2023 MNASCA Annual Conference
Speaker Information

Danny Ackert
Director of State Government Relations, Minnesota Hospital Association
Danny Ackert is the director of state government relations at the Minnesota Hospital Association. Danny joined MHA in December 2020 and prior MHA Danny served as the director of public policy at the Minnesota Association of Community Health Centers. He also previously held legislative advocacy and lobbying roles for the Minnesota Association of Community Mental Health Programs and the Minnesota Safety Net Coalition. Danny graduated from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health with a master's in public health administration and policy.

Grant Collins
Attorney, Felhaber Larson
LinkedIn Profile
Grant Collins is an MSBA-certified specialist in both traditional labor law and employment law. Grant’s traditional labor practice involves preparing for and serving as chief-spokesperson for collective bargaining, advising employers on their rights and obligations under collective bargaining agreements and the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), and representing employers in grievance arbitrations and unfair labor practice charges before the National Labor Relations Board. Grant also serves as outside labor counsel for construction trade groups. On the employment side, Grant advises and represents employers in matters involving all areas of employment law, including discrimination, ADA accommodations, FMLA leave, paid leave, FLSA and state wage and hour compliance, and the new phenomenon of local employment law ordinances.

Grant Duncan
VP of Marketing, HST Pathways
LinkedIn Profile
Grant Duncan stands at the intersection of healthcare and technology, serving as the VP of Marketing at HST Pathways, a leading software platform built for ASCs. He has over a decade of experience helping healthcare companies improve their operations. Today, he is focused on helping ASCs see when HST is and is not a good fit for them, helping them improve their operations, and sharing best practices from across the industry.

Hailey Englund
Lead ASC Quality Program Manager, Revo Health
LinkedIn Profile
Hailey Englund is the Lead ASC Quality Program Manager at Revo Health. She began her career as a Pre/Post RN at Crosstown Surgery Center in 2011 after graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the College of Saint Benedict. In 2019 she joined Revo Health as part of the ASC Revo Quality Team. The ASC Revo Quality Team provides support to six local surgery centers on a multitude of topics including but not limited to quality management, regulatory compliance, policy and procedure development and maintenance and risk management. Hailey lives in Rosemount, MN with her husband and 1.5 year old Golden Retriever named Sota. Most weekends you can find her at her family cabin in Wisconsin where she enjoys being outdoors and spending time with family and friends.

Julie Gauderman, is the Associate Director for Saint Mary's University of Minnesota's Graduate Program in Nurse Anesthesiology, serving as Clinical director managing over 45 clinical sites and student's clinical progression. She has been an active lobbyist, traveling to Washington DC annually since 2009, in addition to serving as past President for the Minnesota Association of Nurse Anesthetists. She takes being active in legislative issues, and anesthesia leadership very wholeheartedly and enjoys sharing her passion with others. She also is the President and CEO of Dreamsafe Anesthesia PC, providing office-based anesthesia services for a local fertility clinic. 

Dr. Ashwin George
Dr. Ashwin George, MD, CEO and Medical Director, Valley Medical and Wellness 
LinkedIn Profile
Dr. Ashwin George is the co-founder and CEO of Valley Medical and Wellness, a premier provider of chronic pain and addiction treatment, based in Burnsville, MN. In addition to personally seeing multiple addiction patients each day, Dr. George is responsible for managing a dozen providers in five clinic locations. Triple-certified in addiction medicine, internal medicine, and hospice and palliative care, Dr. George has more than ten years of experience working with patients suffering from substance abuse disorder. His experience treating substance abuse patients, especially those with co-occurring chronic pain, provides him with a unique insight into addiction treatment and recovery. He has authored one patent and six peer-reviewed case studies and publications and was named one of the state’s top Addiction Medicine doctors by Minnesota Monthly magazine.
 
Stefan Gildemeister
Director, Health Economics Program & State Health Economist
LinkedIn Profile
Stefan Gildemeister has more than 20 years of experience at the intersection of health policy and health services research. As the State Health Economist, he serves as Minnesota’s expert on complex technical and policy issues related to health insurance coverage, health care costs, and the health care delivery system. In this role, he advises the administration and the legislature on key policy issues and proposals. As Health Economics Program Director, Stefan is responsible for managing the conception and conduct of empirical research, developing and communicating research findings to broad audiences, and overseeing data systems in support of analytic activities. He has been the P.I. for federal research grants, a member of national advisory groups, and co-author of numerous research studies, policy briefs, and publications.

Leah Gordon
Program Director, St. Mary’s College Nurse Anesthesiology Graduate Program
LinkedIn Profile
Leah Gordon is a CRNA who works at Saint Mary's University of Minnesota as the Program Director. She has been there since March 2019. She works at the bedside at ASCs around the Twin Cities when she is able. 

JaNelle Gorg
Director of Quality and Risk Management, MNGI Digestive Health
LinkedIn Profile
JaNelle is the Director of Quality & Risk Management at MNGI Digestive Health. She is a certified gastroenterology nurse and holds certifications in both healthcare quality and healthcare risk management. 

Holly is passionate about leadership and coaching. After playing collegiate basketball for North Dakota State University, she coached Division I Women’s Basketball at North Carolina State University, the University of Northern Iowa, and the University of Wisconsin – Green Bay. She was also the District Athletic Director for the St. Louis Park, MN District for 8 years. Holly then took her leadership and coaching skills to the business world where she spent 23 years as a Healthcare Sales Executive with premiere healthcare organizations, such as the Mayo Clinic, Rayus Radiology, and Alliance Healthcare Services. As an executive and leader, she has led a wide variety of teams across industries to best-in-class business performance. Holly’s unique outlook, perspectives, and approach is built on lessons and stories from her family’s Aneta, North Dakota farm, in coaching/leading athletes, and her work with hundreds of business professionals. 

Maria King
Health Regulation Division Director, Minnesota Department of Health
LinkedIn Profile
Maria King is the Division Director for the Health Regulation Division of the Minnesota Department of Health.  A registered nurse, She has worked in the Health Regulation Division for 30 years. Maria has held a variety of positions in the course of her tenure, surveyor, trainer, supervisor, program manager and has been the Division Director going on 2 years. She has had the opportunity to speak with MNASCA a few times over the past few years and appreciates the efforts this organization places on ensuring safe and current practices are implemented in these settings.

Ryan Larson
Director of System Quality Improvement & Specialty Program Development, TRIA Orthopedic Center
LinkedIn Profile
Ryan Larson is the Director of System Quality Improvement & Specialty Program Development with TRIA Orthopedics (part of HealthPartners).  Over his 19-year career with HealthPartners, he has had the opportunity to both lead operational teams as well as collaborate across a multispecialty care delivery organization to innovate and improve upon care and models of care delivery.  Ryan holds a BA’s in Health Care Administration and Long-Term Care Administration from Concordia College in Moorhead and a MHA from the University of Minnesota. 

Robyn Majestic, CRNA
Director of Clinical Anesthesia, MNGI
 
Marc Majors
Assistant Commissioner, Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development
LinkedIn Profile
Marc Majors was named DEED’s Deputy Commissioner of Workforce Development in March 2022. In this role, Majors oversees Employment and Training programs, Careerforce, and the Governor’s Workforce Development Board. Before being named Deputy Commissioner, Majors was DEED's Director of Employment and Training Programs – the group at DEED that runs grantmaking for workforce development. Additionally, he held responsibility for the agency's Workforce Innovative and Opportunity Act-Title I programs, Trade Adjustment Assistance programs, State-funded Workforce Development Grants, and a new public-private initiative with Xcel Energy. Majors has been a key leader in advocating for and securing over $130M in net new workforce dollars for Minnesota’s workforce development system through federal and state sources. In 2021, Majors was named by Twin Cities Business Magazine as one of the notable BIPOC executives of the year.
 
Robert Mayhew
Director of Supply Chain Management, Revo Health  
LinkedIn Profile
With over 22 years of Ambulatory Surgery Center Supply Chain experience, Robert Mayhew has had the privilege to work with hundreds of surgery centers over his career. Robert believes in the value a strong Supply Chain can bring to an organization, not just financially, but to improve the overall patient experience. Robert holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in healthcare administration, is a Certified Materials and Resource Professional (CMRP) and serves as a Board Member for the Minnesota Chapter of The Association for Health Care Resource & Materials Management.

Silas McAghon
Clinical Specialist, Medical Solutions Division, 3M
LinkedIn Profile
Silas McAghon is a Clinical Specialist with 3M’s Medical Solutions Division in St. Paul, MN. After spending 10 years at 3M in the quality group developing and testing biological indicators, Silas moved into the field to support the products he helped develop. He supports 3M’s entire sterilization monitoring portfolio with specialties in vaporized hydrogen peroxide sterilization and biological indicators. Silas has been a co-chair or member of several AAMI working groups and was a customer of 3M’s before joining the organization. Silas has a passion for quality work in central sterilization and works to bridge the gap between manufactures and users.
 
Nicole Osterloh, RN
Federal Operations Supervisor, Minnesota Department of Health
LinkedIn Profile
Nicole Osterloh is the Federal Operations Supervisor- Lead ASC Supervisor for the Health Regulation Division of the Minnesota Department of Health.  Nicole is a registered nurse and has been with the department for 6 years and was a surveyor prior to that for an additional 5 years. Previous to that, as a registered nurse, her focus was on nursing specialty areas covering infection control, vascular surgery, cardiology, orthopedics, podiatry, wound care, ophthalmology, and nephrology. This will be her first year speaking to you all at the MNASCA conference and she is excited to meet you all and discuss State and Federal workload.

In 2007, Mike graduated from the Minneapolis School of Anesthesia with a Masters in Nurse Anesthesia. After a decade of working to serve rural and urban hospitals and ACS's, Mike purchased Certified Anesthesia Care Inc. Mike's vision was to foster and grow Certified's mission as a people-centered company that is known for excellent provision of care and unparalleled service to facilities. Today, Certified is one of the premier anesthesia companies that provides services in both metro and rural territories to a very broad, diverse patient population. Certified is focused on long-term staffing solutions with comprehensive anesthesia billing, staffing, management, and revenue cycle generation. As the CEO of Certified, Mike and his team maintains operations at over 45 facilities with over 110 anesthesia providers. His primary focuses are efficiency, transparency, and professional cohesiveness.

Debra Topham
Director of Nurse Practice and Compliance. Minnesota Board of Nursing
LinkedIn Profile

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