In this special live episode of The Wilmac Wire, host Emily McNulty takes listeners to the floor of NENA 2026 in Columbus, Ohio, for a series of conversations recorded live from the Wilmac booth. Featuring leaders, innovators, and advocates from across the 911 community, the episode captures the energy, collaboration, and momentum of one of the industry's biggest events.

Emily catches up with both returning podcast guests and new voices, covering topics including telecommunicator wellness, Next Generation 911, AI and innovation, workforce management, leadership, and collaboration across the industry. From national advocacy to emerging technologies, each guest shares their perspective on the challenges and opportunities shaping the future of emergency communications.

Episode Breakdown:

0:00 Welcome from NENA 2026
1:38 Melanie Jones on leadership and wellness
2:58 Ivan Whitaker on innovation and conference takeaways
4:21 Roxanne Van Gundy on her vision as NENA President
5:41 Katie Decker on building the NENA community
7:23 Julie Grosert and Tracy Pemberton on international collaboration through British APCO
9:01 Nick LaMontia reflects on national leadership
12:06 Sam Hawkins on supporting the 911 community
14:19 Hailey Gunther shares her first NENA experience

Connect with the speakers:

Emily McNulty: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-miller-mcnulty-666b66152/

Melanie Jones: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melanieneal911/

Ivan Whitaker: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivan-whitaker-mba-pmp-62a17316/

Roxanne "Roxy" Van Gundy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/roxanne-van-gundy-enp-cmcp-rpl-cpe-055b2a125/

Katie Decker: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-decker-enp-855995252/

Julie Grosert: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-grosert-5a9947b3/

Tracy Pemberton: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracy-pemberton-2887b75a/

Nick LaMontia: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickolas-lamontia-enp-2623558/

Sam Hawkins: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samantha-hawkins-cmcp-2a045b3b/

Hailey Gunther: https://www.linkedin.com/in/haileygunther/

🎧 Listen to more episodes: https://open.spotify.com/show/2lhL8QkXa9LUYlXjSAp3OE?si=806af834f2df4942