Christopher Cannon
Chris Cannon is the Director of EMS Education and Department Chair for Health and Human Services at Cowley College. Chris graduated from Cowley’s first MICT (Paramedic) program in 1997 and returned as a full-time MICT instructor in 2005. In 2008, Cannon became Department Chair of the Allied Health Department and EMS Program Director. In 2013 he became the Department Chair for the newly formed Health & Human Services Department. In 2017 he became the Academic Grants Director and oversees the annual Perkins grant as well as the Vocational Capital Outlay and Academic Technology grants.
With over two decades of EMS and fire experience, he brings an intimate understanding of many different EMS and public safety systems to the classroom. Cannon is a strong advocate for alternative course delivery modes and innovative approaches to adult education. He developed the first ever hybrid EMT and Paramedic courses in Kansas and helped move the instructional delivery model of the Paramedic program to an active, engaged learner approach.
As the Department Chair, he guides and oversees all EMS and healthcare-related courses, the Criminal Justice program, the Cosmetology program, the Early Childcare program, the Education program, and the Paramedic program. He also helps develop academic policy for the college, develops new college academic programs, evaluates and approves curricular changes at the college, and a host of other duties. He is responsible for guiding and ensuring excellence within the department. He has chaired numerous AQIP action teams, including Online Education Delivery, Professional Development and Online Education Quality. Chris received the N.I.S.O.D. Master Teacher award in 2007, the college’s Young Achiever Award in 2007, and the Kansas Council for Workforce Education Inside the Field Leadership award in 2016.
He holds a bachelor of science degree in business administration and a master of science degree in leadership from Southwestern College. Chris is also a Kansas certified paramedic and instructor / coordinator, holds numerous other instructor certifications, and is a Training Center Coordinator for the American Heart Association, The Difficult Airway: EMS course, and the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians. He is a member of the Kansas Board of EMS Educator Development Task Force, the National Association of EMS Educators Distance Education Committee, and is a member of the Kansas EMS Region III Board of Directors. He is also the Fire/EMS Chief for Cowley County Fire District #3, an elected member of the Burden City Council, and a member of the Cowley County Board of Health.
Cannon and his wife Mandy live in Burden with their daughter Libby and son Max. He enjoys precision rifle/action pistol shooting, all things Marvel and Star Wars, and woodworking.