AAPACN is dedicated to supporting post-acute care nurses provide quality care.

AAPACN Staff Bios

AAPACN Staff Bios

Read the AAPACN staff bios to learn about this team’s passion for serving members in post-acute care nursing.

Tracey Moorhead
President and CEO

Tracey Moorhead is President and Chief Executive Officer of the American Association of Post-Acute Care Nursing (AAPACN) in 2018. Tracey brings over 20 years of non-profit leadership to AAPACN including a background in health policy and advocacy. Tracey’s success in initiatives relating to strategic planning, communications, and partnership development combine with expertise in population health management to position organizations and healthcare providers for success in new care delivery and payment models. 

LinkedInTwitter
Amy Stewart, MSN, RN, DNS-MT, QCP-MT, RAC-MT, RAC-MTA
Chief Nursing Officer

Amy Stewart is the chief nursing officer for AAPACN. Formerly, she was a legal nurse consultant for the law firm Hall, Prangle, Schoonveld (HPS), in Chicago. She has 20 years of experience in the post-acute healthcare industry, with expertise in the areas of the Resident Assessment Instrument (RAI), clinical reimbursement, quality, and regulatory change.

Prior to joining HPS, Amy was the division director of reimbursement for 18 skilled nursing facilities in the Chicagoland area, part of a larger hospital system that participated in CMS innovative payment models. Previous roles include director of nursing, pharmacy quality consultant, wound care consultant, and MDS coordinator.

LinkedInTwitter
Kim Hicks
Vice President of Business Development

Kim joined AAPACN in 2019, bringing over a decade of experience in LTPAC healthcare technology and regulatory knowledge. Prior to joining AAPACN, she worked in various sales and business development roles with both MatrixCare and Providigm. Kim will be a part of the executive team focused on maintaining and expanding business and strategic partnerships in our healthcare sector that share our mission of supporting the nurses who provide quality care.

LinkedIn
Leslie Johnson
Vice President of Operations

Leslie joined AAPACN in 2023 as the Vice President of Operations. With experience in several industries including professional sports, performing arts, movie theaters, and association management, Leslie provides support for AAPACN’s accounting, human resources, technology, and operations.

LinkedIn
Deborah White, MBA
Vice President of Membership and Marketing

Deborah joined AAPACN in December 2012, bringing more than 15 years of marketing experience, including 10 years in healthcare association management. She earned her MBA with a focus in marketing. Working in collaboration with the executive team and program managers, Deborah helps to uncover unmet member needs and to increase the value of membership through benefit development, member engagement, and marketing communications.

LinkedIn
Jessie McGill, RN, BSN, RAC- MT, RAC-MTA
Curriculum Development Specialist

Jessie is a curriculum development specialist for AAPACN. Previously, Jessie worked as the director of clinical reimbursement for a large long-term care organization overseeing 17 clinical reimbursement consultants across 21 states including nearly 300 living centers. She has more than 20 years of long-term care experience including restorative nurse, MDS coordinator, regional clinical reimbursement specialist, clinical reimbursement trainer, and director of clinical reimbursement. Jessie is passionate about developing the skills of nurse assessment coordinators, restorative nursing, and improving residents’ quality of life and care.

LinkedInTwitter
Jennifer LaBay, RN, RAC-MT, RAC-MTA, CRC
Curriculum Development Specialist

Jennifer is a curriculum development specialist with AAPACN. She has been involved in the RAI process since 1997 and has been in the post-acute care industry since 1991 serving in a variety of capacities including CNA, charge nurse, MDS coordinator, and regional corporate clinical reimbursement specialist. Jennifer has considerable expertise in the MDS 3.0 and RAI process, the prospective payment system (PPS), and ICD-10, including the clinical and financial aspects.

LinkedIn
Denise Winzeler, RN, BSN, LNHA, DNS-MT, QCP-MT
Curriculum Development Specialist

Denise is a curriculum development specialist for AAPACN. She has over 20 years of experience in post-acute care both as a clinician and an administrator. Prior to joining the team, Denise worked as a Vice President of Clinical Advisory Services at Formation Healthcare. Her work experience also includes divisional performance improvement consultant for a large multi-chain long-term care organization, regional nurse consultant, director of nursing, and licensed nursing home administrator. She has extensive experience in providing clinical oversight, monitoring, and education. She has been instrumental in developing and implementing policies and procedures for multiple long-term care organizations. Denise also has over 10 years of experience as a legal nurse consultant including review of litigation cases and trial appearances.

LinkedIn
Lauren Stenson, MSN, RN, CNDLTC
Curriculum Development Specialist

Lauren is a curriculum development specialist with AAPACN. Prior to joining the organization, she was a nursing administrator for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania under the Department of Military and Veteran’s Affairs branch. Lauren has worked in the post-acute industry for almost 10 years in various roles including director of nursing in a LTC facility, clinical director in a sub-acute post-surgical center, and nurse educator in multiple settings. Her mission is to assist nursing leadership in advancing the field of nursing through evidence-based practice, patient-centered care, and innovative leadership with the goal of bridging the gap between research and clinical practice.

Bob Droog
Director of Information Technology

Bob joined the AAPACN team in 2016. He enjoys solving difficult technological problems. He oversees all IT operations and technological needs of the organization.

Karen Porter
Director of Member Experience and Education Quality

As the director of member experience and education quality, Karen’s primary role supports members and students through the online content for education programs. Karen has a BS in Organizational Leadership and over 30 years of customer service experience. She believes that true customer service and member support are the most overlooked benefits within many organizations today. With a strong work ethic and background of helping others in professional development and certification, she has a commitment to seeing individuals succeed and reach their goals. 

LinkedIn
Teresa Summers
Board Administrator/Office Manager

Teresa has been with AAPACN since 2013. With over 30 years of customer service experience, a strong background in bookkeeping and administrative support, she’s been a key leader in managing the operations of the AAPACN office. She currently supports the AAPACN Board of Directors and AAPACN Education Foundation Board of Directors, as well as supporting the executive team.

Leigh Anne Elkins
Senior Accounting Manager

As the senior accounting manager, Leigh Anne is responsible for all accounting functions. She has a BS in Accounting and over 20 years of nonprofit accounting experience. She loves sitting at her desk crunching numbers, as well as helping others understand them.

LinkedIn
Aileen Holland
Director of Membership Development

Aileen brings over 25 years of association experience, having worked for a variety of associations including the American College of Health Care Administrators (ACHCA) which represents post-acute and long-term care administrators. Her professional experience has entailed her to achieved measurable success in developing profitable membership programs as well as tangible benefits for members.  Aileen is also an active member of a number of professional organizations, including the American Society of Association Executives.

LinkedIn
Carrie Ripes
Director of Marketing

Carrie brings over 25 years of marketing and media experience to the association. Her background includes 18 years working at a local Denver television station, during which time she managed the marketing budget, as well as the community outreach initiatives where she treasured her time spent working with local nonprofits creating programs to better our community.

LinkedIn
Alix Murrell
Associate Manager of Educational Events

Alix specializes in registrations and logistics for all AAPACN training partner workshops held throughout the country. She serves as a main point of contact for workshop inquiries and provides quality customer service for the Education team. She also contributes to the quality assurance program for workshops.

With a BA in Family and Consumer Sciences and years of customer service experience, specifically in an education setting, Alix has a true passion for helping others and a strong desire for providing support and guidance.

LinkedIn
Holly Montoya
Database Manager

Holly joined the AAPACN team in 2020. She provides database management, business process maintenance, and technical support. She enjoys applying her passions for organization, data, and software to serving the long-term care community. Holly has an AS in Mathematics and BBA in Management.

LinkedIn
Joey Norwood
Database Coordinator

Joey joined AAPACN in 2023 as the database coordinator. He has experience in data quality, data governance, and data monitoring. He enjoys working with data applications and transforming complex data into understandable and shareable visuals.

Samantha Parcelli
LMS Specialist

Sam joined AAPACN in 2022. She has over eight years of eLearning experience and enjoys working in the nonprofit sector. 

Emily Neufeld
Marketing Coordinator

As marketing coordinator, Emily manages the webinar and email marketing strategy for the association. She also coordinates marketing analytics and provides support in executing social media campaigns. She has a BS in Marketing, and is passionate about working in the nonprofit sector.

Jaelyn Larson
Senior Graphic Designer

Jaelyn joined AAPACN in 2021. She creates design solutions that have a high visual impact, reflect the brand of the association, and support the goals of the organization. Previously, Jaelyn worked for an out-of-home advertising agency as a graphic designer, but also gained experience in sales and media buying. Jaelyn received her Bachelor of Fine Arts with an emphasis in graphic design and a business administration minor.

 

Carolyn Gibson
Member Experience Specialist/Membership Processes Coordinator

Carolyn is the longest tenured employee at AAPACN. Carolyn works in a customer service role, providing answers and information members may need about membership or education. According to Carolyn, "There’s a lot of variety in each day, and it’s good to hear from members to help access the database to ensure accurate, complete, and reliable information. Especially in the long-term skilled facility workforce, time is very limited and when you call with a service question, it’s good to have a member services representative ready to answer your call." 

Buffy Maron-Gray
Affiliate Relations and Organizational Memberships Coordinator

Buffy has more than 30 years of customer service experience, with over 10 years in the nonprofit sector.  She joined the association in 2019, and has developed a passion for listening to members and supporting their needs. 

Thomas Connell
Member Experience Specialist/Engagement Apps Coordinator

Thomas joined AAPACN in 2019 and has over ten years of nonprofit experience. He provides outstanding customer support, helping answer a variety of membership and education questions. 

Heather Garza
Member Experience Specialist/Organizational Membership and Conference Coordinator

Heather brings over 20 years experience in customer service and office management to AAPACN. She also has some background in human resources, specifically in new hire processing and benefit enrollment. Heather is a dedicated and loyal professional who brings creativity, enthusiasm, and humor to the organization.

LinkedIn
Laurie Beausoleil
Sales Development Representative

Laurie joined AAPACN in 2023 as the Sales Development Representative. She has over 10 years of experience in technical sales and customer development and support in the healthcare industry. Helping people is her passion.

Audrey Flanagan
Business Partnership Coordinator

Audrey joined AAPACN in 2023. She has over 19 years of customer service experience in addition to experience in administration, management, and employee training. She is skilled in organization and leadership. Audrey is dedicated to her work and loves supporting her team as well as the needs of the business partners. 

Zach Andriese
Systems/Cloud Administrator

As the systems/cloud administrator, Zach supports the network and technology needs of the organization. He has a degree in Cloud and Systems Administration and is excited to apply his knowledge of software and technology to helping AAPACN.

Mark Hicks
Project Coordinator

Mark joined AAPACN in 2022 as a project coordinator. He has a bachelor’s degree in social work and brings over 15 years of experience working in the public health sector. As project coordinator, Mark is responsible for establishing and communicating project timelines, managing the business case process, coordinating with other departments, reviewing and updating current processes, executing special projects, and supporting communications for the Education and Certification Strategy team.

Mariah Medina
Member Experience Representative

Mariah joined AAPACN in 2024 as part of the member experience team. She has worked in customer service for over 10 years and the non-profit sector for over five years. Mariah is dedicated to providing world-class customer service in a professional and timely manner.