Our Story
For many years emergency management agencies, hospitals, health departments, and other entities in Southern Illinois have planned and prepared separately for disasters. This planning involved multiple meetings and collaborative efforts with many different community partners. As time went on, these groups and others continued to meet and enhance collaboration through networking, training, and exercising together. In 2012, the different regional meetings happening within various disciplines in Southern Illinois combined in an effort to become more efficient and help eliminate duplication of effort.
The first official SPARC meeting was held at the Marion Pavilion on April 9, 2013 and in addition to hospitals, health departments, and emergency management agencies in the region, representatives from local, state, and federal response agencies, state associations, volunteer organizations, and other community partners have attended subsequent SPARC meetings. The coalition is governed by a multi-disciplinary Executive Committee and is guided by the coalition By-Laws and Strategic Plan to ensure the needs of the membership and communities in the SPARC region are met.
Executive Board Officers
Todd Carr, President
Todd Carr has been the Quality Director for 15 years at Hardin County General Hospital, a 25-bed Critical Access Hospital in Rosiclare, IL where he also serves as the facilities and safety director. Prior to joining the hospital, he worked in home health for 10 years as a physical therapist assistant and various management positions. Todd received his undergraduate and graduate degrees from Southern Illinois University of Carbondale. In 2000 he created a nonprofit corporation to promote tourism in Southeastern Illinois. He has volunteered for many governing boards and held local elected offices. He has written 2 historical books on Southern Illinois. Todd is a native of Elizabethtown where he continues to live with his wife and 3 daughters.
Bill Thouvenin, Vice President
Bill Thouvenin from Centralia, IL is currently with the Marion County Health Department serving as the Emergency Preparedness Coordinator along with chairing the Training, Exercise, and Education Committee with SPARC. Bill graduated from Kaskaskia College (Administration of Justice) and from Greenville University (Organizational Leadership). He spent many dedicated years to the Centralia Fire Department where he then retired.
Brad Graul, Secretary
Brad is an employee of Southern Illinois Healthcare. He started working in the Emergency Department at Herrin Hospital in 1992. Brad is currently the EMS Coordinator for Herrin Hospital and served many years as the Safety Officer and Emergency Preparedness Coordinator for the facility. Brad worked for the City of Herrin Ambulance Service for several years prior to going back to school for his nursing degree. Brad is an elected Village of Energy Trustee. He has served the Village of Energy since being elected in 1998. Brad currently serves on several regional, county and local advisory committees. Brad serves on the Shawnee Preparedness and Response Coalition (SPARC) Executive Committee and is the Co-Chair of the Williamson County Local Emergency Planning Committee(LEPC).
Larry Busch, Treasurer
Larry Busch is a founding member of the SPARC Executive Committee and currently serves as Treasurer. He also actively supports Southern Illinois Community Foundation as a member of their board, including three terms as president. SICF focuses on facilitating extensive cooperation between state agencies, faith-based groups, non-profits, and local committees as the best strategy to address the difficulties of recovery from such unexpected challenges. Larry has been involved in the SI region’s responses following several recent disasters such the tornadoes in Harrisburg and Brookport. He also frequently is asked to present programs about best practices for personal disaster preparedness. Busch proposes that, if residents in southern Illinois can take measures to care for themselves following a disaster, our professional responders of SPARC can be freed to serve with even greater effectiveness. Larry was a career faculty member at SIUC and makes his home in Carbondale.
Arien Herrmann
Arien Herrmann, with over twenty years of experience in healthcare management and emergency response, actively strives to address health challenges in Southern Illinois. Following his military service in the Marine Corps Reserves and later the US Coast Guard, Herrmann embarked on a career that took him to all seven continents. He has provided emergency medical services during major crises, such as the Darfur genocide, the Haitian earthquake in 2010, participated in the Deepwater Horizon Disaster Response and a scientific expedition to Antarctica.
Herrmann holds a degree in Environmental Resources & Geography and a Master’s in Healthcare Management. He is pursuing a Diploma in Climate Medicine, highlighting his commitment to integrating climate considerations into healthcare. As the Regional Hospital Coordinating Center Manager for Southern Illinois, he played a critical role during the COVID-19 pandemic, managing resource tracking and coordinating vaccine distribution through The Shawnee Preparedness and Response Coalition. Herrmann is active in professional organizations, demonstrating his dedication to continuous learning and mentoring, particularly through his involvement with the American Red Cross. His lived experiences reflect a career dedicated to healthcare, emergency management, and the evolving field of climate medicine, demonstrating his versatility and leadership in addressing some of the most pressing health challenges of our time.
Orval Rowe
Orval is the Coordinator/Emergency Manager for the Jackson County Emergency Management Agency. He has been with the County EMA since 2017. Orval serves as the Chairperson for the Jackson County Local Emergency Preparedness Committee (LEPC) and the Vice-Chairperson on the Jackson County Emergency Telephone Services 911 Board (ETSB-911). Prior to his current position, he served on the Jackson County Board for 8.5 years, completing in the position of Vice-Chairperson. Orval is a member of both the ELKS and MOOSE lodges in Murphysboro and has served as an officer of the ELKS Lodge #572 in Murphysboro. He is also a member and past Elder of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Murphysboro. Orval is a graduate of Southern Illinois University-Carbondale and has received his Illinois Professional Emergency Management (IPEM) certification from the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA).
Tina Bryant
Tina Bryant is from Murphysboro, IL and currently works as the training coordinator and safety committee team for The Voyage Senior Living. Tina is a native to Southern Illinois and has over 30 years of management and leadership experience. She has worked with seniors for over 20 years and represents seniors throughout the state with a seat on the Leading Age Illinois Assisted Living Cabinet. Tina was a certified instructor with American Heart Association and currently with Red Cross for First Aid, CPR and AED. Tina completed ALICE Trainer Certification in 2019 to teach active shooter training and currently is a certified Food Manager. She has actively volunteered on the SPARC Weathering the Storm Conference committee for the last 8 years.
Bobi Cavins
Bobi began her career with Southern Seven Health Department (S7HD) in November of 2000. She is currently the S7HD Emergency Preparedness Coordinator. She took that position in September of 2019 after assisting the two previous Environmental Health/Emergency Preparedness Directors. Bobi oversees the S7HD Public Health Emergency Preparedness program covering the seven southernmost counties of Illinois which works to plan for and respond to the public health impacts of disasters and disease outbreaks. She is also the Medical Reserve Corps Coordinator for S7HD. In September 2018 she received recognition from Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) and the Governor of Illinois, Bruce Rauner, for completing the Professional Development Series (PDS) in Emergency Management. Bobi currently serves on the Illinois Region 5 Shawnee Preparedness And Response Coalition (SPARC) Executive Board.
Jennifer King
My name is JJ King. My real name is Jennifer, but I’ve gone by JJ since birth. I am the EMS Coordinator at Deaconess Illinois Medical Center, and I often say I have the best of both worlds—I get to work in both pre-hospital and hospital settings. I wear many hats and have the alphabet soup behind my name: RN, ECRN, PHRN, LI. I’ve been a nurse for 33 years and involved in EMS for 27 years. I also volunteer with the Jefferson Fire Protection District in Mt. Vernon, IL, where I’ve served for 28 years. I oversee EMS education for the department and truly enjoy teaching. I grew up on a farm in Sesser, IL, and my husband and I now live on part of that family farm. In my spare time, I love working on the farm alongside my family. My husband and I also enjoy camping, hunting, fishing, and traveling.
Executive Board State Representatives
Brandon Hendrix
Brandon Hendrix accepted the Region 11 Regional Coordinator position with the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) on August 15, 2021, after being the temporary coordinator for five months and the Staff Development Specialist for one year. During this time Brandon maintained daily operations at the regional office while responding to community needs and developing relationships with state-wide partners and joined the Shawnee Preparedness and Response Coalition’s (SPARC) executive board as the IEMA representative. Before making his way to IEMA Brandon did several things to prepared for his role as the Regional Coordinator. In 2010 Brandon graduated from Southern Illinois University of Carbondale with a degree in Kinesiology specializing in K-12 education and a minor in Business. After graduating Brandon spent two years (2011-2013) teaching OSHA safety training for all of the new hires of Continental Tire. In 2013 he started running his family's Accounting/Tax business. His main roles included overseeing all training and the day-to-day business operations. He is still a participating partner in this business. His final endeavor before entering the IEMA office was teaching Health/Physical Education in the Gallatin County K-12 public school district for the 2019-2020 school year. In his free time, he enjoys playing music, golfing, fishing, and coaching various sporting activities.
Linda Angarola
Linda Angarola is from Marion, IL. She is currently the EMS Region 5 Coordinator for the Illinois Department of Public Health. She graduated from McKendree College with her Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing and Registered Professional Nurse from John A. Logan College. Linda is the chair of the State of Illinois Pediatric Committee, is an Illinois Poison Center Outreach Educator, regional representative to the State of Illinois Trauma Advisory Council, and much more.
Bart Hagston
Bart Hagston is the Marion Region Emergency Response Coordinator for Illinois Department of Public Health. In that role, Bart works with local health departments in the region to implement preparedness efforts and coordinates response efforts with them. He also works on preparedness and response initiatives internal to IDPH. He previously served as the local health department representative on the SPARC Board from 2014-2020. Bart’s experience in collaborating and building coalitions is extensive, including leading the Jackson County Preparedness Coalition and the Southern Illinois Disaster Risk Reduction workgroup for many years. Bart has played various roles in several responses and exercises over the years, including PIO, disaster debris manager, volunteer manager, and Incident Commander. Bart was an American Red Cross volunteer and disaster course instructor for eight years, and led a Medical Reserve Corps unit for 12 years.
Bart holds a Bachelor’s degree from SIU-Carbondale and a Master’s degree from University of Illinois at Springfield. He possesses a certificate in Public Sector Leadership from Cornell University. He is accredited as an Illinois Professional Emergency Manager.
Hospital Preparedness Program Staff
Dr. Joseph Haake
Dr. Haake is a board-certified Emergency Medicine Physician who has been working for SIH since 2010. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in biology from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale followed by Medical School at SIU School of Medicine in Springfield IL. While in undergraduate as well as medical school, he worked as an EMT-Basic in Southern Illinois. He completed his Emergency Medicine Residency at Michigan State University- Kalamazoo Center for Medical Studies and returned to Southern Illinois. He has served as Medical Director for Southern Illinois Regional EMS since 2011. Dr. Haake works with local law enforcement agencies to provide tactical medical training and support and also served as a Rope Rescue team member. He also served with the United States Army Reserve as an EM physician and achieved the rank of Major.
Tamara Caffey-Bey
Tamara Caffey-Bey is a native of southern Illinois. She received her undergraduate and graduate degrees in Geography from Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Prior to joining SIH Office of Emergency Preparedness, Tamara was Project Manager for the Natural Hazard Research & Mitigation Group housed in the Geology Department at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. She has experience in mitigation planning, hazard identification, risk assessment, and plan development. Tamara has worked in collaboration with the Illinois Emergency Management Agency to assist several counties across the southern Illinois region in the development of a FEMA-approved plan in order to obtain funding to implement jurisdiction pre-disaster hazard mitigation projects, as a mitigation planning requirement of the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000. Her current job duties entail supporting the development of local, state, and regional healthcare emergency response and recovery plans, as well as overseeing strategic planning efforts for Shawnee Preparedness and Response Coalition. Tamara has a vested interest in helping communities prepare for all hazards, natural or manmade.
Lucas Lyerla
Lucas Lyerla comes to SPARC with a strong background in security and corrections, bringing valuable experience in crisis response, situational awareness, and team coordination. Since joining SPARC in March of 2024, he has continued to build on his professional foundation through ongoing training in emergency management, including ICS and NIMS certifications, CPR, and Stop the Bleed. In addition to his professional experience, Lucas has taken on leadership roles throughout his career, often serving as a team lead and mentor to newer staff. He is passionate about building strong, dependable teams and leading by example under pressure. Outside of work, Lucas enjoys outdoor activities and spending time with his family. He values discipline, service, and personal growth—principles that guide both his professional and personal life.