The Georgia EMS Association is proud to announce that we are currently accepting applications for Year 15 of the Georgia EMS Leadership Program for 2026.

The 2025 Leadership Program was once again a tremendous success, graduating 25 students from across the State who were selected to participate. We are continuing to build on the foundation that began in 2011 with focus group meetings held around Georgia aimed at gathering insight into the various roles and needs of the EMS Director.  We are particularly indebted to the State Office of Rural Health and the Jiann Ping Hsu College of Public Health at Georgia Southern University.  Without their help, this project would not have been possible.    

For those of you who may not be as familiar with the program, I wanted to provide a brief history.  The 2012 program was a “pilot program” that relied heavily on feedback from the participants to measure success as no other state or national model existed.  Participants in all Leadership Programs thus far have represented all types of EMS services from county operated, fire based, hospital based and private services.  The Program has also had representation from all regions of the State, both urban and rural.  A Flex grant from the State Office of Rural Health was the primary funding source in Year 1, which provided 20 slots for rural EMS directors.  Additional funding was obtained to provide slots for urban providers and SOEMS Program Directors. The diversity of the services represented in the Program over the years has provided invaluable insight into EMS operations statewide.  

The GEMSA Board of Directors is pleased to announce that we will conduct Year 15 of this Program, which will kick off in April. The class will be conducted during three (3) up to one week sessions at Georgia Southern University in Statesboro and other locations across the State.  Our current funding will allow us to pay for most expenses; however, some modifications are currently under review for the upcoming program.

We have included on this website:

• The online application (where you will fill in and submit all required materials) - opens in new tab
• Download the commitment verification that you will need to print, sign, and upload on your application. 
• The proposed Outline for the course listing and the material that is tentatively scheduled to be presented during each session. The outline does not list the dates and locations for each session. We have tentative dates for April, August, and November currently in the works. You will be provided with additional details upon selection for this year’s course. 

As you review the outline for the 2026 program, you will see that we have tailored the course to meet the ever-changing needs of today’s EMS leader. This program, after 14 very successful years, has captured national attention and is positioned to shape the future of EMS leadership.

No pre-requisites are required for participation in this class. We hope that you will choose to be a part of the 2026 class of the Georgia EMS Leadership Program.

Kindest regards,

Kim Littleton, BA, NREMT-P
Leadership Program Director
Executive Director, Georgia EMS Association

If you have questions, contact Kim Littleton at director@georgiaemsassociation.com
or call her at 229-402-2240.