Pre-Conference Workshops

Presenters

Dr. April L. Lenzmeier, DNP, RN; Specialist Master-Healthcare Operations Transformations, Deloitte Consulting LLP-Core Business Operations, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Dr. April Lenzmeier, DNP, RN is a nurse leader and healthcare consultant with over 25 years of health system/provider related industry experience including critical care, telemetry, and hospice bedside nursing as well as leadership positions such as, Nurse Manager of the Intensive Care Unit, Vascular Access Department and Inpatient Dialysis. In her current work as a nurse consultant, Dr. Lenzmeier helps health system/provider clients with providing organizational and cultural assessments, uses design thinking to support systems, and enhances change management providing high quality outcomes in health systems across the nation. Dr. Lenzmeier experienced an Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) from a very young age and found the rooms of recovery through nursing peer support eight years ago. She is a member of the International Nurses Society on Addictions and serves on the board for the Minnesota Nursing Peer Support Network. She convenes the Nurses Helping Nurses meetings on a global online recovery site called, “In The Rooms” every Tuesday evening at 7pm CT and has a passion for helping nurses find their way back to wellness.

Elizabeth M. Pace, BS, MSM, RN, FAAN; Chief Executive Officer, Peer Assistance Services, Inc; Denver, Colorado

Elizabeth founded Peer Assistance Services, Inc. in 1984 to address substance use among nurses. PAS now administers the Nurses Peer Health Assistance Program through a Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies contract. Elizabeth has served on boards for AMERSA, Colorado Alcohol and Drug Service Providers, and the International National Nurses Society on Addictions. She holds a Master of Science in Management from Lesley College and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Metropolitan State College. Elizabeth practiced medical surgical nursing in Massachusetts and Colorado before founding PAS. In 2015, she was inducted as a fellow in the American Academy of Nursing.

Kristin Waite-Labott, BSN, RN, CARN, CPRC, Founder and President Wisconsin Peer Alliance for Nurses, Hales Corners, Wisconsin

With over three decades of nursing experience, Kristin has firsthand knowledge of the difficulties faced by nurses. Having personally experienced the challenges of mental health and substance use, she found recovery in 2005. She has created a lifeline for nurses seeking support and understanding by founding WisPAN, Wisconsin Peer Alliance for Nurses, providing a safe space for nurses to find support, share experiences, and build resilience. Kristin has published a book called “An Unlikely Addict”, about her story of recovery and a textbook called “Substance Use Disorder in Healthcare Professionals”. She is a Certified Addictions Registered Nurse, CARN, and a Certified Professional Recovery Coach, CPRC.