The Greenwich Emergency Medical Service (GEMS), held its annual meeting over the summer to celebrate the organization’s accomplishments between May 1, 2021 and April 30, 2022 and to appoint new Board members.
The Board recognized Jennifer A. Baldock for her tremendous contributions as the Chair of the Board from 2018 through 2022. During that time, she helped GEMS navigate the pandemic, secure funding to rebuild Station 4 and lead the Board to unprecedented fundraising success. Baldock will remain on the Board and her successor as the Chair, Gerard (Rod) N. Saggese III, has already begun to build upon her achievements.
Rod Saggese grew up in Greenwich, and with his wife is raising his family of three children here in
Town. Rod is a partner in the Litigation Department of the Greenwich-based law firm Whitman Breed
Abbott & Morgan LLC, where he has worked since 2008. He has previously served as the President of both the Greenwich Bar Association and Fairfield County Bar Association. Currently, Rod is the President of the Greenwich Old Timers Athletic Association and a member of the Board of Directors of the Greenwich Point Conservancy, Silver Shield Association Education Fund, and Greenwich Chamber of Commerce. Rod earned a B.A. in history from Gettysburg College and J.D. from Syracuse University
College of Law. Rod has been on the Board since 2014, serving previously as the Vice Chair of the Board and Chair of the Legal, Human Resources and Fundraising Committees.
GEMS is also pleased to announce that Stephen T. Limpe and Tara Spiess Restieri have been appointed to the Board. Mr. Limpe is a Co-Founder, President and CEO of CompassCare, LLC, a concierge level private duty care management, home care and training business serving older adults, and their families, who choose to live independently and age-in-place. Mr. Limpe received his M.B.A. in finance with honors from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business and his B.S.E. in finance and accounting from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He currently serves as the Finance Chair and is on the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees of Caramoor Center for the Arts in Katonah, NY, as well as a member of the Board of Directors and on the Executive Committee of the Museum of Chinese in America . He is also a certified EMT in the state of Connecticut.
Mrs. Restieri has extensive experience in the non-profit sector as she currently serves as a member of the Representative Town Meeting (RTM) of Greenwich, the Greenwich Town Board of Human Services and on the Council of Human Services for the Town of Nantucket. GEMS will also benefit from Mrs. Restieri’s experience as a volunteer EMT for both GEMS and Stamford EMS.
“GEMS is lucky to have Rod leading our Board and the addition of Stephen and Tara as dedicated Board members,” said Tracy Schietinger, GEMS Executive Director. “There is no doubt that we will rely on their time and talents, as well as their commitment to our life-saving work to provide the highest level of pre- hospital and emergency care to the Town of Greenwich.”
Mr. Limpe and Mrs. Restieri were selected to join the Board based on their business and commitment to GEMS’s mission. Each Board member will serve three-year terms and sit on one of the Board’s various committees.
GEMS provides the highest level of pre-hospital and emergency medical care to reduce the risk of death and disability due to trauma and sudden illness. GEMS operates around the clock out of four stations with a fleet of seven state-of-the-art ambulances. From May 2021 through April 2022, GEMS responded to 6,055 calls and transported 3,674 patients. GEMS responded to 74% of those calls in 5 minutes or less and 97% of calls in 8 minutes.
GEMS is not a department or arm of Town government, but rather an independent provider of emergency medical services pursuant to a contract with the Town. GEMS pays for all of its capital needs through fundraising efforts, thus saving the Town more than $13 million since its inception more than 36 years ago.
For more information, please visit www.greenwichems.org.