As we close out 2025, I am filled with gratitude to recap this year with you. To my NCT9-1-1 team, the ECCs/PSAPs we serve, our public and private partners, and the extended 9-1-1 family that stretches across the country, I say well done!
This year was unlike any other—professionally and personally. And yet, in the midst of challenge, purpose shines the brightest. More than any year before, 2025 gave me a deeper understanding of why we do this work and why it matters.
When I chose Momentum as the word for the year 2025, I imagined acceleration. I pictured a future marked by:
- Implementing innovation and advancing 9-1-1
- Compounding progress
- Strong partnerships
- Unified energy around innovation
- A rapid rate of change
After years of active resistance across the country, we saw a shift in thinking and broad acceptance of AI and advanced technology in 9-1-1. I expected momentum to mean speed, expansion and breakthroughs.
But life surprised me.
A Personal Turning Point: Emergency Open-Heart Surgery
In January, I went to the hospital for what was supposed to be a simple day surgery. Complications arose, and I woke up having undergone emergency open-heart surgery to repair my broken heart, literally.
I don’t remember that week of my life, and I’m told that is a blessing. I do remember the vulnerability and inability to do anything. I remember needing help instead of giving it—an unfamiliar place for someone who has spent a life and career serving others.
My faith steadied me when nothing else could. I was surrounded by family, friends, and a strong church community who stood in the gap for me. But I was also carried by you, my 9-1-1 family across the country. Your prayers, encouragement, and messages reminded me how deeply connected this community truly is.
Recovery was long, but it became a teacher. It showed me things about purpose, pace, and calling that I had not yet learned in all my years of leadership.
My life-or-death experience didn’t diminish my life’s work, it clarified it. I’m alive. I’m thankful. And I’m more intentional than ever about living my calling with purpose.
Momentum took on a deeper meaning when life forced me to pause.
- Momentum isn’t only acceleration, it’s direction and alignment.
- Sometimes the most powerful momentum comes from stillness, clarity, and grounding.
- My momentum this year shifted from external achievements to a season of intentional rest. This pause, reflection, and even celebration before moving forward has made me stronger and more resilient.
Leadership Lessons Born from Crisis
This season reshaped how I lead and how I hope to encourage all of you:
- Slowing down is not a weakness; it is wisdom. In a culture obsessed with speed, choosing rest is courage.
- You cannot outrun purpose; you can only align with it. Purpose finds you, even when life interrupts your plans.
- The work we do in 9-1-1 is sacred. It matters in ways we don’t always see or can’t articulate.
- Your life matters beyond your output. Busy is not the same as success. You are more than the calls you answer or the projects you complete.
- Relationships matter more than accomplishments. They sustain us in ways success never can.
These truths grounded me in a new kind of leadership, one centered on meaning over motion.
2025 in Review: Accomplishments with Heart
Each year I highlight our achievements, but this year I want to focus on the people behind them.
NCT9-1-1 Internal Team
- Your resilience during my recovery allowed the mission to continue without hesitation.
- You advanced NG9-1-1 deployment, GIS, analytics, operations, policy, and innovation.
- You lived out our values of Heart, Courage, and Attitude.
9-1-1 Dispatch Community
- You endured storms, staffing challenges, and heavy emotional burdens.
- You embraced change to improve emergency response for our communities.
- Your heroism—often unseen—is valued deeply by those who understand it.
Partnerships & Innovation
- We strengthened both long-standing and new partnerships (public and private), shaping the future of 9-1-1.
- After eight years of the 9-1-1 Early Adopter Summit, we stepped boldly into a new era with the 19-1-1 Early Adopter Coalition—moving from an annual moment to a year-long movement.
Gratitude
To the NCT9-1-1 Staff:
Thank you for your courage, innovation, excellence, and care for people. You carried me this year as you carried on the mission and upheld our values.
To our ECC/PSAPs:
You continuously stand in the gap for millions. Your resilience humbles me.
To the Wider 9-1-1 Community:
Your passion keeps our industry moving forward. Every day you remind me that purpose is bigger than any one of us and that leadership is a shared journey.
A Final Encouragement for 2025
I know many in this profession are burned out, under pressure, feeling unseen and wondering if you still make a difference. If that’s you, return to your “why?”. . . the calling that brought you here:
- The desire to help people,
- The passion for innovation,
- The heart for service,
- The unique gifts you bring to the table, whether in call-taking, GIS, policy, training, leadership, or technology.
My heart was literally torn open this year. And God filled it with renewed purpose and calling. Your purpose matters. Your calling is sacred. And your work changes lives—even when you can’t see it. Go forth and conquer, my friends! Merry Christmas, and happy holidays.
Christy Williams — Director, NCT9-1-1