Donnie Woodyard Jr.

Donnie Woodyard Jr., MAML, NRP, is a nationally recognized EMS policy, innovation, and governance leader with over 30 years of experience as a paramedic, instructor, and executive. His EMS journey began as a volunteer EMT in high school, sparking a lifelong dedication to prehospital care, education, and regulatory leadership. By 19, he became a certified paramedic while attending Cedarville University and later earned his Critical Care Paramedic certification from the University of Maryland-Baltimore County. Donnie holds degrees from Indiana University and Liberty University and is completing a doctorate in law and policy, focusing on the role of interstate compacts in occupational licensing. He is a graduate of Naval Postgraduate School’s Center for Homeland Defense & Security Executive Leaders Program. He holds a certificate in Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare from Harvard Medical School. 


Donnie has served as State EMS Director for Louisiana and Colorado, leading modernization efforts in EMS education, technology, and workforce regulation. His leadership extends internationally, having spearheaded national EMS system development in Sri Lanka and South Asia and directed medical teams in disaster and conflict zones worldwide. At the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians, he served as chief information officer and later chief operating officer, overseeing national EMS data integration and digital transformation initiatives. 


Since 2019, Donnie has played a key role in shaping interstate clinician mobility through the U.S. EMS Compact, first as Colorado’s Commissioner, later as chair of the Compact’s governing body, and now as its executive director. His work advances interstate licensure recognition, national EMS preparedness, and federal policy integration. 


Beyond EMS, Donnie is a scuba divemaster with over 800 dives and a fixed-wing pilot, serving as squadron commander in the U.S. Air Force Auxiliary Civil Air Patrol. A respected author, he has written multiple books on EMS leadership, technology, and the future of EMS, providing strategic insights into AI integration, workforce mobility, and industry modernization.