Leeza Kuznetsov
Chief
The Chief supervises all members, officers, and committees of CWRU EMS. The Chief oversees day-to-day operations and is responsible for official correspondence with university offices.
Leeza has been with CWRU EMS since Spring 2022 and serves on shift as a second officer. They are a third year Nutritional Biochemistry student from Minneapolis, MN. Outside of EMS, Leeza enjoys playing the flute, needle felting, and struggling with the NYT daily crossword.
Emily Katoni
Assistant Chief of Operations
The Assistant Chief of Operations (ACO) is primarily responsible for overseeing all shifts and clinical operations. The ACO coordinates all crews and ensures operational compliance with state, university, and CWRU EMS regulations.
Emily is from South Orange, New Jersey. She is currently a Sophomore pursuing a B.S. in Biochemistry on the premed track with minors in Bioethics and Chemistry. Emily also volunteers at a 911 EMS Agency in her hometown. Outside of EMS, Emily researches at the Ramakrishnan Lab and enjoys hiking, painting, and spending time with her pets.
Alex Flores
Assistant Chief of Personnel
The Assistant Chief of Personnel (ACP) is primarily responsible for overseeing all clinical members and coordinating individual licensures and certificates. The ACP also serves as the Risk Management Director, ensuring clinical competence and success.
Alex is originally from Venezuela but currently lives in Hasbrouck Heights, NJ. He graduated from the CWRU/UH EMS class in the spring of 2022 and currently serves as a Secondary Officer. Outside of EMS, Alex is a third-year double majoring in Neuroscience and Sociology on the Pre-Med track, he’s an RA in the Juniper Residential Community, works at the Atit Lab, and loves to meet new people!
Tharika Thambidurai
Training Director
The Training Director is responsible for maintaining training records and overseeing all training classes for CWRU EMS.
Tharika is from Fremont, CA and has been with CWRU EMS for 2 years. Outside of EMS, she is pursuing a B.A in Biology, involved in microbiology research, and works at the Cleveland Clinic. Tharika also enjoys making matcha lattes and reading mystery novels by Agatha Christie.
Alekhya Vadlakonda
Quality Assurance and Safety Director
The Quality Assurance and Safety Director is responsible for maintaining procedural and certification standards for CWRU EMS crew members and operations.
Alekhya has been with CWRU EMS since Spring 2022 and currently serves as a second officer. Outside of EMS, Alekhya is pursuing a B.S in Biology and is involved in research and Discussions, the Undergraduate Research Journal of CWRU. She also enjoys making friendship bracelets, digital design, and singing.
Brynn Connors
External Operations Director
The External Operations Director is responsible for coordinating crews for all events, activities, community outreach, and service for CWRU EMS.
Brynn is from Albany, NY, and is a third-year student studying the History and Philosophy of Science. They joined CWRU EMS in the fall of 2022. Outside of EMS, Brynn enjoys going on walks and pretending they're good at word games.
Sohan Muppidi
Equipment Manager
The Equipment Manager is responsible for the maintenance and certification of all CWRU EMS equipment and uniforms as well as purchasing new supplies and equipment for the organization.
Sohan is from Plainsboro, New Jersey. He is currently a second year double majoring in Biology and Computer Science. Sohan also rides as a Firefighter/EMT in NJ and has worked in the Emergency Department of Penn Medicine Princeton Medical Center prior to joining CWRU EMS. In his free time, Sohan enjoys playing guitar, fencing, and woodworking.
Elijah O'Connor
New Member and Class Coordinator
The New Member and Class Coordinator oversees the onboarding of all new members, which includes EMT Students, Current EMTs, and General Members. The New Member and Class Coordinator is also the head of the Interview Committee, coordinates the CWRU EMS EMT course alongside UH EMT Institute, and is responsible for ensuring the continued success of all new members throughout their time with our organization.
Elijah is from Columbus, Ohio, and has been with CWRU EMS for two years. Outside of EMS, Elijah is a third-year student studying Sociology and Public Health. In his free time, he enjoys reading, collecting plants, going for walks, and exploring coffee shops.
Lisbeth Almonte
Treasurer
The Treasurer is responsible for approving all purchases and disbursements as well as maintaining our budget.
Lisbeth (Liz) is from Mount Olive, New Jersey and has a been a member of CWRU EMS for two years. Beyond her involvement in EMS, Liz is a third-year student majoring in neuroscience. In her free time, she likes to bake, go for walks with her dog, listen to music, and explore new cities/countries.
Tanishka Mhaskar
Secretary
The Secretary is responsible for managing the CWRU EMS calendar, maintaining minutes from meetings and any official correspondence with outside agencies, and creating weekly newsletters.
Tanishka has been with CWRU EMS since 2022 and currently serves on shift as a second officer. She is from Minnesota and is pursuing degrees in Neuroscience and Sports Medicine. Outside of CWRU EMS, Tanishka works at Cleveland Clinic, and you can probably find her watching football, hockey, or basketball.
Sofia Vicenzino
Public Relations Director
The Public Relations Director is responsible for promoting CWRU EMS sponsored events on social media and making sure the community is informed about the organization and its duties.
Sofia is from Yonkers, NY and is a graduate of the Spring 2023 EMT Class. Outside of EMS, she is pursuing degrees in Psychology and Cognitive Science, is involved in the Undergraduate Psychology Student Organization, and works in the SOAR Lab. In her free time, Sofia enjoys boxing, reading, painting, practicing her latte art, and being outdoors!
Dennis Rupert
Co-Advisor
Dennis Rupert is the Associate Vice President for Operations and Planning for the Division of Student Affairs at CWRU. He oversees assessment, community outreach, finance, human resources, information technology, marketing, and strategic planning within Student Affairs as well as various operational areas in departments reporting to the Provost.
Dennis has been working in higher education for over 25 years and at CWRU for over 15 of those years. His educational background is in psychology, counseling, and nonprofit management. Dennis has been engaged with serving students ever since he was an undergraduate resident assistant. He enjoys spending time with his family, doing home improvement projects, snorkeling, and scuba diving.
Sara H. Lee, MD
Co-Advisor
Dr. Lee works as the Executive Director of the University Health and Counseling Services, in the Division of Student Affairs. Dr. Lee received her MD from the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and did her Adolescent Medicine fellowship at University Hospitals Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital and the MetroHealth System in Cleveland, OH, prior to her position with University Health and Counseling Services. As current Executive Director, Dr. Lee oversees services pertaining to mental health counseling, clinics for injuries and illnesses, an allergy clinic, sexual health care along with various wellness programs for students.
Megan Koeth
Co-Advisor
Megan Koeth is the Executive Director of CWRU Public Safety. As Executive Director of Public Safety, Megan oversees the university's police, mobile security, facility security, communications center and emergency management. She is ensuring a safe, resilient and inclusive environment for all. Megan became the Executive Director of CWRU Public Safety in March 2022. However, she joined the university in January 2018 as an Emergency Manager in Public Safety. Since then, Megan has advanced serving as Assistant Director of Emergency Management, Director of Resiliency, and Executive Director of Resiliency.
Jeffrey Luk, MD
Medical Director
Dr. Luk works as an Emergency Physician in the Emergency Department at University Hospitals and is the medical director for University Hospitals MedEvac, the University Hospitals of Cleveland Critical Care Transport Team, Cleveland Heights Fire/EMS Department, University Heights Fire/EMS Department, Shaker Heights Fire/EMS Department, and CWRU EMS.