The Wilmac Wire

John Provenzano got his start in Washington by spending three days walking the halls of Congress, knocking on every office in the Florida delegation until one hired him to open mail. Today he’s CEO of NENA, the National Emergency Number Association, representing more than 26,000 members. In this episode of The Wilmac Wire, host Emily McNulty sits down with John to talk about his path from Capitol Hill to NENA, and what’s ahead for the 911 industry, including how professionals at every stage of their careers can get involved. Here’s what you’ll hear about: How a handshake with a governor at age 13 sparked a lifelong pull toward politics Landing a mailroom job on Capitol Hill, and the six years that followed Stepping in as NENA’s CEO after 17 years under his predecessor, and what surprised him about the 911 community NENA’s new strategic plan, and how 911 professionals can get involved, from volunteering to on-demand online education Where the 911 SAVES Act stands, and why John thinks NG911 funding needs a new approach Episode Breakdown: 0:00 Welcome and introducing John Provenzano 2:53 Icebreaker: This or That 6:47 What sparked his interest in politics 8:03 Landing his first job on Capitol Hill 17:53 Stepping in as NENA’s CEO 23:29 NENA’s new strategic plan and the Action Council 32:58 The 911 SAVES Act and the push to fund NG911 36:03 How NENA is thinking about AI 39:51 The mindset behind his career 41:27 How to get involved with NENA, including online education Connect with John Provenzano on LinkedIn Listen to more episodes of The Wilmac Wire: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube | iHeart | Riverside

Kate Beale spent more than 20 years in Washington, D.C., and says its best-kept secret is how much bipartisan work happens quietly behind the scenes. Now she’s back home in Pittsford leading advocacy at the Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce. In this local episode, recorded in person at Roc Vox Studios in Pittsford, hosts Emily McNulty and Steve McDonnell sit down with Kate to talk about how federal advocacy translates to a regional level, and and what it will take to keep Rochester competitive. Here’s what you’ll hear about: Three years as a Peace Corps agriculture volunteer in Paraguay, and the lessons she carried into public policy How her time in Washington shaped her approach to bipartisan work What brought her back to Rochester, and what her first four months at the Chamber have looked like What the Chamber is prioritizing for 2027, and why talent and workforce are near the top Why Kate sees Rochester at an inflection point, and what the community needs more of right now Episode Breakdown: 0:00 Welcome and introducing Kate Beale 2:51 Icebreaker: This or That 5:58 Why she left Rochester, and what pulled her into policy 11:21 Three years in the Peace Corps in Paraguay 19:17 Coming home and heading to Washington 28:49 What brought her back to Rochester 31:53 Her first four months at the Chamber 38:48 The Chamber’s priorities for 2027, from workforce to the tech hub 50:53 What excites her most about what’s ahead for the region Connect with Kate Beale on LinkedIn Listen to more episodes of The Wilmac Wire: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube | iHeart | Riverside

Adam Hassan started his career as a field service engineer at Wilmac, working directly with customers on the ground before making the jump into sales. Nearly seven years and one pivotal career move later, he's Principal Sales Engineer at Axon, behind some of the biggest police service deployments in Canada. In this episode of The Wilmac Wire, hosts Emily McNulty and Steve McDonnell welcome back Adam to talk about what pushed him from field service into sales, how AI-powered translation is already changing roadside stops, and his honest timeline for when AI might actually answer a 911 call. Here's what you'll hear about: Life as a Wilmac field service engineer, and the moment that pushed him toward sales Joining Axon back when it was still Taser International, before the rebrand How AI-powered translation on Axon body cameras is already changing roadside stops His honest timeline for when AI could plausibly take a 911 call, and why he doesn't think it's coming that soon What got him into angel investing, and the simple thesis behind it Episode Breakdown: 0:00 Welcome back Adam Hassan 2:04 Icebreaker: This or That 5:58 How political science led him into technology, almost by accident 11:08 Life as a Wilmac field service engineer 14:57 Crossing from field service into sales 15:40 Joining Axon back when it was still Taser International 33:07 How AI-powered translation on Axon body cameras is changing roadside stops 36:05 His honest timeline for AI answering emergency calls 37:45 What got him into angel investing Connect with Adam Hassan on LinkedIn Listen to more episodes of The Wilmac Wire: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube | iHeart | Riverside

In 1987, a fire at a London Underground station exposed a serious gap: police and fire crews had no reliable radio communication once they went underground. Duncan Swan, a young engineer at Philips at the time, spent the next two years helping fix it, building radio communications into all 123 stations. In this episode of The Wilmac Wire, hosts Emily McNulty and Steve McDonnell welcome their first UK-based guest of Season 3, Duncan, now Chief Operations Officer of British APCO, for a conversation on his four-decade career, what a global network of public safety associations can accomplish together, and where AI is (and isn't yet) earning trust in emergency response. Here's what you'll hear about: How a fire at a London Underground station led to his first major public safety comms project Leading technical assurance on the UK's billion-pound Emergency Services Network How a global network of public safety associations helped catch a worldwide false-call surge Where AI is already helping in UK public safety, and where the industry still draws the line His take on how close AI is to earning the same trust people put in a human dispatcher Episode Breakdown: 0:00 Welcome to our first UK-based guest of the season 2:16 Full introduction and background 3:00 Icebreaker: This or That 18:17 How a fire at a London Underground station led to his first major public safety project 25:57 Leading technical assurance on the UK's billion-pound Emergency Services Network 31:46 Taking the helm at British APCO 40:15 How a global network of public safety associations caught a worldwide false-call surge 43:14 Where AI is helping in public safety today, and where the industry draws the line 51:05 What AI means for training and supervision in the UK's emergency centers Connect with Duncan Swan on LinkedIn Listen to more episodes of The Wilmac Wire: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube | iHeart | Riverside

Ten days after 9/11, Joe Grube spent a week sifting through the wreckage in New York City, sorting debris for anything that could help identify what was lost. It's one chapter in a 24-year public safety career that took him from dispatcher to captain to 911 coordinator, and eventually into the private sector at Wilmac and now Motorola Solutions. In this episode of The Wilmac Wire, hosts Emily McNulty and Steve McDonnell sit down with Joe in studio to talk about what sitting on every side of the table has taught him about the difference between a vendor and an industry partner, and where he sees 911 technology headed next. Here's what you'll hear about: Starting as a dispatcher almost by accident, and working his way up to captain His time helping with recovery efforts in New York City after 9/11 What moving from public sector leadership to private sector sales taught him The real difference between a vendor and an industry partner, from someone who's sat on both sides Using AI to redact body camera footage in minutes instead of days His honest take on where 911 technology is headed next Episode Breakdown: 0:00 Welcome and introducing Joe Grube 2:46 Icebreaker: This or That 8:09 Starting as a dispatcher almost by accident, in 1987 25:34 Helping with recovery efforts in New York City after 9/11 29:04 Leaving 24 years in law enforcement for Wilmac 41:26 What moving from sales to customer success taught him 48:41 The real difference between a vendor and an industry partner 53:33 Using AI to redact body camera footage in minutes instead of days 56:41 Where 911 technology is headed next Connect with Joe Grube on LinkedIn Listen to more episodes of The Wilmac Wire: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube | iHeart | Riverside