Bill Seifarth, MS, NRP, ICE-CCP

Executive Director & Chief Executive Officer

Bill Seifarth was appointed by the National Registry Board of Directors to serve as the fifth Executive Director of the National Registry, starting August 24, 2018. A Nationally Registered Paramedic and an industry veteran, Seifarth brings more than 20 years of experience to the position, including Emergency Medical Services (EMS) leadership at both the state and federal levels, along with a background of managing several comprehensive certification programs.

Alan Arguello

Chief Operating Officer

Alan Arguello leads the operations of the organization, which includes the leadership and administration of risk management, operational planning, program implementation, performance monitoring, and incident/business continuity preparedness activities. Alan is a Paramedic and certified Project Management Professional (PMP). He carries a Bachelor of Arts in National Security Studies from Tulane University and a Master of Business Administration from Louisiana State University, Shreveport.

"The highest form of knowledge is empathy." - Plato

Lori Leist, MLHR

Chief People Officer

The Human Resources Team is responsible for managing the strategy and processes related to building and retaining an exceptional team of professionals at the National Registry. Part of the National Registry’s vision statement is to be the best place to work; Lori and her team work to make this a reality. Ms. Leist holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Dayton, and a Masters of Labor and Human Resources from The Ohio State University. 

“So often in life things that you regard as an impediment, turn out to be great good fortune.” — Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Mihaiela Gugiu, PhD

Chief Assessment Officer

Dr. Mihaiela R. Gugiu oversees the development and validation of certification examinations, the development and implementation of recertification, and the efforts to innovate the certification process in line with appropriate standards in the credentialing industry. Dr. Gugiu has extensive experience in psychometrics, research, and accreditation standards, and is committed to advancing the development of certification examinations in a fair and equitable manner. Dr. Gugiu holds a PhD in Political Science from Western Michigan University and a Nursing degree from Victor Babes School of Nursing, Romania.

"The most difficult thing is the decision to act; the rest is merely tenacity." - Amelia Earhart

Sara Hammond

Chief Financial Officer

Sara Hammond is a Senior Executive with over ten years of experience at the National Registry. Ms. Hammond has a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Franklin University.

"You can't go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending."  C.S Lewis

Edward Toner, MBA, NRP

Chief Information Officer

Edward "Ed" Toner brings over 20 years of experience in technology leadership across public and private sectors. Before joining the National Registry, Toner was the CIO for the State of Nebraska, where his IT consolidation initiative achieved over $30 million in annual savings and earned him the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) Enterprise IT Management Initiatives Award. Toner’s private sector experience includes notable roles at Fiserv, where he led global IT teams to reduce critical incidents by 75% and achieved a 28% reduction in mean time to resolution, and at TD Ameritrade, where his process improvements resulted in over $3 million in cost savings in his first year. Toner holds a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Distribution from Texas A&M University and is a certified Six Sigma Black Belt and Scrum Master. He has been recognized among Government Technology’s Top 25 Doers, Dreamers, and Drivers.

Ash Panchal, MD, PhD

Research Director

Dr. Ashish R. Panchal oversees the National Registry's research activities and serves as a mentor for the research fellows. He is also an Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, and serves as the Delaware County EMS Medical Director. Dr. Panchal has a PhD in Organ System Physiology from Case Western Reserve University and an MD from The Ohio State University.