Spring, TX – Tony comes to ESD 11 with 24 years of healthcare experience. He started his healthcare journey in finance at M.D. Anderson in Houston, TX, as an Accounting Manager. He then moved to ETMC Regional Health Care System in Tyler, Texas. He became the Division Chief Financial Officer responsible for all ambulance division financial reporting and budgeting for a multi-state ambulance operation with $350 million in gross revenue. Paramedics Logistics Operations Company acquired ​the out-of-state operations of the ETMC ambulance division, and Tony was named the Corporate Controller. After three years with Paramedic Logistics Operating company, the organization moved its corporate office to ​Atlanta, GA. Tony accepted a role at the East Texas Food Bank as their CFO, where he has served since July 2021 after many years in the healthcare industry.

Tony and his wife, Joni, were looking to move to the Houston area to spend time with ​their son, daughter-in-law, and first grandchild. Tony has been active in his community serving on the Tyler Junior College Business Program Advisory Committee and a past board member of the Texas EMS Alliance, the East Texas Symphony Orchestra Association, and the Tyler ISD Title 1 Advisory Committee. He is an alumnus of Leadership Tyler Class 23.   He and his family have attended Green Acres Baptist Church, where he recently served as chair of the Finance Committee.

Tony holds a Bachelor’s in Business Administration in Accounting from Baylor University and is a Texas Certified Public Accountant.

The ESD 11 Team, the Commissioners, and I are pleased to have Tony as our new CFO and are excited about ESD 11’s future.

Spring, TX (July 01, 2021) – Harris County Emergency Services District No. 11 (HCESD11) announced today that construction is on schedule and training is now underway at the state-of-the-art 911 dispatch center that is on-track for a September 2021 opening. 

Setting a new standard for dispatch centers in the state, the operation will feature innovative technology that enables dispatchers to work as efficiently and safely as possible. Arguably the most exciting new addition will be the incorporation of Logis, an intelligent computer aided dispatch solution with predictive AI deployment which uses historical data to make informed decisions that determine where to position ambulances, plus Long-Term Evolution (LTE) radios that utilize over 2,700 tower sites across Harris County. The new 911 dispatch center anticipates answering over 55,000 calls for service annually. 

In addition, each dispatcher will receive their Emergency Medical Dispatcher (EMD) certification through the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch (IAED) which will enable them to learn sound training and proven protocols that result in the highest standard of care. Each of the dispatchers will also be CPR certified. The facility itself is also anticipated to receive the Accredited Center of Excellence (ACE) recognition by the IAED by the end of 2022. 

The facility will be led by Juan Rodriguez. A former military police officer, Rodriguez has nearly three decades of experience in fire, EMS and 911 emergency dispatch. 

“We are laser focused on quickly, safely and efficiently putting ambulances in front of addresses when there is a medical emergency and with the latest advances in technology we are utilizing, we will have the ability to do this like never before,” said Juan Rodriguez. “This new center will come equipped with top-of-the-line equipment that will allow us to make data-driven decisions versus playing a guessing game on where to allocate staff and ambulances. We look forward to better serving our community and providing invaluable support to our emergency response teams.”

The 911 dispatch center will be located within the new HCESD11 headquarters located at 18334 Stuebner Airline Road in Spring, north of Houston. For more information, visit https://harriscountyesd11.gov/. 

ABOUT HCESD11: HCESD11 provides emergency medical services to over 600,000 people across over 177 square miles of North Harris County, with a service area larger than the City of Atlanta, Georgia. HCESD11 is the largest Emergency Services District by population in the State of Texas. The HCESD11 Board of Commissioners is comprised of (5) five publicly elected officials. HCESD11 is committed to providing superior emergency medical care 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.