AAPACN Board of Directors
The Board of Directors is responsible for the governance and strategic vision of the American Association of Post-Acute Care Nursing (AAPACN). In accordance with AAPACN’s Board Policy Manual, the Board will govern lawfully, observing Policy Governance principles, with an emphasis on (1) outward vision rather than internal preoccupation, (2) encouragement of diversity in viewpoints, (3) strategic leadership more than administrative detail, (4) clear distinction of board and chief executive officer roles, (5) collective rather than individual decisions, (6) future rather than past or present, and (7) proactivity rather reactivity.
Meet the dedicated post-acute care professionals who serve on the AAPACN Board and who help drive our mission of supporting the professional development, empowerment, and success of our members.
VP Clinical Services, Generations Healthcare Network, Lincolnwood, IL
Beth received her BSN degree from Indiana University, Indianapolis and her MS from St. Xavier University, Chicago. She is a contributor to several professional publications and conducts presentations across the U.S. on pressure ulcer and wound management. Beth has served on the board of directors of Telligen, the Illinois Catholic Health Care Association, and the Professional and Technical Advisory Panel for Joint Commission.
President, Celtic Consulting, LLC, CEO, MDSRescue, LLC, and CEO/Founder, Care Transitions, LLP, Torrington, CT
Nationally recognized as an industry leader in clinical reimbursement for long-term care, Maureen has been a registered nurse for more than 30 years with experience as an MDS coordinator, director of nursing, rehab director, and Medicare biller. In addition to the AAPACN Board of Directors, Maureen is the Chair for the Expert Advisory Panel. Maureen also serves on the Clinical Practice Committee and Reimbursement committee for the American Health Care Association, former President for the Association of Long Term Care Financial Managers, Medicare and MDS 3.0 advisor for several state affiliates, and an advisor to the J13 Medicare contractor National Government Services Provider Advisory Group. She is also an editorial advisor for HCPro. Maureen received the ACHCA 2018 Education Award. Her publications have been in leading industry journals such as PPS Alert, McKnight’s Long-Term Care News, and Skilled Nursing News and authored several books
Senior Director of Operations, Rehab America, Franklin, TN
Colleen is the Senior Director of Operations at Rehab America. She is an Occupational Therapist with over 27 years of healthcare experience including pediatrics, home health, outpatient, acute care, and LTPAC but considers geriatrics and long-term care her passion. Colleen received her Nursing Home Administrator license in 2010 and her RAC-CT certification in 2020. With expertise in operations, clinical reimbursement, and people development, she has great analytical skills and is passionate about clinical care that results in outstanding outcomes. Colleen has worked with teams to identify areas of opportunity and develop strategies for process improvement, enhanced MDS coding, and reimbursement optimization. She has headed up numerous initiatives that structure and standardized processes for better efficiency and effectiveness.
Regional Vice President, Broad River Rehabilitation, Mocksville, NC
Adrienne has dedicated over 24 years of experience to the skilled nursing industry. She holds a master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology and started her career as a clinician in skilled nursing facilities. Since, Adrienne has held many leadership roles within the SNF setting, including Rehabilitation Director, Area Manager, and Senior Director of Operations.
Adrienne is currently a Regional Vice President for Broad River Rehabilitation where she supports skilled nursing facilities in North Carolina. In her role, Adrienne works with internal and external stakeholders to ensure the quality provision of therapy care to all of the residents in the SNFs she serves. Adrienne also holds a RAC-CT, which she obtained in 2017; and specializes in improving access to quality therapy services while maximizing reimbursement for the skilled nursing facilities she serves.
Owner and Consultant, Leading Transitions Post Acute Care Consultation and Staffing, Marion, IN
Rosanna (Rosie) is the owner and lead consultant for Leading Transitions Post Acute Care Consultation and Staffing, offering MDS consultation and a variety of other consulting for post-acute care, as well as interim MDS services.
Rosie has over 25 years experience in long-term care, beginning as a CNA. She has extensive experience in clinical reimbursement in roles such as director of nursing, MDS coordinator, case mix auditor, clinical IT specialist, and MDS/reimbursement consultant. While focusing on MDS and case management, Rosie has been highly involved in ACO partnerships, policy development, Interact 3.0 implementation, and QAPI program development.
In addition to serving on the AAPACN Board, Rosie is involved in several committees and is a member and speaker for Indiana Health Care Association, LeadingAge Indiana, and Hoosier Owners and Providers for the Elderly.
Vice President of Marketing, Synchrony Health Services, Louisville, KY
Liz is a Certified Rehab Registered Nurse who has worked in the SNF industry for over 28 years, with more than 22 of those years working with therapy contract services. She has worked a variety of roles including case manager, marketing, senior director of quality, and vice president of clinical services. Her passion is education and she has spent a large part of her career training other healthcare professionals. in her current role, she is responsible for the overall marketing brand of Synchrony Health Services which includes Synchrony Rehab, Synchrony Pharmacy, Synchrony Lab, and SynchronyRx@HOME. Her clinical background helps to drive a patient-centered care approach through the company’s lines of business.
In addition to serving on the AAPACN Board of Directors, Liz also serves on the Expert Advisory Panel.
Senior Vice President of Health & Wellness, Presbyterian Manors of Mid America, Wichita, KS
Jeanne been in long term care for almost twenty years, serving in multiple nursing roles from charge nurse to executive, including QA nurse, DON, clinical reimbursement, and informatics. Over the course of her career, she has worked in ICU, private practice, and long-term care. Jeanne has both a BSN and a Masters in Nursing. She became a nurse to make a difference and hopes to make a difference to nurses in long-term care by serving on the board of directors.
Director of Clinical Reimbursement, LeaderStat, Powell, OH
Scott is the director of clinical reimbursement for LeaderStat and brings over 25 years of healthcare experience and is recognized for his expertise in the RAI process and clinical reimbursement. Scott’s consulting work includes performing Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement reviews and educational programs for skilled nursing facilities and multi-facility operators. Scott has experience in and has testified as an expert witness in a large Medicare dispute case and has also assisted in Corporate Integrity Audits and corporate compliance reviews. Scott is a member of AANAC’s (American Association of Nurse Assessment Coordination) Expert Advisory Panel, recognized as a Master Teacher through AANAC for their RAC-CT MDS certification courses, and sits on the board as the President of OANAC (Ohio Association of Nurse Assessment Coordinators).
Nurse Practitioner, Beth Israel Lahey Healthcare, Boston, MA
Denise has over 50 years of long-term care experience, starting her career as a nurses' aide and progressed to a board certified nurse practitioner. Her nursing roles included staff nurse, charge nurse, manager, and assistant director of nursing. Denise has also practiced in home health, hospice, and as a certified surveyor for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. Prior to becoming a surveyor, Denise worked for MassHealth, investigating fraud and abuse claims for the state's Medicaid program.
Denise became a Geriatric Nurse Practitioner in order to provide care and services to our senior population. Her next focus is to educate long-term care staff regarding Trauma-Informed Care. Denise is hopeful that her years of experience in long-term care will be helpful in educating staff in best practices for providing the optimum care for seniors.
Partner, Benesch Attorneys at Law, Columbus, OH
Janet focuses her law practice in the area of healthcare law, including long-term care survey and certification, state and federal regulation, physician and nurse practice, and fraud and abuse involving hospitals, suppliers, insurers, and physicians.
She retains active licenses as a registered nurse and nursing home administrator. Janet is a member of the editorial board of Caring for the Ages, a monthly newspaper for long-term care practitioners, and is a frequent writer and speaker on health law and related topics, particularly in the area of long-term care. She is a coauthor of Post-Acute Care Handbook: Regulatory, Risk and Compliance Issues, 2015, published by the American Health Lawyers Association.
Janet was awarded her Juris Doctorate from Saint Louis University School of Law and her BSN from the University of Missouri. She is a member of the American Bar Association, Columbia Bar Association, and Ohio State Bar Association. She is the past president of the American Association of Nurse Attorneys.
President, RLH Consulting, Long Grove, IL
Throughout her career, Robin has been involved in all aspects of facility operations, including ownership roles. She is currently the President of RLH Consulting, which provides operational and reimbursement consulting to providers of skilled nursing, assisted living and intellectual or developmental disabilities. She is a nationally recognized expert on payment system design, quality measurement and the Resident Assessment Instrument, and was actively involved in the design of the Patient Driven Payment Model implemented Oct. 1, 2019. Robin is Past Chair of both the Ohio Health Care Association (OHCA) and its Educational Foundation (EFOHCA), and has served on the OHCA Board of Directors since 1998. She served on the Board of Governors and Executive Committee of the American Health Care Association (AHCA) and continues to serve on the Reimbursement Cabinet. She also serves on the AAPACN Expert Advisory Panel. She was a recipient of the 2018 AANAC Contributor of the Year award, the 2015 AHCA Joe Warner Patient Advocacy award, and the 2004 OHCA President’s award.
Executive Director, Foundation for Quality Care, New York State Health Facilities Association, Albany, NY
Jackie has over forty years of experience in the public and private healthcare delivery system with demonstrated leadership competence in regulatory oversight, lobbying, and corporate leadership. With a clinical background as a registered nurse, Jackie has been a strong advocate for ensuring patients, residents, and clients receive quality health care through access to effective and competent programs. Her vast experiences working across the healthcare continuum with staff, facility and community leaders have shaped her positive approach to the value of enhancing local, state, and national partnerships to achieve regulatory compliance and accreditation, to develop and implement emergency management programs and to build strong quality improvement practices with providers. In her current role, she works with nursing home and assisted living providers to ensure their readiness to changes in state and federal regulations, develops action plans demonstrating standards of quality improvement and fosters the growth of strong collaborative partnerships. Jackie served as President of the Junior League of Albany and is an active member of the Professional Advisory Committee for Long Term Care Services for St Peter’s Health Partners, Albany NY.
Clinical Associate Professor and Director Undergraduate Studies, School of Nursing, Idaho State University, Pocatello, ID
Danielle is an executive nurse leader experienced in inter-professional leadership across the continuum of care. She is an author, thought-leader, and speaker. Growing from a front-line nurse in oncology, to a chief clinical officer in home-based care, her unique career trajectory crossed many traditional boundaries moving between acute-care, home-based care, and ambulatory care; in matrixed and regional positions, with union and non-union teams; in academic settings, clinical research, federal advocacy and regulatory development. She is known for combining theory and evidence from a wide variety of sources with creativity, curiosity, and sincerity. As a nurse leader, she specializes in professional practice, shared development, and building collaborative outcomes-focused teams.