Conference Speaker Bios

Saturday Speakers

Dan Meers

Dan Meers has been KC Wolf, the mascot of the Kansas City Chiefs, for more than 35 years. In 2006 he was selected as the first NFL mascot inducted into the Mascot Hall of Fame. Dan travels throughout the United States and the world entertaining thousands of people both in and out of costume. He has performed in over 40 states and 12 different countries. He is in high demand not only as a mascot but also as a humorous and motivational speaker to audiences of all ages. His enthusiasm, optimism and love for life are contagious and make Dan an inspiration to all those he meets. Be it young or old, executive or blue collar, his audiences walk away with a smile and a renewed spirit to live life to the fullest. You will enjoy Dan as he shares his unique wit and wisdom about life. 

Betsey Helfrich, J.D.



Betsey has dedicated her professional career to education law. Betsey has successfully represented school district clients against a variety of claims in state and federal courts, as well as special education due process hearings and appeals, including the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. Betsey is a recognized leader in special education law, providing general counsel, litigation defense, and consulting for schools in all areas of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Betsey also serves as an independent hearing officer under Section 504, assists schools with the drafting and implementation of Section 504 policies and procedures, and hosts numerous workshops regarding Section 504 for school personnel.

Tiffiney D. Smith,

Special Education Compliance Consultant

Southeast Regional Professional Development Center,

Southeast Missouri State University

Tiffiney Smith is a seasoned special education professional with over 28 years of experience as a teacher, district coordinator, and state-level special education consultant. She specializes in guiding schools through the complexities of the special education process, with deep expertise in compliance and regulatory requirements under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Tiffiney is passionate about equipping all educators and school leaders with knowledge and strategies that ensure both regulatory compliance adherence and improved outcomes for students with disabilities.

Breakout Session Speakers

Daniel Lund, MBA

Outreach Simulation Education Coordinator

Shelden Clinical Simulation Center

University of Missouri School of Medicine

Daniel Lund, MBA is the Outreach Education Coordinator at the University of Missouri’s Shelden Clinical Simulation Center. He designs and delivers scenario-based educational simulations focused on learning, reinforcing, and refreshing nursing skills through hands-on, experiential training. Simulation scenarios are developed by the University of Missouri–Columbia School of Medicine Clinical Simulation Center and reviewed for accuracy in 2025 by Dr. Jack Welch (MU School of Medicine). Daniel collaborates with faculty, students, and community partners to translate evidence-based practice into realistic learning experiences for healthcare professionals.

Christin Hobbs, BSN, RN, CWCN



Hobbs is one of six specialized ostomy nurses at Children’s Mercy Hospital, providing care for all pediatric ostomies created at the institution and referred from across the region. Our team supports approximately 5–10 new ostomy patients each week, in addition to managing the care of established ostomy patients during hospital admissions. We also provide outpatient clinic follow-up for families experiencing pouching or ostomy management challenges. Hobbs has been a member of this specialized team for over five years.

Denise Brewster, DNP, RN, CPNP-PC



Denise has been a Pediatric Nurse for 35 years and a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner at Children's Mercy and in the Kansas City area for 28 years. She has specialized in Orthopedics for the past 12 years after several years in Primary Care and Emergency Medicine. Denise has particular interest in fracture care and pediatric spine conditions.

Amber Campbell



Amber Campbell is a Missouri Prevention Specialist and Community Strategist with PreventEd. In this role, Amber supports grassroots coalitions in creating positive change around substance misuse in their communities. She also provides Overdose Prevention Trainings and Mental Health First Aid Trainings across the St. Louis area and serves as secretary on H.E.A.L. Stop Heroin’s Board of Directors. As a person in long-term recovery, she is passionate about breaking the stigma around substance and misuse and advocating for increased accessibility of harm reduction strategies.

Elissa M. Brueggemann, BSN, RN, NCSN



Elissa M. Brueggemann, BSN, RN, NCSN, serves as the Missouri State School Nurse Consultant and brings over 12 years of dedicated experience as a school nurse. Nationally certified in school nursing, Elissa has held multiple leadership roles within professional school nursing organizations. She currently serves as President-Elect, Education Chairperson, Nurse Planner, and Membership Chairperson for the Missouri Association of School Nurses (MASN). In recognition of her outstanding contributions to the field, Elissa was named the 2024 Nationally Certified School Nurse of the Year. Her work is distinguished by a strong emphasis on collaboration, leadership, and the empowerment of school nurses as essential members of the educational team. Elissa's commitment to public health, education, and professional development continues to have a meaningful impact on students, schools, and communities across Missouri.

Kelly Vaugh, BS, RN



Kelly Vaugh, RN, BS serves as the School Nurse Specialist for the Adolescent and School Health Program at the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS). In this role, she provides leadership, guidance, and support to school nurses across the state, promoting evidence-based practices that enhance student health and academic success. With over five years of experience as Lead School Nurse in Farmington School District and with years in emergency planning with local public health agencies, Kelly brings a wealth of expertise in program coordination, crisis preparedness, and team development. Her work focuses on bridging the gap between state-level initiatives and on-the-ground school health practice, ensuring that Missouri’s school nurses are equipped with the tools they need.

Linda Neumann, RN, PLNC



Linda Neumann is a retired school nurse, currently self-employed as an Independent School Health Services Consultant. She has been a registered nurse for 49 years and a past board member of the National Association of School Nurses(NASN) and Past President of both MASN and SLSSNA. She has a passion for the Food Allergy sector and represented NASN on the FARE Food Allergy Management in Schools - Expert Recommendation project and currently serves on FARE's Education Advisory Committee.

Katie Epema, MEd, BSW



Katie Epema supports trauma-informed schools, youth suicide awareness and prevention, and school social work as Director of School-Based Mental Health at the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). She holds degrees in social work and education (with an emphasis in neuroscience and trauma), and is passionate about supporting staff and student well-being. Related to the topic of today’s presentation, Katie has been involved with revising the DESE Youth Suicide Awareness and Prevention Model Policy. As co-chair of the Missouri Suicide Prevention Network’s Suicide Prevention in Schools Committee, Katie collaborates with other organizations and school professionals on projects such as informing revisions to the 2025 version of the Suicide Prevention and 988 Guide for Schools.

Lindsay Ball, MSN, RN, NCSN



Lindsay Ball is the Lead Nurse for Nixa Public Schools. She served seven years as a high school nurse before moving into district leadership, where her experiences revealed critical gaps in youth mental health support and fueled her passion for student well-being. She played a key role in developing reentry procedures for students returning after crisis, work that earned her the Missouri Suicide Prevention Network’s first ever Suicide Prevention in Schools Award in 2025. Lindsay holds a Master of Science in Nurse, Nurse Executive degree, and is an active member of the Missouri Association of School Nurses. She is dedicated to advancing policies and practices that strengthen the physical, emotional, and mental health of Missouri’s school-aged children.

Rachel Barker, RN, EMT-P



Rachel Barker is the Director of Health Services, for the Blue Springs School District, where she has worked for the past four years. Her career in healthcare began with 15 years working with the EMS as a paramedic, 8 of those years as a firefighter, before transitioning to nursing. She worked in the Emergency Department at Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, MO as a registered nurse before she was hired with the school district.

Justin Coogle, MD



Dr. Coogle is a pediatric Neurologist at Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, MO. He received his Bachelor of Arts at the University of Kansas. He completed medical school at the University of Kansas School of Medicine in Kansas City, KS, completed 2 years of pediatrics residency and finished 3 years of child neurology fellowship in 2024.

Marissa Dawson, PsyD



Dr. Dawson is a pediatric psychologist specializing in the assessment and treatment of children and adolescents. She completed her fellowship training at Johns Hopkins Hospital, where she developed expertise in supporting youth with functional neurological disorders and other complex medical presentations. At Children's Mercy Hospital, Dr. Dawson serves as part of the pediatric psychology consult-liaison team, collaborating closely with other members of a patient's medical team to best support patients during this hospitalization. Dr. Dawson is a part of Children's Mercy's new hospital unit that treats acute mental health patient needs, including patients who present with functional neurological disorder.

Heidi Strickler, PhD, LCSW-S, CEDS-S, CART, CTLS



Dr. Heidi Strickler (she/her) is a clinical social worker, certified eating disorders specialist, and certified trauma specialist with nearly 30 years combined behavioral health and child welfare experience. Through her career, Heidi has focused on specializing in serving children and families with complex behavioral health needs focusing on youth who have experienced serious emotional disturbance, complex trauma, including human trafficking, and eating and dissociative disorders. Heidi combines advocacy and education with her service provision. She has the unique perspective of blending the roles of provider, managed care and child welfare professional with lived experience as a consumer and foster/adoptive parent. Heidi also serves as adult support on the St. Louis and State Youth Advisory Boards.

Melanie Rains, BSN, RN



Melanie Rains (she/her) is a registered nurse with nearly 30 years of clinical experience, specializing in population health, case management, and healthcare quality improvement. Her career has focused on both adult and pediatric populations, with a strong emphasis on underserved communities. Melanie is deeply passionate about pediatric care and brings a unique perspective through her lived experience as a foster and adoptive parent, which informs her understanding of the challenges and barriers faced by vulnerable children and families. Her work is driven by a commitment to improving individual health outcomes through compassionate, strategic, and evidence-based approaches.

Marjorie Cole, MSN, RN, FASHA



Marjorie “Marge” Cole, MSN, RN, FASHA, is the retired Missouri State School Nurse Consultant, serving more than 25 years with the Department of Health and Senior Services and over 40 years in school health. Her career has focused on advancing the role of school nurses, leading statewide programs, and shaping policies to improve equitable health outcomes for students. She has been nationally recognized for her leadership in chronic condition management, school health data collection, and public health collaboration. A Fellow of the American School Health Association and recipient of multiple leadership awards, she remains active in mentoring, professional development, and speaking on school health policy and leadership.

Sunday Speakers

Russ Tuttle



Russ Tuttle is the president and founder of The Stop Trafficking ProjectⓇ to combat the crisis of domestic minor sex trafficking (DMST). The vision of The Stop Trafficking ProjectⓇ is to end domestic minor sex trafficking before it starts by disrupting the exploitation of vulnerability. It is from this vision that BeAlertⓇ Student Assemblies was developed. The primary implementation of BeAlertⓇ are presentations which educate and empower students and guide adults from awareness to action. They have impacted almost 282,000 people of whom over 134,000 are students with immediate positive impact. Russ brings over three decades of passion and experience in the not-for-profit world to The Stop Trafficking ProjectⓇ team.

Lindsay Ball, MSN, RN, NCSN



Lindsay Ball is the Lead Nurse for Nixa Public Schools. She served seven years as a high school nurse before moving into district leadership, where her experiences revealed critical gaps in youth mental health support and fueled her passion for student well-being. She played a key role in developing reentry procedures for students returning after crisis, work that earned her the Missouri Suicide Prevention Network’s first ever Suicide Prevention in Schools Award in 2025. Lindsay holds a Master of Science in Nurse, Nurse Executive degree, and is an active member of the Missouri Association of School Nurses. She is dedicated to advancing policies and practices that strengthen the physical, emotional, and mental health of Missouri’s school-aged children.