Executive Leadership

Richard Zuschlag, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer

Richard Zuschlag

Chairman & Chief Executive Officer

Richard co-founded Acadian Ambulance in 1971 after working for Greenville Broadcasting Company and Westinghouse Electric Company Space and Defense Center. He was instrumental in developing the Lafayette 911 system and is responsible for leading the successful implementation of Acadian’s strategic and operational initiatives company-wide.

Richard has received numerous honors and distinctions over the years, including James O. Page/JEMS Leadership Award in 2019, Pinnacle EMS’ Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016, the 2012 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year in the Healthcare and Healthcare Services category for the Gulf Coast Region and Inc. magazine’s 2005 Entrepreneur of the Year, Honorable Mention, for his efforts in coordinating Hurricane Katrina rescue efforts. He was also inducted into the Louisiana Political Hall of Fame, named a “Louisiana Legend” by Louisiana Public Broadcasting, honored by the University of Louisiana at Lafayette’s Alumni Association at its 2019 Spring Gala and received the Jewell P. Lowe Humanitarian Award from 232-HELP.

Richard has headed fundraising efforts for many organizations including the Boy Scouts, United Way, schools, universities and churches. He was named king of the 2005 Washington, D.C., Mardi Gras and has received several community and civic awards, including the Lafayette Civic Cup, Boy Scouts Distinguished Citizen, Golden Mike, Marketer of the Year and Louisiana Businessman of the Year.

Richard is a graduate of the Capitol Institute of Technology.

Eddy Dupuis

Eddy Dupuis

Chief Financial Officer

Eddy joined Acadian in 2007. He oversees Acadian’s accounting and budgeting functions, as well as financial and income tax reporting processes. He maintains banking relationships and serves as the principal officer regarding merger and acquisitions. He also provides direction for Acadian’s health insurance plan, 401(k) and employee stock ownership plan (ESOP).

Eddy is a certified public accountant and member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Louisiana Society of Certified Public Accountants. Prior to his appointment as CFO, he served as an executive vice president, where he provided financial oversight and guidance to several divisions of Acadian Companies, including Safety Management Systems, Acadian Total Security, Acadian Air Med and Executive Aircraft Charter Service. He graduated cum laude from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette with a bachelor’s degree in business administration.

Allyson Pharr

Allyson Pharr

Executive Vice President & Chief Legal Officer

Allyson has oversight responsibility for the legal & risk management, governmental affairs and public relations departments. She joined Acadian in 2001 as associate general counsel and now serves on the company’s executive committee, which has operational oversight for the administrative affairs of the organization as a whole.

Allyson received her bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in 1990 and her Juris Doctorate in law from Louisiana State University, Paul M. Hebert Law Center, in May 1993. She is admitted to practice law in the states of Texas and Louisiana and in the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana and the Eastern District of Texas. She is a member of the Louisiana Bar Association, the American Bar Association and the Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel.

Blaise Zuschlag

Blaise Zuschlag

Executive Vice President & Chief Administrative Officer

Blaise manages the company’s purchasing, fleet maintenance, IT and building maintenance departments, as well as assists in planning and directing all corporate administrative, financial and operational activities. He also works on special projects and strategic initiatives including acquisitions, innovation and governmental relations. Blaise joined Acadian Companies in February 2013 and has held roles as a business analyst, director of administration and most recently, chief of staff. Prior to Acadian, he served as an advisor for JP Morgan Chase’s Private Bank.

A native of Lafayette, LA, Blaise earned a bachelor’s degree in finance from LSU and a MBA from Tulane University. He is a graduate of Leadership Lafayette Class 24 and serves on numerous local nonprofit boards, including Lafayette Education Foundation, Evangeline Area Boy Scouts Swamp Base Capital Campaign, Holy Family Catholic School Steering Committee and the One Acadiana Executive Committee.

Justin Back

Justin Back

President of Acadian Ambulance

Justin began his career in the Australian army after graduating from the Royal Military College and served for eight years. During this time, he served in command roles in Iraq and Afghanistan, working closely with U.S. and coalition forces.

After his military service, he entered the maritime industry and was based in Singapore for five years. During this time, he worked primarily in West Africa, South America and the subcontinent in business development and project management roles. Justin moved to the U.S. to work as a project manager in the domestic onshore oil and gas industry before joining Acadian in June 2013 as vice president of fleet operations. He later served as VP of Operations for Acadian Ambulance’s Texas, Tennessee and Louisiana operations, as well as VP of Integrations. Justin has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Southern Cross University and an MBA from LSU.

Scott Domnigue

Scott Domingue

President of Safety Management Systems

Scott Domingue is the President of Safety Management Systems, with over a decade of executive experience. Under his leadership, SMS expanded its services to include emergency response markets. In 2022, SMS was recognized on the LSU Roaring 10 list for top revenue-generating companies led by an LSU graduate. Scott also leads the Acadian Total Security Division.

Scott has been honored as one of The Daily Advertiser’s Top 20 under 40. He is a graduate of Leadership Louisiana and Leadership Lafayette. Additionally, he has served as the past chair for the Board of Directors of The United Way of Acadiana and currently sits on the Board of Global Data Systems. Scott is an active member of the Louisiana Oil and Gas Association and the Young Presidents’ Organization.

As the Chairman of the St. Thomas Moore Advisory Council, Scott contributes to the STM Envision More Chapel Project. He supports Louisiana State University as a former football player and graduate, contributing to the LSU Performance Nutrition Center and the reconstruction of the football locker room.

Corporate Leadership

Kelly Delhomme

Kelly Delhomme

Vice President of Finance

Kelly joined Acadian in 2002 as a staff accountant. She has served as director of accounting and assistant controller. She manages and oversees all corporate accounting functions for Acadian’s divisions.

Kelly is a graduate of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, earning a Bachelor of Science in Accounting in 2000.

Randall Mann Vice President of Marketing & Public Relations

Randall Mann

Vice President of Marketing & Public Relations

Randall joined Acadian in 2009 as the director of sales and marketing for Acadian Monitoring Services. He was promoted to vice president on the corporate level in 2013. Randall is responsible for developing and implementing marketing initiatives for Acadian’s six divisions. A graduate of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, he served in various advertising, marketing and public relations roles in agency and in-house settings for more than 25 years.

Randall is a private pilot and enjoys volunteering in his community. He is active in Lafayette’s Mardi Gras activities and served on the boards of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Acadiana, the University of Louisiana Alumni Association, Acadian Air Festival, Sertoma Cajun Air Show and Louisiana Honor Air.

Joe Lightfoot

Joe Lightfoot

Vice President of Human Resources

Joe joined Acadian in May 2001. He has responsibility for compliance with all labor and employment law matters, recruitment and selection, salary and benefits administration, employee record-keeping and employee relations. Prior to 2001, Joe spent ten years in the hospital industry, serving in senior leadership roles at medical centers in Arkansas and Missouri.

He has served in various volunteer roles with the American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, United Way of Acadiana, Ascension Episcopal School Board of Trustees, Boy Scouts Explorer Post 108 Council and Big Brothers Big Sisters. Joe earned both an MBA with a healthcare administration concentration and a bachelor’s degree in business administration/marketing from the University of Louisiana at Monroe.

Martin Bech

Martin Bech

Vice President

Bech joined Acadian in 2021. He has over 20 years of extensive experience in mergers and acquisitions, commercial contracts, oil & gas, SEC and NASDAQ regulatory compliance, insurance coverage and risk management, corporate finance and general business and human resources law. Bech was active in the healthcare industry having served for over nine years on the Board of Trustees of the Lafayette General Health system.

Bech holds two bachelor’s degrees from LSU, one in Political Science with an emphasis on International Relations and a second in French. He earned his Juris Doctorate from Loyola University College of Law in New Orleans.  He began his legal career in the New Orleans office of Phelps Dunbar and has held executive roles in several private and a publicly-traded company in Louisiana.

Medical Directors

Charles Burnell, M.D.

Charles Burnell, M.D.

Chief Medical Officer

Dr. Burnell is a graduate of Louisiana State University School of Medicine and is board certified by the American Board of Emergency Medicine. He serves as lead over other associate medical directors across Acadian’s service areas. Dr. Burnell reviews on-scene medical procedures and procedures between medics and emergency room physicians. He oversees training and continuing education programs at NEMSA, as well as Acadian’s wellness and quality enhancement programs.

Dr. Burnell spent 13 years at Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center in Lafayette, Louisiana, where he was the emergency department director. Before becoming medical director in 2010, Dr. Burnell worked closely with Acadian for 16 years, including during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, where he served as the director of air transports of patients from the Superdome.

Dr. Burnell graduated summa cum laude with a degree in Biochemistry at Louisiana State University. He was involved in the formation and certification of Stroke Center of Excellence at Our Lady of Lourdes RMC as the Emergency Department (ED) Stroke Team director and was instrumental in the formation of ED staffing corporation. He served as the ED director at Acadiana Acute Care Associates, LLC. He is part-owner and medical director of a private maritime security company, OSS GLOBAL (Oceanic Security and Salvage Global), with security operatives throughout the Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean and East African Coast.

Emily Kidd, M.D. Texas Medical Director

Emily Kidd, M.D.

Texas Medical Director

Dr. Kidd oversees the company’s clinical operations throughout the state of Texas. She has an extensive background in clinical emergency medicine and emergency medical services (EMS) and is very familiar with both Bexar County and Houston, having served as the assistant medical director and interim medical director for the San Antonio Fire Department and the assistant medical director for the Houston Fire Department’s Division of EMS.

She is double-board certified in EMS and emergency medicine and is a fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians. She is an assistant professor at the University of Texas Health Science Center, Department of Emergency Health Sciences, at San Antonio and worked at Christus Santa Rosa City Center and Methodist Hospitals.

Dr. Kidd has experience in disaster preparedness, public health and medical emergency management at the local, regional, state and federal levels. Since 2006, she has been a sitting committee member on the Governor’s EMS and Trauma Advisory Council (GETAC) Disaster and Emergency Preparedness Committee. She also is a member of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) National Advisory Council.

Dr. Kidd served her internship and residency at East Carolina University, received her doctor of medicine degree from the University of Texas at Houston Health Science Center and her bachelor of science degree from Texas A&M University.

Dr. Brent Hebert

Brent Hebert, M.D.

Safety Management Systems Medical Director

Dr. Hebert is an experienced emergency medicine physician and has previously worked as a registered nurse. A native of Louisiana, Dr. Hebert is a graduate of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, earning a degree in nursing. He earned an MBA in healthcare management from Davenport University’s Donald W. Maine College of Business and received his medical degree from St. Matthew’s University School of Medicine.

Stephen Bell

Stephen Bell, M.D.

Mississippi Medical Director

Dr. Bell has served the Mississippi Gulf Coast for over 20 years as staff physician for Singing River Health System and the Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care System Biloxi VA. He takes great pride in his affiliation with Acadian Ambulance Service and ensures that our medics have the best in innovation, education, training and oversight.

Dr. Bell is board-certified in Emergency Medicine, a Fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians, and serves as a preceptor for William Carey University College of Osteopathic Medicine. After receiving his undergraduate degree in microbiology from LSU, he attended University of Alabama and received a masters degree in molecular biology. He graduated from LSU School of Medicine in New Orleans, completed an internship in Internal Medicine at Earl K. Long Hospital, and did his Emergency Medicine Residency at University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, MS.

Dr. Bell has served on multiple committees, including the Mississippi Coastal Trauma Region, South District Trauma Performance Improvement, and the Mississippi Department of Health Bureau of EMS.

Acadian Ambulance Leadership

Justin Back

Justin Back

President

Justin began his career in the Australian army after graduating from the Royal Military College and served for eight years. During this time, he served in command roles in Iraq and Afghanistan, working closely with U.S. and coalition forces.

After his military service, he entered the maritime industry and was based in Singapore for five years. During this time, he worked primarily in West Africa, South America and the subcontinent in business development and project management roles. Justin moved to the U.S. to work as a project manager in the domestic onshore oil and gas industry before joining Acadian in June 2013 as vice president of fleet operations. He later served as VP of Operations for Acadian Ambulance’s Texas, Tennessee and Louisiana operations, as well as VP of Integrations. Justin has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Southern Cross University and an MBA from LSU.

Troy Guidry

Troy Guidry

Vice President

Service Area:

  • Louisiana: Central Louisiana, Hub City, Ouachita and Southwest Louisiana areas

Troy joined Acadian in 1981 and has worked as an EMT, paramedic, paramedic field supervisor, operations supervisor, operations manager, director of operations and senior director of operations. He has assisted in all of Acadian’s expansions since 2004 and is the ambulance strike team leader for all Louisiana Rural Ambulance Alliance (LRAA) deployments. Troy serves as a Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services (CAAS) committee member and has a long history of serving in fire and law enforcement roles throughout Acadiana. He is a native of Arnaudville, Louisiana, and a graduate of Teurlings Catholic High School.

Tim Burke

Tim Burke

Vice President

Service Area:

  • Louisiana: Bayou, Capital, Northshore and Orleans areas
  • Mississippi: Jackson County

Tim has financial and operational responsibility for all Acadian operations in Southeast Louisiana and Jackson County, Mississippi. Tim joined Acadian in 2003 after spending 17 years at a major urban medical center, where he worked in many capacities, including as controller. He last served as the senior director for clinic operations.

Tim holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Loyola University and an MBA from the University of New Orleans. He is a CPA, a Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA) and a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE). He is also trained in the National Incident Management System (NIMS) from FEMA. He is a member of the Metropolitan Ambulance Council (MAC) for Greater New Orleans.

Eric Thibodeaux

Eric Thibodeaux

Vice President

Service Area:

  • Texas: Houston and Southeast Texas
  • Tennessee: Memphis

Eric joined Acadian Ambulance as an EMT in 2005 and has worked as a paramedic and operations supervisor in Louisiana, and as an operations manager and director in Texas. He led Acadian’s expansion into Tennessee in 2019 and served as director of operations for the region.

Ron Quaranto

Ron Quaranto

Vice President

Service Area:

  • Texas: Central Texas, North Texas and South-Central Texas areas

A native of Massachusetts, Ron has been in the EMS industry for 34 years. He most recently served as executive vice president of operations for Cataldo Ambulance Service, and he has worked with Brewster Ambulance Service, Call9 and AMR over the years. Ron has been a member of the Metropolitan Boston Emergency Medical Services Council (Region IV), was appointed BOD as the Prehospital ALS Manager/Director, and served on the boards of the Massachusetts Ambulance Association and American Ambulance Association.

Acadian Total Security Leadership

brandon niles

Brandon Niles

Vice President

As a vice president, Brandon leads the strategic development of Acadian Total Security. He has been with Acadian since 2010. In 2013, he was named manager of ATS’ monitoring centers in Lafayette and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, as well as one in Chicago, Illinois. He was promoted to operations director in 2016, managing the day-to-day operations. Brandon holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Iowa and a Juris Doctorate from the University of St. Thomas. He holds security licenses in Louisiana, Arizona and Delaware, and currently serves as a director on The Monitoring Association’s board. He is a graduate of the 2013 Leadership Lafayette class and was selected as a Security Systems News Top 20 Under 40 honoree in 2018.

Albert Lanclos

Al Lanclos

Director of Operations

As director of operations, Al oversees operations in the Lafayette, Houma and Lake Charles service areas, and manages the installation and service departments while looking for ways to grow them. He has a special focus on providing the best customer service and overall customer experience.

Al is a graduate of Port Barre High School and has 20 years of security operations experience.

Angela LaGrange, Billing Department Manager

Angela LaGrange

Director of Operations

As director of opertions, Angela oversees accounts receivable operations for all departments and product lines within the division, including GPS fleet management, video monitoring, wholesale monitoring for three central stations, and retail security and medical alert services. Angela started at Acadian in 2007 when she was hired as an alarm dispatcher and later worked as a customer service and inside sales representative. In 2011, she was promoted to accounts receivable specialist and also served as the billing department supervisor. Angela stays involved in her community by volunteering as a United Way reader in Lafayette Parish schools.

Air Services Leadership

Mike Sonnier

Michael Sonnier

Vice President of Air Services

Mike joined Acadian in 1990 as an EMT and was certified as a paramedic in 1992. Mike has worn many hats at Acadian, working on ground ambulances and offshore locations as a paramedic, at Acadian’s Communication Center as a supervisor, and Air Services’ coordinator for Acadian’s Fixed-Wing division before becoming an operations manager.

While at Acadian, Mike has won many awards, including Communications Specialist of the Year in 1997 and Telecommunicator of the Year in 2006.

Mike attended Louisiana State University and University of Louisiana at Lafayette before entering the EMT/paramedic program at the National EMS Academy.

Spencer Anderson

Spencer Anderson

Director of Operations

Spencer Anderson began flying in 1981 and later graduated from the University of North Dakota with a degree in professional flight. With more than 28 years of flying experience, Spencer has over 21,000 hours of flight time. He joined Air Med Services, LLC/Executive Aircraft Charter Service in February 2007.

Before joining the company, Spencer held several positions, including flight operations safety officer; flight instructor for private, commercial, instrument, and heavy transport pilots; and as a contract instructor teaching aircraft systems and flight instruction to FAA safety inspectors.

Matthew Massoni

Director of Maintenance 

Matthew Massoni has been with Acadian Air Med and Executive Aircraft Charter Service for 16 years as a licensed aircraft mechanic and is responsible for working on all of the division’s fixed-wing aircraft. His experience and expertise have helped keep aircraft downtime to a minimum.

Marc Creswell

Marc Creswell, FP-C

Air Med Program Director

Marc began working with Acadian in 1990 in Abbeville, Louisiana. He worked in human resources, education, communications, and was the first training officer for Air Med Services. He now manages the day-to-day operations of the Air Med’s rotor-wing division, Operational Control Center and other operational issues under the directions of Air Med Services.

Marc trained at Acadian through the in-house paramedic class and was named Paramedic of the Year in 2007. Marc’s air medical experiences have offered content in several documentaries on the Discovery Channel and National Geographic.

Sherri Wells

Sherri Wells

Operations Manager

Sherri joined Acadian in 1997, working in Hammond, Louisiana, as an EMT. She became a paramedic in 2001 and joined the Air Med division in 2005. Throughout her time at Acadian, Sherri has been involved in many aspects of the company, including the ground division, education, public relations and air operations. Sherri is a Paramedic Flight Supervisor for Air Med’s rotor wing division and oversees personnel and daily operational issues.

Sherri attended LSU-Eunice and received her Associate Degree in Emergency Medical Services with a Certificate of Technical Studies in Safety. She was nominated for Air Med paramedic of the year in 2013 and 2018.

Shaun Templet

Shaun Templet, FP-C

Quality Improvement Supervisor

Shaun joined Acadian in 2004, working in Houma, Louisiana as an EMT. He became a paramedic in 2006 and a CCT medic in 2009. Shaun became an alternate flight paramedic in 2012 and took a full time position in the department later that same year. Shaun has worked in the dispatch center and helped with many educational roll-outs within the company. He continues to do adjunct work with the National EMS Academy.

As Quality Improvement Coordinator, Shaun oversees clinical performance and documentation. He has an Associate of Science degree from the Nicholls State University College of Nursing and Allied Health.

National EMS Academy Leadership

Taylor Richard

Taylor Richard

Director of National EMS Academy

Taylor has been with Acadian for 10 years, having served as a paramedic field supervisor and operations coordinator in North Texas before assuming his current role as operations manager in Ouachita Parish.

He is a recent graduate of Leadership Ouachita and has been involved in strike team leadership.

Taylor holds an associate degree from SLCC and National EMS Academy, and is working toward his Bachelor of Science in Unified Public Safety Administration from Northwestern State University of Louisiana.

Timothy (TJ) Dronet

Paramedic Program Manager

Timothy (TJ) Dronet has been involved in EMS since 2009 and is currently serving as Operations Coordinator for NEMSA . TJ is a certified Louisiana EMS Instructor through the Louisiana Bureau of EMS. He also teaches BLS, ACLS and PALS courses. Additionally, TJ holds the position of training center faculty through the American Heart Association. He is a graduate of the National EMS Academy and obtained an associate of applied science from South Louisiana Community College.

Safety Management Systems Leadership

Scott Domnigue

Scott Domingue

President of Safety Management Systems

Scott Domingue is the President of Safety Management Systems, with over a decade of executive experience. Under his leadership, SMS expanded its services to include emergency response markets. In 2022, SMS was recognized on the LSU Roaring 10 list for top revenue-generating companies led by an LSU graduate. Scott also leads the Acadian Total Security Division.

Scott has been honored as one of The Daily Advertiser’s Top 20 under 40. He is a graduate of Leadership Louisiana and Leadership Lafayette. Additionally, he has served as the past chair for the Board of Directors of The United Way of Acadiana and currently sits on the Board of Global Data Systems. Scott is an active member of the Louisiana Oil and Gas Association and the Young Presidents’ Organization.

As the Chairman of the St. Thomas Moore Advisory Council, Scott contributes to the STM Envision More Chapel Project. He supports Louisiana State University as a former football player and graduate, contributing to the LSU Performance Nutrition Center and the reconstruction of the football locker room.

Courtney Juneau, Vice President of Operations

Courtney Juneau

Vice President of Operations

Courtney Juneau, vice president of operations, started his career at Acadian in 2006. He is responsible for all of Safety Management Systems day-to-day operations including remote paramedics, safety technicians and HSE consultants. In March 2001, he joined Safety Management Systems as the HSE consulting manager responsible for quality control, marketing and all consulting operations. Courtney graduated from University of Southwestern Louisiana in 1995 with a bachelor’s degree in applied life sciences. He is involved in many aspects of his community as a member of Gulf Coast Safety and Training Group, a committee member for Delta Waterfowl-Lafayette Chapter, a sponsor for the American Heart Association Heart Walk, and a member of Holy Cross Catholic Church.

Brett Fontenot

Brett Fontenot

Director – Safety & Inspection

Brett Fontenot manages customer relationships by understanding the needs of each client and ensuring satisfaction with the services provided. Brett also works closely with new clients to better understand their needs and projected work. An employee of SMS for more than six years, Brett earned his associate degree in general studies and occupation health and safety. Brett is a board certified occupational health and safety technologist and a national registered EMT.

Jeff Vidacovich

Jeff Vidacovich

Division Manager – Consulting, Training & Rescue Services

Jeff Vidacovich, division manager, is responsible for the day-to-day operations for all of SMS’s training, consulting and rescue services. Jeff started his career at Acadian in 2003, working in the fleet/facility maintenance department. In 2010, after earning a bachelor’s degree in general studies from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and competing as a student-athlete on the Ragin’ Cajuns Track Team, he transitioned to SMS.

Jeff completed SMS’s ARD training program and began as an HSE technician on drilling and completion operations. Since then, he has worked as an HSE lead technician, QA/QC coordinator and field support supervisor supporting SMS’s HSE, medical, H2S and rescue technicians as well as assisting in many emergency response efforts. Jeff is passionate about providing quality industry training and safety for oil and gas workers, as was the introduction and foundation to his career in the industry.