are built through trusted partnerships, shared vision, and collaborative leadership.”
Ann Santa Maria is an accomplished healthcare sales, marketing, and client relations executive with more than 20 years of experience developing strategic partnerships and supporting organizational growth across both the healthcare and small-business sectors.
As Vice President of Client Services for Emergency Management Community Partners (EMCP), Ann leads with a relationship-centered philosophy focused on communication, integrity, and service excellence. Her leadership style blends operational accountability with a servant-leader mindset, ensuring that clients receive responsive support, meaningful collaboration, and high-quality deliverables tailored to their organizational needs.
Throughout her career, Ann has cultivated long-standing professional relationships built on trust, consistency, and results. Her ability to develop strong partnerships across healthcare organizations, provider networks, and community stakeholders has made her a valued advisor and advocate for both clients and teams.
Ann brings extensive experience across patient care operations, skilled nursing and senior living environments, physician relations, admissions and residential sales, business administration, finance, CMS-related programs, team development, and healthcare marketing strategies. Her broad operational knowledge allows her to identify creative solutions that support organizational growth while maintaining a strong focus on client experience and organizational integrity.
In addition to her healthcare leadership experience, Ann has a strong passion for community preparedness, with a particular focus on faith-based organizations and small-business readiness initiatives. Throughout her career, she has collaborated closely with local chambers of commerce and community organizations to help strengthen resilience, communication, and operational preparedness within the communities they serve.
Known for her strong communication skills, collaborative leadership approach, and analytical mindset, Ann has a unique ability to lead through influence, inspire confidence, and foster high-performing teams. She remains deeply engaged with evolving healthcare trends and is committed to helping organizations navigate the changing demands of healthcare preparedness, response, and community support services.
Her work within long-term care and senior living has further strengthened her passion for serving others with compassion, dignity, and purpose. Ann believes in empowering individuals and organizations to become the best version of themselves while leading with both professionalism and heart.
Today, Ann continues to play a vital leadership role within EMCP, supporting clients and partners through innovative solutions, strategic collaboration, and an unwavering commitment to excellence in service delivery.
Contact Ann Santa Maria