Moderator Bio -

Dave Golden started working for the University of Minnesota, School of Public Health, Division of Epidemiology in 1984 where he also discovered a love of Public Health. He was part of the Minnesota Health Health Project from 1984-1989 developing and implementing strategies to reduce cardiovascular disease in one of three cities selected as intervention sites. As the Heart Health Project intervention period ended, he moved to Boynton Health on the University of Minnesota campus and worked as a health educator. In 1998, Dave became Director of Public Health and Communications. He was an active member of APHA, MPHA (Past President), American College Health Association and North American College Health Association. He retired from the University of Minnesota after 38 action packed, fun filled years of working with some of the most wonderful people one could ever hope to have as colleagues and friends. If it's not fun, it's not Public Health!

But there's more. Dave is the owner of a small business called Wilderness Water Safety, a specialized lifeguard training for wilderness trip leaders. Since the age of 14, he has been involved in helping people be safer around the water. It started with teaching swimming at the neighborhood pool, becoming a lifeguard, lifeguard instructor, a first aid and CPR instructor, and 8 consecutive years as a summer camp waterfront director at a few different locations in MN and WI. He also developed a love of spending time in the wilderness. In 1982, Dave went canoeing for 6 months with his brother Jim on a trip that started on the Minnesota River in Bloomington, Minnesota to the Mississippi and down to New Orleans. Dave then started traveling, as often as he could, with offspring and friends into wilderness areas including the BWCA, Quetico, Woodland Caribou, other parts of Ontario, Algonquin and opportunities here and there that seem to pop up. Wilderness Water Safety provides me with a nice combination of lifeguarding, wilderness and public health while traveling to different organizations around Minnesota, Wisconsin, Ontario and Manitoba. Dave shares he can't wait to get the grandkids out there.

Panelists Bio -

Sue Abderholden has been the Executive Director of NAMI Minnesota since October 2001. She has held leadership positions with Arc of Minnesota, U.S. Senator Paul D. Wellstone and PACER Center. Sue has a B.A. in political science from Macalester College and a master’s degree in public health administration from the University of Minnesota. She and her family had a foster care license for many years providing respite care for families of children with disabilities and youth aging out of foster care. She is a community faculty member at the U of MN School of Social Work teaching health and mental health policy.

Denise Herrmann, DNP RN CPNP FNASN, has her Doctorate in Nursing Practice and is a Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner specializing in children with special health needs. Her career spans over 40 years with 23 years as school nurse and pediatric nurse practitioner, where she provided care to students of all ages and abilities.

She has been with Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) since June 2019 and in the role of State School Health Consultant since April 2020. In this role she provides technical assistance, consultation to school nurses and leaders, education and training on various school health and school nursing topics.

She is responsible for monitoring, interpreting, synthesizing, and disseminating relevant information associated with changes in health and medical care, school nursing practice, legislation, and legal issues. She facilitates the development of policies, standards, and/or guidelines for MN schools and school nursing. She provides leadership for the MDH School Health Services website with content writing and resource links.

Membership in these organizations helps to educate and inform her learning and expertise: School Nurse Organization of Minnesota, National Association of School Nurses, the National Association of State School Nurse Consultants, the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners, and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Moderator Bio -

Ellen Saliares, MPH (she/her/hers) is the Immediate Past President of the Minnesota Public Health Association. She works as the Sexual and Reproductive Health Services Grant Manager at the Minnesota Department of Health. Previously, she worked in the field of sexual, reproductive, maternal and child health as the Director of Maternal and Child Health at WellShare International and the Director of Sexuality Education at the Annex Teen Clinic.

Panelists Bio -

Linda Dech, MPH, IBCLC, is the Executive Director for the Minnesota Milk Bank for Babies, a non-profit 501(c)3 organization and an accredited member of the Human Milk Banking Association of North America. Prior to this position, Linda was the WIC Peer Breastfeeding Coordinator for the Minnesota Dept. of Health WIC Program. She has been involved with the Minnesota Breastfeeding Coalition since its inception advocating for helping our current and next generation to have the best start in life by making it easier to access the best nutrition available.