Speakers

Joni Brinker

Joni Brinker, MSN/MHA, RN, WCC, is a Clinical Nurse Educator for Optum Hospice Pharmacy Services where she serves as a resource for pharmacists and nurses. She has been a Registered Nurse for 15 years with experience in acute care, long term care, and hospice. A profound love of wound care motivated her to become Wound Care Certified through the Wound Care Education Institute. She has presented at local and national conferences on a variety of hospice regulatory and clinical care topics and co-authored the second edition of Wound Care at End of Life.

Charles Canaan

Charles Canaan has over 30 years of diverse nursing experience in a variety of healthcare settings, to include inpatient, outpatient, home and organizational settings.  His education includes a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, a Master of Public Health Degree in Health Promotion and Education and a Graduate Studies Certificate in Alcohol and Drug Studies from the University of South Carolina, and a Coding for Health Care Professionals Certificate from Trident Technical College. He reviews medical utilization data and trends.  He currently provides education and consultation to Medicare Part A and Part B providers with learning needs.

Carmen Dixon

Carmen Dixon is the Nurse Consultant/Training and Education Liaison for the Office of Medical Marijuana Use. She is tasked with providing education and information about the Florida Medical Marijuana Program and conducting outreach efforts to inform doctors, nurses, patients, law enforcement and caregivers about the medical marijuana program.

Carmen has worked with the Department of Health since 2017. Prior to that, she was an ICU/Trauma Nurse for more than 15 years. Carmen enjoys cheering for the 2x Superbowl Champions, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, watching college football, spending time with her family and her puppies and she loves all things Disney and Golden Girls.

Tyler Enslin
As a professional speaker since 2012, Tyler has had the privilege to present at over 1000 live events. He is passionate about helping his audiences by sharing information in a way that is engaging, lively, and most of all, practical. This has enabled him to work with Fortune 500 companies, large organizations, and a wide variety of associations. Tyler has also served as a talent management consultant for Johns Hopkins University since 2015. Additionally, he works with a wide variety of healthcare related associations, including American Health Care Association, American Hospital Association, National Association of Home Care and Hospice, Healthcare Financial Management Association, American Organization of Nurse Leaders, and National Association of Directors of Nursing Administration.
Dan George

Dan George has been with the Medicare program since 2004. In 2008, he became part of Palmetto GBA’s Congressional Unit. This unit handled complex inquiries for Part A, Part B and Home Health and Hospice. His experience is extensive in, but not limited to, coverage polices, compliance, billing, enrollment, and systems. In 2007 and 2008, he was a manager for Palmetto GBA’s Beneficiary Call Center. Prior to working with Medicare, Dan worked in skilled nursing facilities for 12 years. He directed Dietary Departments, which included participation in nutritional assessments, care planning, wound rounds, and patient documentation.  Since late 2012, he has been a part of Palmetto GBA’s Provider Outreach & Education Department, focusing on Home Health & Hospice.

Melynda Lee

Melynda Lee, MBA, MA, has been a SimiTree leader for 7 years and is a nationally recognized expert in home and community-based services (HCBS) leadership development, strategic growth, and learning strategy, as well as communications and public relations. Melynda previously served as a hospice administrator and HCBS development executive in Florida and Georgia for 8 years and is a former board member and education committee member for the Georgia Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. She is a co-founder of the Greater Atlanta Hospice-Veteran Partnership. Melynda is an expert trainer of HCBS professionals, and frequently serves as faculty at state and national association conferences, including NAHC and NHPCO.
Before making a career change to healthcare, Melynda served in leadership for 10 years with The New York Times Company. A 2017 recipient of the Digital Marketing Certification from Cornell University, Melynda excels in the assessment of program development to improve competitive strategies for growth, learning, and innovation. In 2019, Melynda received a certificate in Instructional Design from ATD.
Melynda earned a BFA in advertising design from the University of North Florida, and an MBA from Webster University, where she also earned an MA in HR Development in 2022. She completed the Management Development Program at Northwestern University, Kellogg School of Management, the Executive Development Program of the American College of Healthcare Executives, and the Executive Development Program at the American Press Institute.

Paul Malley

Paul Malley is president of Aging with Dignity and directs its day-to-day activities and oversees its education, research and training programs.  He has served Aging with Dignity since 1998.

Oralea Marquardt

Oralea Marquardt, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, earned her Master in Social Work from Walden University, concentrating her studies in medical social work practice, palliative care, and grief and loss.  A long-time advocate for families coping with rare, serious illnesses, Oralea currently serves as the President on the Board of Directors for the National Association of Tay-Sachs and Allied Diseases Organization and is on the advisory board for the Matthew Forbes Romer Foundation, where she assists in developing nursing school training programs that simulate in-home family care. Oralea is a member on the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization’s (NHPCO) Pediatric Advisory Council and serves on their pediatric e-journal workgroup. Oralea has written articles about pediatric palliative care and the family experience for the Hospice and Palliative Care Section of the American Academy of Pediatrics, NHPCO, and Courageous Parents Network.  Oralea lives in Palm City, Florida where she and her husband are raising their two children. 

Laurie Nelson
From a very young age, Laurie Nelson was drawn to taking care of the sick and wounded and dreamed of becoming a pediatrician. As time went on, her dreams led to a more balanced career choice in nursing.  
Laurie received her BSN from Wichita State University in 2001. Her first job out of nursing school was in a hospital Intensive Care Unit (ICU). After two years of helping patients survive in the ICU, she made a dramatic career shift to hospice, where she found her love of supporting and empowering those who were taking their final journey out of this life.  
Today, Laurie is the Clinical Advisor at CareXM, where she’s worked for 12 years, helping providers integrate new technologies into their patient care processes, which improve both the patient and caregiver experience.  

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