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2024 Breakout Speakers
Get to know the speakers that will be presenting this year's breakout sessions!
Angela Graham
Program Coordinator
Hubbard in Prevention Coalition
Angela Graham has worked for CHI St. Joseph’s Health in Park Rapids, MN for 11 years as a Drug Free Communities Grant and Hubbard in Prevention (HIP) Coalition Coordinator. I am a trained Certified Prevention Specialist and an ACE’s Interface Trainer. In my spare time I am an avid cyclist and love spending time with my husband, children, family, friends and traveling.
Cassandra Hainey
Positive Community Norms Coordinator
Rock Ridge Public Schools
Cassandra Hainey is the Positive Community Norms Grant Coordinator for Rock Ridge Public Schools, working with her community to uncover and grow the positive that exists on the Iron Range with the goal of reducing teen substance use. Cassandra took on her role in 2021; she has spent the past twelve years supporting students through her previous work as a Guardian ad Litem for the State of MN and Executive Director of Volunteers in Education. Cassandra’s love for her community stems from deep family roots that continue on through her four children.
David Olson-Iverson
Metro and SE Minnesota BIPOC ATOD Regional Prevention Coordinator
Association for Non-Smokers
David Olson-Iverson is the Metro and SE Minnesota BIPOC ATOD Regional Prevention Coordinator. David’s prior roles in substance misuse prevention include: Drug-Free Communities (DFC) Grant Coordinator, Standing Together Embracing Prevention coalition member (Deer River), and a Forward Health Foundation Board Member (Deer River). As a DFC Coordinator, he helped launch a rebrand of the community's youth group, STEP UP Deer River (stepupdeerriver.org.) David has an Associate of Arts from Itasca Community College and is a Special Education Major at Bethel University. His passion is working with youth and communities.
Emily Wheeler
Student
Martin County Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition
Emily Wheeler, a senior, has been an active Empower member for three years, dedicating over 200 volunteer hours. She initiated the podcast, and has hosted four podcast episodes. Emily has served as secretary and social media chair, and participates in theatre, tennis, band, and choir. She has attended the Program Sharing Conference twice and has been on high honors for three years. Emily is passionate about community service and substance misuse prevention.
Jason McCoy
Positive Community Norms Coordinator
Clay County Public Health
Jason McCoy is the Tobacco Prevention Coordinator for Clay County Public Health in Moorhead, Minnesota. Jason has been working in substance prevention for nine years, building coalitions, raising awareness, and passing policies reducing tobacco’s harm. He has led efforts to pass 32 tobacco and electronic cigarette prevention policies. He is currently building Positive Community Norms – working upstream to address Hopes & Concerns in the DGF school system.
Ken Winters
Senior Scientist
Oregon Research Institute (MN location) & Smart Approaches to Marijuana Minnesota
Ken C. Winters, Ph.D. is a Senior Scientist at the Oregon Research Institute (MN location) and a Consultant for the Native Center for Behavioral Health at the University of Iowa. He previously was a Professor at the University of Minnesota’s Department of Psychiatry, where he founded and directed the Center for Adolescent Substance Abuse Research for 25 years. He is a board member and co-founder of Smart Approaches to Marijuana Minnesota, a state-wide community coalition. Dr. Winters led the development of the Cannabis Prevention Toolkit.
Maree Hampton
Founder, Digital Wellbeing Solutions
Digital Wellbeing Solutions
Maree Hampton, M.Ed, CHES, is the founder of Digital Wellbeing Solutions. Maree brings years of digital wellbeing, public health, and youth development expertise to provide guidance, tools and resources for individuals and organizations who work with children and young people. Maree is a certified Digital Wellness Educator and Certified Health Education Specialist and an active member of ScreenTime Action Network’s workgroups: Online Harms Prevention and Nature and Play. She is passionate about promoting the digital wellbeing of young people so they can thrive in the digital age.
Megan Wheeler
Student
Martin County Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition
Megan Wheeler, a junior, has been an Empower member for four years and is the media team chair. She has dedicated over 200 volunteer hours and attended the Program Sharing Conference twice. Megan is involved in student council and has maintained honor roll status every semester. Her leadership and commitment to substance misuse prevention and community service are evident through her active participation in various initiatives.
Merri Guggisberg
MKG Parent Coach
MKG Parent Coach
As a parent coach dedicated to fostering loving connections within families, I draw from extensive experience in empowering parents and caregivers to navigate the challenges of parenting with compassion and resilience. My work focuses on promoting positive parent-child relationships, building strengths-based approaches to family dynamics, and fostering community partnerships to support substance misuse prevention and lifelong health. Through my parent coaching services, I empower individuals to recognize and nurture their own strengths, creating ripple effects of positivity and resilience within families and communities.
Mimie Mogaka
Youth Director
Sierra Leone Community in Minnesota
Mimie Mogaka is the Youth Director for SLCM. She also serves as the inter-community liaison for the West African Collaborative (WAC), coordinating communications and activities with the various communities. Mimie develops programs for and leads the SLCM Youth Leadership Group. The Youth Leadership Group provides cultural and educational leadership training for West African youth as part of the efforts to address social and economic disparities.
Nicki Linsten Lodge
Regional Prevention Coordinator
Pine River-Backus Family Center
Nicki joined the Alcohol Tobacco and Other Drug team as Regional Prevention Coordinator (RPC) for the West Central Region in June 2020. She graduated from Bemidji State University with a Bachelor's Degree in Applied Psychology. Partnering with families and communities in supporting strength-based change has been a passion throughout her career. Prior to becoming an RPC, Nicki was the Youth and Family Service Worker at the Pine River-Backus Elementary School.
Parker Smith
Communications and Program Planner
Minnesota Department of Health
Parker Smith, MPH, is a communications and program planner with the Minnesota Department of Health where he manages youth-counter marketing efforts on commercial tobacco. Parker received his masters in public health in 2014 from the University of Minnesota. When he’s not working, he can be found enjoying live music or relaxing in his hammock by one of Minnesota’s lakes.
Reba Mathern-Jacobson
Senior Manager, Advocacy
American Lung Association
Reba Mathern-Jacobson, MSW, leads American Lung Association’s projects in MN to implement policy, systems and environmental changes to support tobacco treatment and tobacco-free environments in mental health and substance use disorder systems. She coordinates the Lung Mind Alliance which involves statewide partners to implement strategies to reduce the disparities and impact commercial tobacco use has on people with mental illness and/or substance use disorders. She has over 25 years of experience in direct service, program development and policy.
Thomas Barrett
Hip-Hop Artist
Thomas X
Thomas X is an Anishinaabe Hip Hop Artist from the Red Lake Band of Ojibwe. Co-founder of Rez Rap Records, Thomas incorporates reservation life-style, Native American awareness, and his personal life experiences through pure lyricism. Featured on VICE, Apple Music, and Noisey; he brings a unique style of rap music that ties in traditional hand drumming, Ojibwe language, and current issues and topics regarding the indigenous communities.
Anne LaFrinier-Ritchie
Safe Harbor Regional Navigator
Someplace Safe
Anne LaFrinier-Ritchie, White Earth Anishinaabe, works as a Safe Harbor Regional Navigator for Someplace Safe in West Central Minnesota. Anne has worked in the anti-trafficking field in direct services and training and technical assistance in Minnesota and North Dakota since 2016, with previous history in advocacy and tribal child welfare. She is a 2020 graduate of National Human Trafficking Training and Technical Assistance Center's (NHTTAC) Human Trafficking Leadership Academy Class 5. Anne consults on a national level on serving Indigenous survivors.
Chelsey Skogen
Specialist, Advocacy & Policy
American Lung Association
Chelsey Skogen is a Specialist, Advocacy & Policy with the American Lung Association where she helps lead the Lung Mind Alliance coalition, addressing commercial tobacco use among those with mental health and substance use disorders within Minnesota. Chelsey graduated with her bachelor’s degree in Community Health Education from Minnesota State University, Mankato. There, she also led policy change efforts on campus and attended Smoke Free Generation Day at the Capitol as a student advocating for Tobacco 21 in the Mankato area. She now attributes leadership opportunities like these to helping inspire and equip others for a career in policy change. She also works on commercial tobacco initiatives and youth programs in Washington & Anoka Counties. Aside from work, Chelsey holds a position on the board for MN Society for Public Health Education as Continuing Education Chair.
Elyse Levine Less
Executive Director
Tobacco-Free Alliance
Elyse brings over 20 years of experience in community engagement and programming. Her public health career journey began with alcohol prevention research at the U of M School of Public Health, followed by managing a statewide healthy eating policy campaign. Since 2017, Elyse has been leading TFA as its executive director. Her current focus is on innovative, community-based e-cigarette prevention education and advocacy, aiming to significantly reduce youth access, usage, and related harms.
Heather Bacchus
Realtor, Mother, Educator, Speaker
Be Extraordinary, Be You
Heather and Randy Bacchus are parents of a forever 21-Year-old son, Randy Michael. He died by suicide and Cannabis Induced Psychosis on July 17th, 2021. He started using cannabis at 15. Heather and Randy learned how the potency of today’s cannabis can impact the adolescent brain. They learned cannabis could cause psychosis, depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation. They feel it is imperative to share information with students, parents, and professionals to prevent further tragedy. Randy and Heather have 3 daughters and are Licensed Realtors in Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Jonathan Rose
SLCM Programs Director
Sierra Leone Community in Minnesota
Jonathan Rose is the Board chair and the Director of Programs for SLCM. A chemist and chemical engineer for over 30 years at 3M Company, Dr. Rose is also a community activist, providing training for leadership and management capacity building within communities of color. He is the executive director for the West African Collaborative (WAC), a leadership organization representing over a dozen West African immigrant communities in Minnesota.
Laura Daak
MPA Program Coordinator
Minnesota Prevention Alliance
Laura Daak is an experienced grant coordinator and certified substance abuse prevention specialist who has over 20 yrs. of experience and has held a Certified Prevention Professional Advanced (CPPA) Certification since ‘08. She partners to build the capacity of coalitions and provides TA to reduce substance abuse for communities working in the field of substance use/abuse prevention. She currently is the Minnesota Prevention Alliance (MPA) Program Coordinator in the State of MN.
Marisa Katz
Senior Staff Attorney
Public Health Law Center
Marisa Katz is a senior staff attorney at the Public Health Law Center where she provides legal technical assistance on commercial tobacco control issues to public health organizations and advocates nationwide. Marisa was previously a litigator for eighteen years, where she specialized in consumer rights class action litigation. Earlier in her career, Marisa was a staff attorney at SE Louisiana Legal Services, where she provided civil legal services to low-income individuals in Louisiana.
Mekdelawit Tesfaye
Student
Vape Waste Team
Mekdelawit Tesfaye is a junior at Eastview High School in Apple Valley, Minnesota. She joined the Vape Waste Team to pursue her passion for health and address the community harm caused by vape waste. Mekdelawit helped create the team’s county-wide survey, analyzed the results, and crafted messaging to raise awareness. As a trained vape waste educator, she also participates in community events to spread the word. Mekdelawit plans to become a pediatrician, combining her love for working with kids and healthcare. Beyond the Vape Waste Team, she is involved in FCCLA, HOSA, student council, and the debate team at Eastview.
Michelle Esquivel
Student
Martin County Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition
Michelle Esquivel, a freshman at Fairmont Jr/Sr High School, is the Empower Secretary and student representative on the Martin County Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition Executive Board. She placed 3rd in speech at the Big South Conference and is active in debate, student council, and peer tutoring. Michelle has hosted four podcast episodes and contributed significantly to substance misuse prevention efforts.
Molly Schmidtke
Community Outreach Coordinator
ANSR MN
Molly Schmidtke is a Community Outreach Coordinator with the Association for Nonsmokers-Minnesota. She specializes in commercial tobacco prevention education, advocacy, and engagement. Molly holds a BS in Community Health Education from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and an MPH in Public Health Administration and Policy from the University of Minnesota. She is also a Certified Health Education Specialist.
Noelle Harden
Health & Nutrition Educator
University of Minnesota Extension
Noelle Harden is an Educator with the University of Minnesota Extension, hailing from Moorhead. During her 13 years in this role, she has led several initiatives related to facilitating systems change efforts in public health, community resilience, food access, and the opioid epidemic. She created the participatory grantmaking program, which helps funders and local government units involve community members, stakeholders and cross-sector professionals in making decisions about budgets including opioid settlement funding. She is a seasoned facilitator adept at teaching others these skills.
Rachel Callanan
Lead Senior Staff Attorney
Public Health Law Center
Rachel Callanan is is the lead attorney for the Center’s Minnesota program and provides legal technical assistance on commercial tobacco control and cannabis issues to public health professionals and organizations, legal professionals, and advocates throughout the United States.
Sheila Watercott
Regional Prevention Coordinator
Association for Nonsmokers MN
Sheila Watercott serves as a MN Regional Alcohol, Tobacco, & Other Drug Prevention Coordinator (RPC) in the 7 county Metro Region. She has over 15 years experience coordinating community projects focused on health and safety. Prior to taking this role, she was a Community Health Educator and Project Coordinator in Little Falls and Morrison County. She has worked with community partners to achieve outcomes in reducing youth substance use, in growing awareness of effective substance use prevention strategies, and in growing knowledge of the harms of youth substance use, including the use of marijuana, alcohol, commercial tobacco products, and prescription drugs.
Valerie Peters
Director of Education
Emily's Hope
My commitment to support children, youth, teens, and their families aligns with the mission of Emily’s Hope. My focus is to provide educational resources and support to schools implementing the organization’s prevention curriculum. My education, MA Ed, and background as an educator and school district administrator enhance my ability to be a liaison with administrators, educators, school counselors, and community staff to address their unique needs, facilitate curriculum adoption, and coordinates activities to enhance student’s educational experiences.
Carlos Morales
Prevention Specialist and Marketing Consultant
Viva Technology
Carlos Morales, founder of Viva Technology, LLC, is a digital marketing consultant with 20 years of tech and public health experience. He formerly served as Senior Systems Analyst at the Minnesota Institute of Public Health. Morales provides IT, web design services, and trains on social media strategies for small businesses and nonprofits, crafting effective multi-channel brand communications.
Claire Weiss
Youth Programs Coordinator
myHealth for Teens and Young Adults
Claire Weiss is the Youth Programs Coordinator at myHealth for Teens and Young Adults in Hopkins, Minnesota. With a background in community health promotion and health education, Claire works to create engaging and equitable spaces for youth to learn and lead. She received her MPH from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities and her Bachelor of Science in public health at the Universty of Alabama.
Emily Anderson
Director of Policy
Association for Nonsmokers-Minnesota
Emily Anderson is a Policy Director at the Association for Nonsmokers-MN. She has qualitative data analysis experience with various end-user surveys with tobacco-free campus and tobacco-free parks work. Strengths Emily brings to this work are 15 years of policy advocacy and the ability to communicate with both policy makers and other advocates.
Jace Schroeder
Health Educator
myHealth for Teens and Young Adults
Jace Schroeder is a Health Educator at myHealth for Teens and Young Adults. He has a background in training and working with youth throughout his career. Jace received his Bachelors of Science in Health Sciences from the University of Minnesota Rochester. Through his work at myHealth, Jace hopes to further create safe spaces for youth to engage in impactful change for their communities.
Katie Engman
Program Director- Policy & Compliance
Association for Nonsmokers Minnesota
Since 2002, Katie has coordinated and supported diverse school- and community-based tobacco prevention programming and advocacy work. Much of Katie’s career has been focused on youth prevention, education, advocacy and engagement resulting in national awards for students. She also directs the North Suburban Tobacco Compliance Project working to reduce youth access to commercial sources of tobacco.
Liz Johnson
Public Policy and Advocacy
American Lung Association
Liz Johnson brings extensive political and organizing experience to her roles in civic, social, and policy change initiatives. At the American Lung Association, she works on public health initiatives across Greater Minnesota Counties, providing community education and technical assistance for local policy change. A long-time advocate for electoral reform, Liz served as Deputy Director at FairVote Minnesota. She is also a co-founder of Vote Run Lead, a national organization that trains women to run for office and win. Liz also founded Plate to Politics with the Women, Food and Agriculture Network. Her work is distinguished by an asset-based approach and the diverse range of participants. Liz recently celebrated 10 years as a board member of the Hmong American Farmers Association and lives (and quilts) in Duluth, Minnesota, next to the largest freshwater lake in the world.
Megan Wagner
Director of Programming
Change the Outcome
Megan Wagner is a licensed alcohol and drug counselor from Minneapolis, Mn. She started her career as an educator for Minneapolis Public Schools before earning her Masters in Integrated Behavioral Health from the University of Minnesota. She has worked as a clinician in dual diagnosis outpatient, residential, and inpatient programs here in Minnesota for the last 10 years. Prior to joining the CTO team she was working as a licensed alcohol and drug counselor at a high school in the south metro.
Mel Alvar
Safe Harbor Regional Navigator
Program for Aid To Victims of Sexual Assault
Mel Alvar is a community advocate, public health educator, and human trafficking subject matter expert from Duluth and 2023 National Human Trafficking Training and Technical Assistance Center Human Leadership Academy Cohort 8 Fellow. Mel’s current work as the Safe Harbor Regional Navigator for NE Minnesota at PAVSA connects her to communities and professionals across the region to build capacity for walking alongside individuals and families impacted by exploitation and human trafficking.
Mike Sheldon
Commercial Tobacco Cessation Communications Coordinator
Minnesota Department of Health
Mike Sheldon, Commercial Tobacco Cessation Communications Coordinator, is a member of the Commercial Tobacco Prevention and Control Program (CTPC) at the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH).
Nabiha Kashif
Student
Vape Waste Team
Nabiha is a junior at Eagan High School. As a member of the Dakota County Vape Waste Team, she aims to raise awareness about the lesser known harms of vape waste on the environment and better the health of those in her community. Her contributions include collaboratively creating and analyzing a county-wide survey of vape waste knowledge amongst highschoolers, co-creating and performing a training skit for students on how to meet with state legislators, and educating and advocating for tobacco prevention policies to decision- makers. Outside of her advocacy work, she competes on her school’s speech and debate teams, serves as vice president for her school’s Muslim Student Association, and volunteers at a local hospital.
Pam Lanhart
Founder, Co-Executive Director
Thrive Family Recovery Resources
Pam Lanhart is a dedicated advocate for family-centered recovery support services. With her lived experience of losing a loved one and leadership at Thrive Family Recovery Resources, Pam has spearheaded initiatives aimed at empowering families affected by substance use, fostering resilience, and promoting long-term recovery.
Randy Bacchus
Speaker/Realtor
Be Extraordinary, Be You
Heather and Randy Bacchus lost their 21-year-old son, Randy Michael. He died by suicide while in Cannabis-Induced Psychosis on July 17th, 2021. Heather and Randy learned how the potency of today’s cannabis impacts the adolescent brain. Youth cannabis use can cause psychosis, depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation. They aim to share information with students, parents, and professionals to prevent further tragedy. Randy and Heather have 3 daughters and are Licensed Realtors in MN and WI.
Talia Broadhead
Community Engagement Coordinator
MN Prevention and Recovery Alliance
Talia Brodhead serves as the leader of a Drug-Free Community Grant-funded coalition in Crow Wing County. Her journey is a testament to resilience, transformation, and the power of community support. She understands the complexities of addiction and the stigma that often accompanies it. Under her leadership, the coalition has made significant strides in raising awareness about substance use and its impact on the community. Talia has been instrumental in providing substance use prevention for the local youth, peer support services, and community-wide prevention campaigns.
Willow Najjar Anderson
Staff Attorney
Public Health Law Center
Willow Najjar Anderson is a Staff Attorney at the Public Health Law Center, providing legal technical assistance for commercial tobacco control policy as part of the Center’s Minnesota and Federal Regulations Teams. A former Assistant Attorney General, she has tried cases in most Minnesota counties. She is an adjunct professor at Mitchell Hamline School of Law and a Minnesota Supreme Court Qualified Mediator and Neutral.
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