Jennifer Backes, MSN RN AGCNS-BC OCN

Jennifer Backes, MSN RN AGCNS-BC OCN

Jennifer Backes is a traumatic brain injury nurse at Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee. She earned her bachelor's degree in nursing from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2000 and her master's degree in nursing as an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse from Alverno College in 2018. She is currently involved in the development, implementation, and evaluation of a program to provide enhanced follow-up to patients with mild traumatic
brain injury as part of a strategic initiative by the Wisconsin Institute of Neuroscience (WINS). Jennifer collaborates closely with renowned brain injury specialists and researchers who serve on national and international committees dedicated to improving brain injury care as well as brain injury specialists. This collaboration aims to address critical gaps in care and advance the field of traumatic brain injury research and treatment.

Emily Brinck, Ph.D., LPC-IT, CRC, CVE

Emily Brinck, Ph.D., LPC-IT, CRC, CVE

Dr. Emily Brinck, LPC-IT, CRC, CVE is a researcher with the Innovative Partnership for Advancing Rehabilitation Research and Training (IPARRT) team  at the University of Wisconsin-Madison serving on the ACCESS-Technology: Advancing Career Choices for Employment Success in Technology,  Vocational Rehabilitation Technical Assistance Center for Quality Employment (VRTAC-QE), and the Wisconsin Career Advancement grant. She received her Ph.D. in Rehabilitation Counselor Education from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, her Master's in Management from Indiana University, and a Bachelor of Education: Intervention Specialist from Miami University. Dr. Brinck has had the opportunity to work on the Wisconsin Promoting the Readiness of Minors in Supplemental Security Income (PROMISE) as well as the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Employer Practices (RRTC) grants. She has published articles in the Rehabilitation Counseling Bulletin, Journal of Applied Rehabilitation Counseling, Career Development and Transition for Exceptional Individuals, and Rehabilitation Psychology. Her research interest includes interagency collaboration between schools, vocational rehabilitation, and employers; transition services to post-secondary employment and education; and counselor supervision.

Mary Cerretti

Mary Cerretti

Kathleen Connolly

Kathleen Connolly

Judy Dettmer, MSW

Judy Dettmer, MSW

Judy Dettmer has been working in the field of brain injury for 30 years. Ms. Dettmer serves as NASHIA’s Director of Technical Assistance and Special Projects and a Technical Assistance Lead for the Traumatic Brain Injury Technical Assistance and Resource Center at the Administration for Community Living.

Ms. Dettmer has worked extensively with adults, children and family members of individuals with brain injury. She has provided direct and systems consultation to improve the lives of individuals with brain injury. Judy has also assisted with research efforts related to brain injury and has conducted countless presentations, classes and seminars on brain injury both in the state of Colorado and nationally.

Ms. Dettmer has provided technical assistance to numerous states on topics including but not limited to; screening on brain injury; developing infrastructure within state systems; interagency partnership development; and creation and management of advisory boards and councils.

Judy has become a national leader in the field of criminal justice and brain injury, developing screening, identification and accommodations protocols in Colorado that have been routinely modeled by states.

Jill Gonzalez

Jill Gonzalez

Juliet Haarbauer-Krupa, PhD, FACRM

Juliet Haarbauer-Krupa, PhD, FACRM, Adjunct Faculty, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine (Atlanta, GA)

Juliet has 40  years of clinical experience in the area of acquired brain injury.  She is Adjunct Faculty in the Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine. Her original work started as a co-author with Dr. Mark Ylvisaker in the book titled, Head Injury Rehabilitation: Children and Adolescents.  She was principal investigator of a federal longitudinal study at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta for a NIDRR field -initiated grant to investigate reading and language outcomes of preschool children with TBI, a pilot study to investigate transition to adulthood in adolescents with complex medical conditions, and a grant funded transition program for teens with acquired brain injury. Currently, she is a Senior Health Scientist on the Traumatic Brain Injury Team, Division of Injury Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Amy Jordan

Amy Jordan

Shirley Krause

Shirley Krause

Shirley Krause is the Director of Supply Chain Technology at Sargento Foods, Inc. Her background holds an emphasis on CI (continuance improvement), problem solving, automation, system upgrades and software implementation. She has a master’s degree in management and Organization Behavior and Certified as a SAFe 5 Product Owner/Product Managers and Practitioner.

Shirley’s husband Randy Susen, suffered a massive subdural hematoma, requiring a craniotomy, resulting in a severe traumatic brain injury. Weeks later he had a mid-brain stroke.  While Randy was fearlessly fighting to recover, Shirley was going to war for his life. She quickly learned that if Randy had any chance of survival, she needed to be his relentless advocate and leader of the medical teams.  The medical community advised her to let Randy die, stating he would never come out of the coma and if he did, he would be in a vegetative state. They further said that if he did wake up, he wouldn’t even know Shirley was his wife and that she would mean nothing to him. Randy continued to prove these doctors wrong, becoming a medical wonder.

After a courageous 9-month battle, due to extenuating COVID circumstances, at an acute care facility, that enforced a visitor lockout allowing Shirley to only see him through a window, Randy’s recovery reversed 100%. He died on July 4th, 2020. Shirley took her profound grief to find meaning in the loss of her beloved husband. She has since devoted her life to honoring his life and legacy through what she calls the Randy Susen Right to Live Initiative. In 2023, she was awarded the Inspiring Workplace Leaders Award through the National Organization Inspiring Workplaces, for philanthropic work, she is doing, honoring her late husband Randy Susen’s life. 

In early March 2025, during a recent trip to Washington, DC for the Injury Awareness Day on Capitol Hill, with 7 other Wisconsin representative, her closing comment to the legislators was that “Everyone should have the right to live.”  From Randy’s powerful story, she was able to get support for her proposal for a 1 essential visitor bill, that would never allow a full lockout in an acute care facility. She had the Bill presented at the state level in 2021 but it was vetoed by Governor Evers. Wisconsin Congressman Glen Grothman is in full support of the Bill and submitting it at the Federal level as the Randy Susen Visitation Rights Act.

Kara & Ethan Lehman

Kara & Ethan Lehman

Bridgette Leonauskas

Bridgette Leonauskas

Diane Mandler

Diane Mandler

Diane worked in county mental health for almost 40 years. She was a clinical social worker who specialized in the provision of crisis  services. Prior to retirement she became involved in the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region’s exploration of brain injuries in the local community. BRAIN Fox Valley was organized to address the issue of how the community could better serve those with brain injuries. When Diane retired she continued with BRAIN Fox Valley. Currently Diane and Kathy Conolly co chair the group.

Michael McCrea, PhD

Michael McCrea, PhD

Dr. McCrea is the Shekar N. Kurpad, MD, PhD Professor and Chair in the Department of Neurosurgery at the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW), where he also serves as Vice Chair of Research and Co-Director for the MCW Center for Neurotrauma Research (CNTR).  He is Director of the Clinical Neuroscience Research Center (CNRC) at the Wisconsin Institute of Neuroscience (WINS) and has an appointment as a research neuropsychologist at the Clement Zablocki VA Medical Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  Dr. McCrea earned his doctoral degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, then completed his internship training in neuropsychology at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship in clinical neuropsychology at Northwestern University Medical School.  Dr. McCrea is ABCN board-certified in clinical neuropsychology.  He is past President of the American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology (AACN) and past President of the American Psychological Association’s Society for Clinical Neuropsychology (SCN).  

Dr. McCrea has been an active researcher in the neurosciences, with hundreds of scientific publications, book chapters, and national and international lectures on the topic of traumatic brain injury.  He was selected by the U.S. Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center (DVBIC) as the recipient of the 2018 Dr. Deborah L. Warden Lectureship award.  He authored the text Mild Traumatic Brain Injury and Postconcussion Syndrome:  The New Evidence Base for Diagnosis and Treatment published by Oxford University Press.  Dr. McCrea has led several large, multi-center studies on the effects of traumatic brain injury and concussion.  He currently is co-PI on the NCAA-DoD CARE Consortium and several other large-scale studies investigating the acute and chronic effects of TBI in various populations at risk.  Dr. McCrea is also a key investigator on the TRACK-TBI and TBI Endpoint Development (TED) studies of civilian brain injury.  He has served on several national and international expert panels related to research and clinical care for TBI over the past two decades. He currently serves on the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) Committee on Accelerating Progress in TBI Care and Research. Dr. McCrea is also a neuropsychology consultant for the Green Bay Packers.

Lauren Moen

Lauren Moen

As Pillars Crisis Housing Manager, Lauren’s role is to oversee shelter programming, day-to-day operations, and basic needs-related services for clients experiencing homelessness whose barriers include struggles with drugs & alcohol, mental health challenges, physical ailments, and employment and housing struggles. She joined the Fox Valley Warming Shelter in the fall of 2016 as shelter manager and has remained in that role through the transition of the Merger to Pillars Adult Shelter and Pillars Resource Center. She has worked in group homes with high-barrier youth and at women’s domestic violence and sexual assault homeless centers while in college. Lauren has worked with the unhoused population for over 10 years. Lauren graduated from the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point with bachelor’s degrees in social work and sociology and a minor in women’s gender studies.

Audrey Nelson, MS

Audrey Nelson, MS

In 1981 Audrey experienced a brain Injury in a car accident during her Freshman year of college; she was 18. In 1983, she was a co-founder and facilitator of a brain injury support group in Eau Claire that met for over 30 years. 

Audrey earned a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) in 1987 and subsequently, a Graduate degree in Vocational Rehabilitation in 1994.  Since 1985, she has had several different roles on the board of directors of the Brain Injury Association of Wisconsin. She also currently serves on the Mayo Clinic Brain Injury Advisory Board. Audrey began Reality Unlimited, LLC in 1995, providing residential care for individuals with brain injury.  She recently sold this company and is looking forward to the next chapter in her work in brain injury advocacy. One of her most exciting projects was started in 2020, a brain injury & poetry support group that recently published a book of poetry. 

She is the mother of 3 adult children and recently, a proud grandmother who loves to spend time with her family.

Carlos Ricard

Carlos Ricard

Carlos Ricard was born in Caguas, Puerto Rico where he lived until the age of three when he migrated to the United States. From the hood to the woods, he spent most of his life growing up in the streets of New England. Today he is a resident of Eau Claire, WI where he lives with his fiancé Martha Benitez, mother of his three children – Castelo, Camila, and Carlos Jr. and owner of The Dapper Man Barbershop. As an author, public figure, speaker and coach, he continues to broaden the power of his message and influence by writing, directing and producing digital media content through his aptly named company, GTG (Ghetto To Greatness) Media., a GTG Consulting, LLC company. He is the author of The Resurrection Plant: Your Pain Is Your Path To Greatness. Lately, his work has been featured as a reflection essay published in a University of North Carolina peer reviewed journal for the Dialogues in Social Justice: An Adult Education Journal focusing on adult learning and mass incarceration.

Mark & Ginnie Ryder

Mark & Ginnie Ryder

Nick Schmidlkofer, DC, DACNB

Dr. Nick Schmidlkofer

Dr. Nick is the clinic manager and owner of The Neurologic Wellness Institute in Waukesha, Wisconsin. He works with patients dealing with Traumatic Brain Injury, post-concussion syndrome, dysautonomia/POTS, dizziness, neurodegeneration, neuro-developmental disorders, post-stroke issues, and migraines. The primary approach to treatment is neuro-rehabilitation techniques based on functional brain testing and examination.

He attended Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin where he was a double major in Biology and Neuroscience. He then attended chiropractic school at National University of Health Sciences in Lombard, Illinois. He was valedictorian of his graduating class in 2018. While in school, Dr. Nick volunteered at The Neurological Wellness Institute in Wood Dale, Illinois to learn how to help those suffering from complex neurological disorders.

He has achieved the highest level of training in the field of Functional Neurology by attaining his Diplomate Degree in Chiropractic Neurology through the American Chiropractic Neurology Board. His training consisted of multiple courses through the Carrick Institute and International Association of Functional Neurology and Rehabilitation. He has also taken numerous courses in Motion Palpation, Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization, and McKenzie Method of Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy.

Dr. Nick is dedicated to spending time and understanding each individual patient to holistically treat and meet these personal goals. By utilizing clinical neuroscience and nutrition research, his patients feel empowered and gain more control over their lives.

Deirdre Sperry, MPH

Deirdre Sperry, MPH

Deirdre is the Core State Injury Prevention Program (SIPP) Epidemiologist at the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS). In her role, she supports partners across the state with data and technical assistance to prevent and address traumatic brain injury, adverse childhood experiences, and traffic injury. Previously, she worked at DHS as a Chronic Disease/Maternal and Child Health Applied Epidemiology Fellow through the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists. She completed her master’s degree in public health at the University of Minnesota where she also worked supporting opioid use and overdose prevention efforts in rural Minnesota. She is passionate about creating engaging and clear data products to bridge vital data analyses with effective communication.

Michelle Wesline

Michelle Wesline

Michelle completed her degree in nursing at Cardinal Stritch College in 1995. She currently holds the position of Neuroscience Service Line Program Coordinator at Froedtert Hospital with more than 29 years of experience in neurosciences. She leads multidisciplinary teams across several neuroscience service line programs, including brain injury, spinal cord injury, and movement disorders. Michelle played a key role in developing this program for TBI patients and is co-leading a mTBI Model of Care initiative, which will focus on development and implementation of enhanced systems of care for patients with more severe TBI across the continuum of care.

She is currently involved in the development, implementation, and evaluation of this innovative outreach program to provide enhanced follow-up to patients with mild traumatic brain injury as part of a strategic initiative by the Wisconsin Institute of Neuroscience (WINS). 

Michelle Wild

Michelle Wild

Michelle is a professor in Coastline Community College’s Acquired Brain Injury program, where she has spent more than 35 years helping individuals living with brain injury and other cognitive conditions learn to use compensatory strategies to gain greater independence.

Knowing that many individuals with brain injury continue to struggle after medical discharge, Michelle founded Brain Education Strategies and Technology (BEST) to extend her unique experience and expertise to a wider audience. BEST provides free and low-cost webinars and workshops for individuals with cognitive challenges, their caregivers, and the professionals who work with them.

Michelle applied her expertise and her interest in adaptive technology to create the BEST Suite app to help individuals with executive function challenges. She is the author of several books to help brain injury survivors learn to use iOS and Android devises as assistive technology for cognition (ATC). Her materials are in use in various schools, rehabilitation facilities, VA hospitals, and military hospitals across the country.

Audrey Nelson, MS*
Brain Injury Association of Wisconsin

Joshua Potter-Efron, MSW, LCSW, Clinical Associate Professor
University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire

Chelsea Brehmer, Ph.D, CRC
UW–Madison Wisconsin Center for Education Research

Traci Snedden, PhD, NP, Clinical Instructor, Pediatrics-Emergency Medicine
University of Colorado - Anschutz Medical Campus

Caroline Feller
Cedarburg Health Services

Benjamin Siebert, MD, FAAPMR
Neuroscience Group

Jerry Hoepner, PhD, CCC-SLP, ASHA Fellow
University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire

Thomas Tatlock, MD
BEST Connections

Michael Lace, Psy.D., HSPP
freedom Psychological Services, LLC.

Name 

Role 

Financial Relationship Disclosures 

Discussion of Unlabeled/ Unapproved uses of drugs/devices in presentation?