LifeNet CEO and president to retire after 24 years
TEXARKANA, Ark. — David Baumgardner, president and CEO of LifeNet, announced his retirement after 24 years of service to the area during a city Board of Directors meeting this week.
Mayor Allen Brown issued and read a proclamation thanking and congratulating Baumgardner for his service to the community. With the proclamation, Brown declared Aug. 1, 2022, as David Baumgardner Day.
Baumgardner was hired as the CEO and president of LifeNet in 1998, primarily serving Bowie and Miller counties. During his tenure, LifeNet expanded its services to include Arkansas counties like Garland and Hot Springs, as well as Morriss and Cass counties in Texas.
“Every time that I’ve had dealings with David, he’s certainly been very receptive and done a lot of things for our community,” Brown said. “He’s going to be greatly missed in our community, so we felt it was appropriate that we issue a proclamation for him.”
Originally from Dallas, Baumgardner is a former managing director of the Montana, Idaho and North and South Dakota area operations for American Medical Response. He brought to LifeNet nearly four decades of diverse EMS field and management experience, including serving as a paramedic, as a district manager of human resources, as an operations manager for AMR’s Western Region and for holding numerous operations positions.
He also served as a member of Rotary International and on the board of the Texarkana Regional Airport Authority. He is a former board member of the Texas Ambulance Association and the Texarkana Chamber of Commerce
Baumgardner said his most memorable accomplishment while being at LifeNet was aiding the organization to receive accreditation for its ambulance services.
He thanked the Board and everyone who was a part of making the proclamation possible during Tuesday’s meeting.
“It’s been a wonderful 24 years here in Texarkana,” he said. “Thank you to the mayor and the Council for this honor. Anytime you do anything like this, it takes a family, and LifeNet’s a family — from the first responders, to the staff, to the paramedics and EMTs. So, it’s not just me. I want to accept this on everybody’s behalf.”
Baumgardner said his last day will be in September. LifeNet is already in the process of interviewing candidates to replace him.