Leadership Team

Matthew Crossman

Matthew Crossman

President and Chief Operating Officer

Matthew Crossman joined Emergency Medical Care Inc. (EMCI) as Chief Operating Officer (COO) in January 2024. As COO, Matthew provides leadership and direction for the day-to-day operations of the EHS Ambulance Operations system in Nova Scotia (ground/air/medical communications), as well as 811 Telecare for both Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.
 
Since joining Medavie in 2007, Matthew has held multiple positions including his immediate past role as Vice President of Operations for Medavie Health Services (MHS). He has served as President and CEO of Ambulance New Brunswick and held extensive leadership roles at Island Emergency Medical Services and Medacom Atlantic.
 
As a Canadian executive leader with national experience in health care, mental health and addictions, tele-health, communications and public safety, Matthew has over 24 years of industry experience across North America. Matthew is a licensed paramedic and has a Bachelor of Healthcare Administration from Dalhousie and Executive Masters of Business Administration from the University of Fredericton. He also holds an executive leadership certification from the Rotman School of Management.
 
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Paula Martell

Vice President, Professional Practice, Accountability and Health Care Programs

Paula Martell is the Vice President, Professional Practice, Accountability and Health Care Programs at EMCI. Prior to assuming the role of Executive Director, Paula was Program Manager for EHS LifeFlight. Paula’s previous portfolio included Performance & Development; however, with recent corporate restructuring she is now responsible for a broad corporate portfolio covering clinical services and education, risk management, patient safety and compliance. As well, Paula is responsible for Health & Wellness portfolio and two operations Telehealth and LifeFlight.
 
Paula has over 37 years’ experience as a medical practitioner as both a registered nurse and former paramedic, highlighted with specialized training and experience in areas of critical care, pre-hospital care and air medical transport.
  

In addition to her comprehensive clinical training, Paula completed a Masters of Business Administration degree in 2009, which also included specialized certificates in Fundamentals of Business, Advanced Business Management, and Advanced Business Strategy.

Lindsay Bertrand

Lindsay Bertrand

Vice President, Strategy and System Performance

Lindsay Bertrand is a proven healthcare leader who is passionate about improving health outcomes by leveraging innovative solutions, patient/clinician experience and delivering exemplary care to all Nova Scotians. 

Lindsay brings 20 years of experience in healthcare at Nova Scotia Health/IWK Health serving as a Chief Clinical Information Officer. In this role, she has worked to advance technology-enabled practice and, as one member of a Senior Responsible Owner (SRO) triad, has worked on patient and clinician-centred readiness for One Person One Record (OPOR). This work has been informed by her background as a clinician.

 A Registered Respiratory Therapist and Certified Clinical Anesthesia Assistant by training, she spent 15 years in front-line, patient-facing care, both as a clinician and as a manager at IWK Health. Additionally, Lindsay holds a Master of Health Informatics from the University of Waterloo.

Gordon Peckham

Gordon Peckham

Vice President, Operations

Gordon Peckham joined the Canadian Forces in 1995 under a National Defence scholarship and completed his Bachelor of Science in Nursing at Dalhousie University in 1999. He was posted to Canadian Forces Base Halifax, where he worked in various roles including medical-surgical inpatients, operations, immunization, and training with the Disaster Assistance Response Team. He completed his critical care course at Queen Elizabeth Hospital and worked in intensive care and the emergency department. Gordon was deployed to Bosnia as part of the Advanced Surgical Centre Team and to Sunnybrook during the 2003 SARS outbreak.
 
In 2004, he moved to Vancouver to join the Canadian Forces Trauma Training Centre, where he took on education, clinical and research roles. He was deployed to Kandahar, Afghanistan in 2006 as a critical care nurse with the Multinational Medical Team. Gordon later served at Defense Research and Development Canada in Toronto, where he worked as a critical care nurse at Sunnybrook and was involved in civilian-military educational programs. He deployed to Kandahar again in 2008 and later served as a senior staff officer in Ottawa at the Canadian Forces Health Services Group Headquarters. He was deployed to Haiti after the 2010 earthquake and helped develop the Mobile Surgical Resuscitation Team in support of Canadian Special Operations.
 
In Ottawa, Gordon earned a Master of Health Studies Leadership from Athabasca University and a Canadian Health Care Executive certification from the Canadian College of Health Leaders. He was appointed Commanding Officer of the Health Services Centre in Trenton, Ontario in 2012, and later assumed command of Canadian Forces Health Services Centre (Pacific) in Victoria in 2015. During this time, he completed fellowships in executive training and joint command and staff programs.
 
After retiring from the Canadian Forces in 2020, Gordon moved back to Nova Scotia. He joined EMCI in 2023 following his role as Senior Director of Operations for Nova Scotia Health’s Care Coordination Centre, where he improved patient access and system efficiency. He previously led patient flow improvements as Director of Operations for Central Zone and Dartmouth General Hospital.
 
Matthew Murphy

Matthew Murphy

Vice President, Operational Support and Readiness

Matthew Murphy is the Vice President of Operational Support and Readiness at EMCI. He oversees the planning and management of system and logistical services to support high-quality patient pre-hospital care. This includes the design and implementation of systems and services for materials management, procurement, facilities and fleet services, ensuring efficiency and excellence.
 
With extensive experience in healthcare systems, analytics and operational planning, Matthew has led system-wide initiatives in strategic planning, logistics, infrastructure and business continuity as Chief Data Officer at Nova Scotia Health. Through his approach of aligning health services with the needs of patients and communities, Matthew has optimized healthcare spaces through data-driven planning, contributing significantly to fleet planning, facility site selection, lease negotiations and infrastructure maintenance.
 

Matthew holds a Master’s degree in Applied Health Services Research, is a Certified Health Executive (CHE) and EXTRA Fellow. In addition, he is an Adjunct Professor in the School of Health Administration at Dalhousie University.

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Becky Mullowney

Executive Director, Finance

Rebecca (Becky) Mullowney joined EMCI in 2016 as the Manager, Financial Planning and Reporting and was appointed as the Director, Finance in 2018. Becky is accountable for all financial functions, including leading financial management and reporting, overseeing budget preparation and support the Chief Operating Officer on matters related to financial effectiveness.
 
Becky spent six years with Grant Thornton LLP in Halifax working from Accountant to Manager of Assurance responsible for analyzing financial statements, planning and execution of year-end audit results, preparing and managing budgets. Becky has also been a National UFE Coordinator working to develop and teach internal preparation programs for CA candidates across Canada as well as managing marking teams for practice exams providing guidance and instruction.
 
Becky is an active volunteer in her community, currently as Treasurer and Executive Director of the Alzheimer Society of Nova Scotia. Becky has her Bachelor of Commerce with a major in Accounting from Saint Mary’s University. Becky is also a Chartered Accountant and a Chartered Professional Accountant graduate of the Atlantic School of Chartered Accountancy (ASCA) in Halifax. 

SandyWhitehead

Sandy Whitehead

Director, Human Resources

Since joining EMCI in 1997, Sandy Whitehead has advanced through a variety of human resources roles, consistently strengthening her expertise in leadership and team development. She is deeply committed to creating a safe, respectful workplace culture where employees feel recognized and valued for their contributions.

As Director, Sandy oversees key areas within the human resources portfolio, including labour and employee relations and collective bargaining.

She holds a Certificate in Labour Relations from Queen’s University and is a Chartered Professional in Human Resources (CPHR). Sandy is also an active member of CPHR Nova Scotia.

AlanaAndrews

Alana Andrews

Director, Communications and External Relations

Alana Andrews is the Director of Communications and External Relations, with nearly 20 years of progressive experience in strategic communications and marketing. She brings a broad perspective shaped by work across healthcare, finance, environmental sectors and post-secondary education. Specializing in strategic planning, stakeholder relations and issues management, Alana is passionate about using communication to drive impact and support meaningful change. Throughout her career, she has led initiatives that strengthen brand reputation, align with organizational priorities and build trusted connections with diverse audiences. 

As a leader, Alana is also committed to developing high-performing teams by fostering a collaborative environment, providing mentorship and encouraging continuous learning and growth. 

Alana holds a Bachelor of Public Relations from Mount Saint Vincent University and is currently pursuing a Master of Business Administration from the University of Fredericton.