Leadership Team
Bryan Gibson
Chief Executive Officer
Bryan Gibson - Chief Executive Officer
Bryan Gibson, Chief Executive Officer of Priority OnDemand, has more than 30 years of experience in emergency medical services. He founded Priority Ambulance (a division of Priority OnDemand) with a vision to set a higher national standard of clinical excellence and care in emergency medical services.
Gibson began his career as a licensed paramedic working at a hospital in Corinth, Mississippi, and later with a fire department in Memphis, Tennessee. In 1995, he founded his first ambulance company, Priority Ambulance, based in Memphis. He served as President and CEO of Priority Ambulance and its 125 staff members and 45 ambulances, which generated $11 million in annual revenue. In 1997, Gibson sold his company to Rural/Metro and joined its management team as Mid-South Division General Manager. Later that year, he was promoted to oversee business development and was responsible for operational productivity and profitability throughout the 10-state South Zone region.
One of his main functions was to support and direct staff in turnaround environments to ensure regional profitability. In 2002, Rural/Metro tapped Gibson to serve as Division General Manager for a multi-state territory that included Mississippi, Alabama, West and Middle Tennessee and the Florida Gulf Coast – operations with annual revenues totaling $19 million. From 2005 to 2010, he served as Group President of the South Region and then the Southwest Region, overseeing operations and business development in both territories and securing new contracts and renewals for key markets. In 2010, Gibson became Chief Operating Officer at Rural/Metro Corporation, overseeing all operating aspects of one of the largest emergency services companies in the country. For the fiscal year, ended June 30, 2010, Rural/Metro Corporation provided ambulance services and other services to more than one million individuals in approximately 440 communities nationwide and generated net revenue of $530.8 million.
In May of 2012, Gibson returned to his entrepreneurial roots and founded his second ambulance company, Shoals Ambulance, in Florence, Alabama, which was awarded the exclusive contract for EMS emergency and non-emergency services for Lauderdale County and the City of Florence in 2013. Shoals Ambulance became a part of the Priority Ambulance family in 2014. Today, Priority OnDemand provides ambulance, telehealth, and patient logistic services to more than 700,000 patients annually in 14 states.
Gibson earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Colorado Tech University. He has been married to his wife, Lisa, for more than 20 years, and has a son, Jake.
Steve Blackburn
Chief Operating Officer
Steve Blackburn - Chief Operating Officer
Steve Blackburn has more than 30 years of experience in the emergency medical services industry and specializes in developing and implementing operational strategies that are designed to maximize growth potential, efficiency, and profitability. As Chief Operating Officer, Blackburn oversees all regional leadership and operations and focuses on companywide strategic planning to develop and implement the infrastructure and systems to accommodate future growth. He previously served as Regional President of Priority Ambulance’s MidSouth and Northeast regions, overseeing multi-state operations.
Prior to joining Priority Ambulance in late 2013, Blackburn worked for Rural/Metro Corporation, based in Scottsdale, Arizona. He began his tenure in Nashville, Tennessee, as Division General Manager and was promoted to Vice President of Rural/Metro’s East Zone, responsible for overseeing six EMS and fire divisions.
Blackburn also served as Vice President of New Business Integration for Rural/Metro Corporation, assisting in integrating new operations, contract retention and acquisitions. He also held several positions with various manufacturers of emergency medical technology and disaster response equipment, serving as National Technical Sales Manager for TVI-Immediate Response Technologies and Director of Marketing for Ferno-Washington, Inc.
Blackburn earned a master’s degree in business administration from Franklin University and a bachelor’s degree in health education from The Ohio State University.
Kristi Ponczak
Chief Financial Officer
Kristi Ponczak - Chief Financial Officer
Kristi Ponczak, Chief Financial Officer for Priority OnDemand, is responsible for all financial and accounting-related functions of the company. As CFO, she advises and coordinates with the CEO and board of directors on all financial matters related to corporate growth, strategic initiatives and related activities.
Ponczak has more than 15 years of experience managing finances in the emergency medical services industry. Ponczak joined Priority Ambulance in 2013 as its Chief Financial Officer. Before joining Priority Ambulance, she was Chief Financial Officer for the publicly traded Rural/Metro Corporation, one of the country’s largest emergency medical services companies.
During her 13 years with Rural/Metro Corporation, she served in various finance and accounting roles, including Director of Financial Planning and later as Vice President and Treasurer. She served as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Rural/Metro Corporation from 2006 to 2011. Prior to her experience in the EMS field, Ponczak worked as Corporate Controller at Sun Street Foods and was responsible for implementing operational and accounting processes post-acquisition for the publicly traded Main Street & Main.
Ponczak began her career focusing on large-scale merger and acquisition structures as a member of the Management Consulting-Business Valuation Group at Coopers & Lybrand.
Dr. Joe Holley
Chief Medical Officer
Dr. Joe Holley - Chief Medical Officer
With more than 30 years of experience, Dr. Joe Holley is the Medical Director for Priority Ambulance’s operations in Tennessee, as well as serving as the national medical director for Priority OnDemand.
Additionally, Dr. Holley is the State EMS Medical Director for Tennessee, as well as the Medical Director for Memphis and Shelby County Fire Departments and Tennessee Task Force One: Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) team. He has been deployed over 25 times to such events as 9/11 at the Pentagon, Hurricanes Katrina, Harvey, and Irma, among many others. Due to this extensive experience, he now is the Medical Unit Leader for FEMA’s Incident Support Team.
Dr. Holley is Subspecialty Board Certified and has extensive experience in EMS, including specialty areas such as Confined Space, Motorsports, and Event services. He currently serves multiple private EMS systems in West Tennessee, making him the most active EMS Medical Director in Tennessee.
In addition, he is a member of the Eagles Consortium, comprised of the EMS Medical Directors of the nation’s largest municipalities. Dr. Joe Holley also provides educational presentations, up-to-date protocols and emergency medical hot topics via EmergencyMedicalResources.com. Dr. Joe Holley was voted a Memphis Top Doc by Memphis Flyer.
Maria Zito
Chief Revenue Officer
Maria Zito - Chief Revenue Officer Over Revenue Cycle Management
Maria Zito oversees Revenue Cycle Management, managing billing operations for Priority Ambulance’s family of companies. She supervises patient billing and collections activities, systems, and procedures.
Zito previously served as Revenue Cycle Management Director for Priority’s New York, Virginia and cash posting operations. She oversaw the day-to-day revenue operations and managed cash flow for Priority, handling billings for services across multiple entities.
Zito’s 25+ year career within EMS began as a billing representative at Kunkel Ambulance in Utica, New York. She rose through the ranks to become the company’s Vice President, joining Priority OnDemand in 2014 through the acquisition of Kunkel Ambulance. Zito earned her bachelor’s degree in business economics from SUNY College.
Bob Jewell
Chief Revenue Integration Officer
Bob Jewell - Chief Revenue Integration Officer
Bob Jewell serves as Chief Revenue Integration Officer for the Priority OnDemand family of companies, applying his extensive experience as a compliance and revenue recognition expert to ensure meticulous revenue cycle compliance for the company’s acquisition program.
Prior to his current role, Jewell served as Chief Revenue Officer for Priority OnDemand’s family of companies, overseeing all patient billing activities, collections systems and procedures. He has 35 years of experience in the emergency medical services industry.
Jewell previously served as Vice President of Operations for RevOne Companies, a collection agency in Greenwood, Indiana. Additionally, Jewell served as Vice President of Revenue Cycle Management for Rural/Metro Corporation prior to joining Priority Ambulance in 2014. While at Rural/Metro, he managed 1.2 million annual transports and the associated cash collection of $600.2 million through six billing locations with 485 billing employees.
Adrienne Huntley
Chief People Officer
Adrienne Huntley - Chief People Officer
Adrienne Huntley has more than 20 years of experience developing, implementing and leading people strategies across a diverse portfolio of companies and industries. As Chief People Officer, Adrienne oversees the enterprise-wide people, strategy, and culture, recruitment, talent management, employee wellness, DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) and building development opportunities for advancement.
Prior to joining Priority, Huntley was the founder and CEO of Enne Resources, LLC, an executive HR advisory firm specializing in talent acquisition, executive coaching and leadership development. She previously served as Vice President of HR & Compliance for Qsource, where she led HR strategy, organizational culture, benefits and compensation, and established DEI initiatives.
Huntley’s prior experience also includes Global Organizational Development Director & Corporate HRBP for Barr Brands International, Chief Human Resources officer for Tenet Health – St. Francis Hospital in Barlett, Tennessee, and Human Resources Director for HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital.
Huntley holds a master’s degree in HR/Organizational Development and a bachelor’s degree in business administration with an emphasis in HR from Strayer University.
Additionally, she is an EQ Certification Assessment Facilitator and Coach and holds a Professional Human Resources (PHR) certification. A Tennessee native, Huntley is deeply involved in her community and currently serves as a Facilitator/Speaker for HR Training.
Tony Dalton
General Counsel/Compliance
Tony Dalton - General Counsel/Compliance
As General Counsel, Dalton heads Priority OnDemand’s in-house legal department in its corporate headquarters in Knoxville, Tennessee. Dalton has more than 29 years of legal experience, including significant experience in the emergency medical services industry.
Before joining Priority OnDemand, Dalton was a partner at Woolf McClane Bright Allen & Carpenter, PLLC. Dalton previously served as outside counsel for Priority Ambulance for several years before assuming the General Counsel role. Dalton has advised the company on a variety of legal issues during its recent growth. In his years of private practice, Dalton represented numerous paramedics, EMTs, ambulance services and fire departments in a wide variety of legal matters.
Brenda Staffan
Chief Government Affairs/Public Policy Officer
Brenda Staffan - Chief Government Affairs and Public Policy Officer
Brenda Staffan has more than 30 years of experience in the emergency medical services (EMS) and healthcare policy sector. As Chief Government Affairs and Public Policy Officer, Staffan leads the Priority OnDemand’s government relations and public policy strategies, fostering sustainable partnerships and advocating for policies supporting innovative and efficient healthcare services.
Prior to joining Priority, Staffan served as a Senior Advisor to the Emergency Triage, Treat & Transport (ET3) Model at the federal Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation, where she played a pivotal role in the implementation of the innovative healthcare delivery model.
Additionally, she has held leadership roles at the Regional Emergency Medical Services Authority (REMSA) and the California Ambulance Association. Staffan has also led legislative and policy strategies as the Director of Federal Government Affairs for Rural/Metro Corporation.
9721 Cogdill Road, Suite 302 Knoxville, TN 37932
865.888.5195
info@priorityondemand.com