Meagan Muff Selected as Recipient of the Prestigious 206 – 2027 Jack Stout Fellowship Award for Leadership Development
Carlsbad, Calif. — Meagan Muff, Provincial Director of Learning & Development and incoming Operations Manager for Southwest Alberta at Alberta Health Services (AHS) Emergency Medical Services, has been named the 2026 – 2027 Jack Stout EMS Fellow. Endowed by FirstWatch, the fellowship was created in collaboration with the Fitch EMS Foundation.
“We make the measurable matter, but we should be making what matters measurable,” says Muff. “This fellowship is an opportunity to move the conversations I’ve been having around data, people, and performance off the kitchen table and into the world—to build something that genuinely strengthens our EMS agencies and the communities we serve.”
Named in honor of the late Jack Stout, who developed and refined the concept of high-performance EMS systems throughout his career, the fellowship aims to provide a platform for furthering Stout’s core principles, including people-centered leadership, data-driven decision-making, impactful quality improvement, and system-level thinking.
“My father, Jack Stout, was ultimately concerned with improving health outcomes for the people EMS serves,” says Todd Stout, Founder and President of FirstWatch and Jack Stout’s son. “He cared foremost about people, and his emphasis on systems and economics were reflections of those concerns. Meagan embodies that emphasis on people and clinical care – especially important in this era of widespread AI adoption. Her combination of frontline experience, systems thinking, and genuine passion for developing people made her stand out.”
Muff’s path into EMS began at a job site accident during her road construction days, a moment where instinct helped save a coworker’s life. That experience, combined with encouragement from her grandmother, compelled her to attend paramedic school. Over the past two decades she has built a career defined by breadth as much as depth: from frontline paramedic to provincial educator, and simultaneously as a certified firefighter—the first woman to earn that designation in her mountain community—where she now serves as captain on a paid on-call department.
“What struck me immediately about Meagan’s application was her insistence that data must serve people, not the other way around,” says Mike Taigman, FirstWatch’s Improvement Guide. “She’s already using Jack’s methods in her system and is asking exactly the right next question: how do we use data to improve well-being, not just measure activity? Jack would have loved this conversation.”
As Provincial Director of Learning & Development, Muff oversees education and curriculum for approximately 4,200 paramedics across Alberta, Canada, working to ensure the province’s EMS practitioners operate on evidence-based procedures and equipment. In her incoming role as Operations Manager for Southwest Alberta, she will resume responsibility for staffing, training, ambulance resources, and mental health support across southern Alberta’s diverse service area.
“Emergency services has sometimes been too focused on data without thinking about the people involved,” says Muff. “I’m excited to deepen my understanding of formal data methods so I can bridge that gap, using what we measure to actually improve lives, not just report numbers.”
Jack Stout Fellows attend the Pinnacle EMS Leadership Forum and either the Fitch & Associates Ambulance Service Manager (ASM) program or the Communication Center Manager (CCM) program, with registration and expenses covered by FirstWatch. The fellowship is customized to each winner, with a curriculum designed to meet their specific interests and needs, including mentors selected from the FirstWatch leadership team and from across the industry.
Nominations for 2027 – 2028 will open in February 2027. For more information, please visit FitchEMSFoundation.org and select the Jack Stout EMS Fellowship, endowed by FirstWatch.
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Now in its 28th year, FirstWatch helps public safety and healthcare professionals serve their communities using data and the science of performance improvement. Drawing on deep experience in emergency services, the FirstWatch team uses software and personalized solutions for over 500 communities across North America.
About the Fitch EMS Foundation
The Fitch EMS Foundation is a non-profit entity that supports leadership development and research efforts for emergency medical services and public safety. It is endowed by Fitch & Associates, other major organizations, and individuals who believe that the future of our profession requires the aggressive development of its future leaders.
About the Pinnacle EMS Leadership Forum
Now in its 21st year, Pinnacle is the only leadership-focused national meeting that serves all EMS service models. Always located in a retreat-like setting, the conference is renowned for its networking, mentoring, and cutting-edge program.
