Lyon County Emergency Communications Center Director Roxanne Van Gundy recently made history on the national level.
Last week during the National Emergency Number Association (NENA) national conference in Orlando, Florida, Van Gundy was sworn in as the agency’s new executive board vice-president marking the first time in history the position has been held by a Kansan and a Kansas woman. She tells KVOE News this honor carried with it an extra sense of pride.
As part of her responsibilities as NENA VP, Van Gundy will be responsible for helping to improve the 911 system for the 22,000 members nationwide. In addition to this, Van Gundy says coming from a smaller dispatch center in Emporia, she wants to give a bigger voice to similar operations around the nation.
Additional focuses for Van Gundy include showcasing the innovative and progressive programs and 911 techniques developed in the state of Kansas and ensuring all centers across the US are “on the same scale.”
Van Gundy, a 19-year veteran in the 911 field, has been a longtime member of NENA and has held other roles with the agency in the past including serving as a former President of NENA Kansas, Co-Chair of the national NENA Wellness Committee and a contributor to the Development Steering Committee.
