Presenter Biographies
Courtney is currently a nurse with the Labor and Delivery unit at Denver Health. She previously worked for over 13 years as an ED tech prior to becoming a nurse. Courtney joined the Denver Health High-Risk Infection Team (HITeam) in 2024 because of her interest in special pathogens. Courtney’s experience includes presentations and hands on training for High Consequence Infectious Diseases (HCID) and the PPE used for HCIDs in states across HHS Region 8, such as Montana and Wyoming. Her current focus is on a detailed playbook for a pregnant and/or laboring patient that may need care in the Level 1 biocontainment unit at Denver Health.
Jennifer Ballard is a certified infection preventionist with over 16 years of nursing experience and over a decade specializing in infection prevention. Currently serving as Infection Prevention Lead at a level 1 trauma center, Jennifer works diligently to help provide safe patient care to prevent healthcare-associated infections. In addition to this role, Jennifer has been an active member of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC). She is currently serving as Secretary of the local APIC chapter, having previously held several positions on the board of directors. She is a member of The Association for Vascular Access (AVA) and participated in the local AVA chapter for several years.
Rebecca Battjes (pronounced “batches”) MPH, CIC, FAPIC is an industry-based Infection Preventionist for Diversey–A Solenis Company. In this role, Rebecca serves as an infection prevention resource and industry liaison to support the improvement of environmental hygiene solutions and the adoption of evidence–based practices. Prior to joining Diversey in 2022, Rebecca was the lone infection preventionist at a small community hospital and short-stay skilled nursing facility. From 2013 to 2021, she was an Infection Preventionist at a large academic medical & level 1 trauma center in the heart of Detroit. Rebecca earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English & Spanish literature from Wayne State University and a Master of Public Health from Benedictine University in Illinois. Rebecca achieved board certification in infection control (CIC®) in 2019 and became a fellow on APIC in 2022. As an educator, Rebecca strives to create unique, interactive, engaging content for infection prevention audiences.
Amanda has served as an Education Specialist with the Carpenters Training Institute since 2021, where she brings her background in education to ICRA healthcare construction training. She focuses on fostering collaboration between contractors, facility staff, and healthcare professionals to ensure safe, efficient construction in occupied healthcare settings. Amanda has shared her expertise at ASHE Region 6, AIA Minnesota, and infection control and engineering conferences throughout Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa. She holds a Master of Education from Concordia University–Portland and an Education Specialist degree from Walden University and is passionate about helping project teams work smarter and safer—together.
Megan Compson is a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) with a strong dedication to compassionate, patient-centered care. She has been practicing since 2019, after earning her nursing credentials from Bismarck State College through the Dakota Nursing Program. With hands-on experience in various clinical setting, Megan brings both practical expertise and deep understanding of the evolving healthcare landscape. Known for her empathetic approach and strong communication skills, she is passionate about supporting and educating fellow healthcare workers, advocating for quality care, and contributing to the ongoing conversation around infection prevention and control.
Carolyn earned her nursing degree 1991. Carolyn has worked as a Health Facilities surveyor for 28 years. Carolyn completed training as an Environmental Health Practitioner in January of 2008 and as an Infection Preventionist in 2019. Carolyn worked as a hospital nurse in oncology, as a Headstart nurse, and as a nurse at the State penitentiary. Carolyn worked as nurse aide prior to Ombudsman Reconciliation Act and believes the provision of care, services, resident's rights, and especially quality of life has improved the lives of people seeking health care.
Jennifer joined the ND Department of Health and Human Services as a health facilities surveyor in November of 2021. Prior to joining the State of North Dakota, she worked for the Good Samaritan Society and First Care Health Center (formerly St. Ansgar's), Park River, St. Alexius, Bismarck, Mercy Hospital, Devils Lake, Altru Home Health & Hospice, Grand Forks, and Blue Cross Blue Shield/Noridian, Grand Forks. She is proudly beginning her 43rd year as a nurse.
Debbie has over 30 years of experience in the field of infection prevention and control. She has special interests in IPC program development, mentoring, training, providing education and in the area of healthcare environmental hygiene. She is an accomplished presenter on infection prevention and control related subjects as well as environmental services (EVS), often incorporating interactive learning opportunities into her presentations. She has worked as an infection control consultant for many years and is currently working with Comagine Health in the role of Infection Prevention Consultant and has worked with APIC Consulting and other organizations as well on many infection control and EVS related projects over the years.
Jennifer joined the ND Department of Health and Human Services as a health facilities surveyor in November of 2021. Prior to joining the State of North Dakota, she worked for the Good Samaritan Society and First Care Health Center (formerly St. Ansgar's), Park River, St. Alexius, Bismarck, Mercy Hospital, Devils Lake, Altru Home Health & Hospice, Grand Forks, and Blue Cross Blue Shield/Noridian, Grand Forks. She is proudly beginning her 43rd year as a nurse.
Kelli Maddock, DrPH, MS, MLS(ASCP)CM, is the Interim Director and Section Head of the Microbiology and Biosafety Level-3 laboratories at the North Dakota State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. With 15 years of experience in clinical and veterinary microbiology, Dr. Maddock specializes in antimicrobial resistance, diagnostic method development, and biosafety. She holds a Doctor of Public Health from the University of South Florida, where her research focused on novel capsular typing methods for Pasteurella multocida using MALDI-TOF MS. Dr. Maddock is an active member of the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) Veterinary Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing subcommittee where she contributes to national and international efforts in veterinary antimicrobial susceptibility testing. She is passionate about advancing One Health initiatives and laboratory science education.
Christa Mardaus brings over 20 years of construction industry experience, with a focus on large commercial, multi-family, and healthcare projects. She is a leading instructor in Infection Control Risk Assessment (ICRA), helping project teams—including architects—understand how construction impacts occupied healthcare environments. Christa contributes to curriculum development and serves on Women in Construction (W.I.C.) committees. She has trained leadership at the Carpenters International Training Center and frequently collaborates with architects and contractors to improve communication and coordination on complex builds. Christa has also led Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion sessions and spoken at healthcare engineering and construction conferences across the Midwest and nationally.
Michael Matthews, MBA, CLSSGB, CRCST, CIS, CHL currently serves as a Clinical Education Specialist for Healthmark – A Gettinge Company. He previously held the position of Director of Customer Training and Education for Agiliti. Prior to Agiliti’s acquisition of Northfield Medical, Michael served as Director of Clinical Education and Training for Northfield Medical in addition to former roles of Territory Manager and Clinical Education Manager. His roles within the hospital setting include Sterile Processing Technican, Manager, and Infection Prevention consultant. He holds three Healthcare Sterile Processing Association (HSPA) certifications. Michael has also served as a subject matter expert and participated in exam development for HSPA. He has published articles in Infection Control Today, Becker’s Hospital Review, and Healthcare Purchasing News. He also is a frequent conference speaker on sterile processing related topics and is a former cohost of the Beyond Clean podcast.
Lauren Musil graduated from UNMC’s College of Nursing in 2015 and has worked as a nurse in neurology, neurosurgery, and in the Nebraska Biocontainment unit. She has also worked as an Infection Preventionist in Nebraska Medicine’s Infection Control and Epidemiology department with a focus in critical care, oncology, high consequence infectious diseases, and ventilator associated events. Lauren has worked on various CDC grants dedicated to the development of infection prevention education, resources, and tools to support Infection Preventionists and healthcare facilities. Recently, Lauren has transitioned to a transplant coordinator role while continuing to support IPC education and resource development for the health system's grant work.
Brenton has been and epidemiologist with the North Dakota Department of Health for 9 years. His favorite part of his job is the connection with citizens, providers and the community. He lives in Fargo with his partner Johnathon and their three fur kids, Zoey, Hades and Kovu.
Dr Perry serves as the Antimicrobial Stewardship pharmacist at the Center for Collaboration and Advancement of Pharmacy at North Dakota State University. She graduated from NDSU with her Doctor of Pharmacy in 2006 and became certified in Infectious Disease by the Society of Infectious Disease Pharmacists in 2019. Since graduating she has practiced in both community and hospital pharmacy. She has worked in many clinical settings including Antimicrobial Stewardship, Adult Medicine, Cardiac Rehab, Emergency Room, Sterile Compounding, and Central Pharmacy Operations. She has been an adjunct professor for NDSU and has precepted numerous APPE students, PGY1, and PGY2 residents in infectious disease. Dr. Perry expertise in antimicrobial stewardship has helped her work on projects that include decreasing total antibiotic usage in a level one trauma hospital, creating policies around pre-operative antibiotics while focusing on defining penicillin allergies, and creating evidence-based antimicrobial stewardship workflows for pharmacist interventions.
Danni was born and raised in Minot, ND. She moved to Fargo in 2005 to attend school at NDSU, later graduating with a BS in chemistry ('09) then an MPH infectious disease management ('16). Danni previously worked at the North Dakota State University Center for Immunization Research and Education and has worked on other public health grant contracts as a program manager and needs assessment specialist. She joined the North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services in COVID response in 2020 and became the Immunization Surveillance Coordinator in 2021. In her current role, she performs case investigations and surveillance activities for vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs), coordinates the perinatal hepatitis B prevention program, facilitates the annual school and childcare surveys.
She lives in Fargo, ND with her husband and two children.
Alisha Sheffield is an Infection Preventionist and Registered Nurse with 21 years of experience across ambulatory, acute care, and surgical healthcare settings. For the past 14 years, she has served as an Infection Preventionist in both outpatient surgery centers and a large academic medical center. Her clinical and operational expertise includes sterile processing and medical device reprocessing, operating room infection prevention practices, and high-level disinfection workflows.
Much of Alisha’s work has focused on translating standards such as AAMI ST79 and regulatory expectations into practical, implementable processes for frontline teams. More recently, she has leveraged her IPC expertise to develop infection prevention tools, training, and resources to support Infection Preventionists and sterile processing teams working in under-resourced and high-risk environments.
Jordan Taghon is a registered nurse and currently the Outbreak Lead with the North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services in Disease Control. He graduated from North Dakota State University Nursing at Sanford in 2016 with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) and has previous nursing experience in telemetry, intensive care, and post-surgical care. He has worked in Infection Prevention since 2020 and is certified in Infection Prevention and Control (CIC). He started as the Outbreak Lead in July of 2024.
Claire has been a registered nurse for over 20 years with experience in various areas of nursing, with the last nearly 15 years focused on end stage renal disease. After working as the clinical coordinator charge nurse in outpatient hemodialysis, she joined the team at Midwest Kidney Network, a member organization of Superior Health Quality Alliance, in January 2022 and currently serves as the Quality Improvement Director. In this role she combines her passion for end stage renal disease, population health, and quality improvement, currently leading the Network project focused on reducing hospitalizations and emergency department utilization for ESRD patients.
Michele has a background as a certified nurse aide, and became a Registered Nurse in 2008. She has worked as a nurse in both Long-Term Care and Hospitals. Michele has been a North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services, Health Facility Surveyor for 7 years. She received Infection Preventionist Training through the CDC in 2019. She worked alongside Disease Control during the early days of the COVID-19 Pandemic doing contact tracing and rapid response calls.
Jacob Wiersch is the program manager for the Regional Emerging Special Pathogen Treatment Center (RESPTC) at Denver Health, where he started as a project manager in 2021. Jacob previously lived in Pennsylvania and received both his bachelor’s degree and Master of Health Administration from the University of Pittsburgh. He has a background in healthcare administration and emergency medical services, and today he leads metrics, consultation, and regional coordination efforts for the Region 8 RESPTC.
Jess Wurtz is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and the owner of Stepping Stones Counseling, with extensive experience supporting individuals and families through challenges related to anxiety, depression, trauma, attachment, and complex stressors. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work from Minot State University in 2010 and went on to complete a Master’s Degree in Social Work from Florida State University in 2015.