Cassandra Stepan is a passionate public health policy practitioner with experience serving in nonprofits and state and county government. She earned a degree in Political Science from the University of St. Catherine and a Master’s in Political Advocacy and Leadership from the University of Minnesota- Duluth. She has served the last 14 years as a commercial tobacco prevention policy expert supporting local communities’ initiatives such as Tobacco 21, menthol and flavor restrictions, and smoke-free housing. She is currently a Community Health Supervisor at Hennepin County Public Health where she oversees planning and implementation of population and community-based chronic disease prevention efforts using evidence-based strategies, best practices, and promising practices to address the growing burden of chronic diseases and associated risk factors, such as, poor nutrition, physical inactivity, and substance use. Grounded in health and racial equity, she works to prevent chronic disease and promote community well-being by working with partners to create policies, systems, and environments that improve population-level health and eliminate chronic disease health disparities. She previously served on the National Tobacco Control Network board and is a member of the Minnesota Cancer Alliance and Minnesota Society for Public Health Education. In her personal time, she loves to play hockey and broomball with her family and friends, hike State Parks with her dogs Ginger and Roxy, and visit locally own coffee shops.

Lindsay Nelson is currently the Public Health and Engagement Program Manager at HealthPartners, where her work focuses on public health and engagement efforts specific to Medicaid programs. She has 11 years of experience working in public health and has worked across multiple sectors. In her past roles she worked for the Minnesota Department of Health, providing technical assistance around clinical-community linkages for various community and local public health partners, provided grant coordination for the Statewide Health Improvement Partnership (SHIP) at Scott County Public Health, and was a Health Educator at the Lake Superior Community Health Center in Duluth, MN. She has her Master Certified Health Education Specialist (MCHES®) and a passion for bridging gaps around access to health education and ensuring community voices are at the forefront of our work. In her free time, she stays busy chasing around her 3-year-old daughter, 1-year-old son and 2 dogs. She loves all things related to sports, especially football, and enjoys spending time with friends and family!

Chelsey Skogen, an alumni from Minnesota State University – Mankato has been a part of MN SOPHE since she was a student. While a student, is where she found her passion in public health engaging in tobacco control work on the Mavericks for Clean Air coalition that worked to update the campus’s commercial tobacco policy. Since starting her current position with the American Lung Association, she has worked on addressing commercial tobacco use among those with mental health and substance use disorders across the state of Minnesota. In her free time, she enjoys spending time at the lake and outdoors with her chocolate lab puppy!

Molly Schmidtke is the Policy and Technical Assistance Manager with the Association for Nonsmokers-Minnesota. Molly's career is focused on commercial tobacco prevention education, advocacy and engagement. She has a BS from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse in Community Health Education and a Master's in Public Health Administration and Policy from the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. Molly is also a Certified Health Education Specialist. In her free time, she likes to spend her time traveling with her husband and watching the Minnesota Wild.

Katie Stapleton graduated from Minnesota State University Mankato with a BS in business and worked in corporate management for 8 years. She’s been a certified yoga and exercise instructor since 2019 and loves motivating and connecting with people and helping to improve health initiatives. She is currently a Graduate student at MSU pursing her passion for public health with a Masters in Community Health Education. She spends her free time with her dogs and cat, painting, and cheering on the Vikings.

Madie Anderson-Sarno graduated from Minnesota State University, Mankato with a BS in community health education. Madie also has her Master of Public Health from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health. In 2020 Madie was the MN SOPHE Student Representative and helped to plan the first MN SOPHE virtual summit. Currently she works as a Community Health Specialist for Brooklyn Center Community Schools District and is a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES®). Madie is passionate about sexual health education, and ensuring that health resources are available to all people of all communities. In her free time Madie enjoys watching MSU hockey, reading, and trying new restaurants in the Twin Cities area.

Dr. Wendy Schuh is an Assistant Professor with the Department of Health Science at Minnesota State University, Mankato. She also has extensive experience in the health field! For the past two decades, Wendy served as a Health Educator and then as the Director of Student Health Services at MSU, Mankato. Prior to that, she worked as an educator for the American Red Cross and a local public health agency in Iowa. She has had the opportunity to serve on the North Central College Health Association Executive Board in a variety of roles, including President, and as a representative with the American College Health Association. While Wendy has attended SOPHE conferences and trainings before, she looks forward to becoming more involved at the organizational level.

Kenna Markle (she/her) is the Counseling Program Coordinator for Little Earth Residents Association in Minneapolis, MN. In her position, she provides services and support to the Indigenous community, tends to the Apothecary, and plans wellness events. She received her B.S. in Public Health from Minnesota State University, Mankato in the Spring of '24 and additionally received her certification as a Health Education Specialist. In her free time, Kenna likes to workout, spend time with her friends, and take care of her leopard gecko!