Meet the Board 2025

President

Linda Walther, RN, SANE-A | SANE | Regions SANE Program, Saint Paul, MN

Linda is the Clinical Coordinator for the Statewide Medical Forensic Policy Program SVJI @ MNCASA. Linda has over 40 years of nursing experience and has been a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner for 16 years. She provides trainings for hospitals, law enforcement agencies, college campuses, and a variety of other community agencies on topics regarding sexual assault and strangulation. Linda is a SANE for the Regions Hospital SANE Program.

 

 

Immediate Past President

Lillie Graham, BSN, RN, PHN | SANE | Regions SANE Program, Saint Paul, MN

Lillie has been a nurse for 16 years, starting out as a LPN then obtaining her BSN,RN,PHN degree from St Catherine University.  Currently she works for Regions Hospital on a Progressive Care Unit Charge Nurse specializing in Heart & Vascular Care and also as a SANE (Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner) out of Regions Hospital Emergency Department since 2021.

Lillie is fascinated with working in this profession as it provides her with a renewed sense of knowing that she is committed in making a positive difference in victims lives. She is passionate about advocating for her patients, providing resources and thrives on overcoming very difficult challenges or situations.  Lillie loves being apart of the forensic nurse community and welcomes new opportunities to learn and expand her knowledge in this field of nursing. Lillie plans on sitting for her SANE A certification this year and looks forward to gaining more knowledge in her new role with the IAFN MN Chapter.

Lillie is also an ambitious mother of two amazing girls ages 8 and 20! She loves her family and admires each and every moment that she is able to spend with them. Her favorite food is a good ole’ steak and potatoes! On her free time, Lillie enjoys working out, reading, drawing and having fun with family or friends.

 

 

President-Elect

Laura Schultz, BSN, RN, PHN,  SANE-A | SANE | Regions SANE Program, Saint Paul, MN

Laura’s 24 year nursing career began at Children’s Minnesota. She spent several years with Children’s in the NICU as a bedside, unit Resource Nurse and Student Nurse Preceptor. She also worked in the Infant Apnea Program where she continued to realize her passion for education and patient advocacy within healthcare. Women’s health and wellness, specifically surrounding survivor advocacy became Laura’s main area of interest. Laura discovered that the area of SANE work was a beautiful blend of her skill sets as a critical care nurse and passions within education and survivor advocacy. Laura embarked upon SANE training in the summer of 2022 and joined the Regions SANE Program where she has become both humbled and inspired by the depth and breadth of SANE work. 

Within the Regions SANE Program, Laura serves as a preceptor for residents of the U of M’s ReLab program, became SANE-A certified this year, and also helps teach IAFN skills labs. Laura finds so much energy in educational collaborations and loves bridging the union between the art and gift of compassionate and trauma-informed nursing care with the continual advancements in forensic science and best practices to truly advocate and improve best outcomes for survivors of assault.

Laura’s ambition is to continue to advance as a leader and advocate for awareness of, and support growth and expansion/accessibility opportunities for superior trauma informed care – not only for survivors, but fellow SANEs and related advocacy partners.

 

Secretary

Darcey McCampbell, RN | SANE | Regions SANE Program, Saint Paul, MN

Darcey McCampbell (she/they) has practiced as a Registered Nurse since 2018 and in 2021 began working as a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) at Regions Hospital in St Paul, MN. Prior to becoming a SANE, Darcey also served as an advocate with Ramsey County SOS and the Carroll Rape Crisis Center in Carrollton, Georgia. In addition to a SANE role, Darcey works for M Health Fairview as Supervisor of Community Clinical Nursing, supporting a team of 30 nurses who work to increase the health and equity of Minnesota’s diverse communities by addressing gaps in access to care.
 
Darcey is passionate about increasing representation within healthcare in order to improve outcomes and was presented with the DAISY Award for Nurses Advancing Healthy Equity by Governor Walz in 2021 for work with Black Nurses Rock. By taking a more active role in the MN Chapter of IAFN, Darcey hopes to bring a diverse perspective as a queer Black Latine, to help uplift the mission of developing and promoting excellence in forensic nursing.
 
 

 

Director at Large

Allie Rein, BSN, RN, PHN, SANE-A | SANE| Regions SANE Program, St. Paul, MN

Allie earned her BSN and PHN in 2020 from St. Cloud State University. She has worked in the Emergency Department since she graduated, where she has completed training in ACLS, PALS, and TNCC. She began pursuing the SANE role in 2022. After taking the didactic course and skills lab, Allie started working for the Regions SANE program. She is a preceptor to new nurses in her program, and also serves as a mentor to residents from the U of M ReLab Program. In 2024, Allie obtained her SANE-A certification. Allie is also a co-facilitator for the IAFN SANE-A skills lab.

This work has sparked joy in her heart and revealed where her true passion lies. Allie is excited about and committed to furthering her education as a SANE. She feels strongly that the better the care that is provided to patients in the acute phase, the better chance they have of positive outcomes long-term.

 

 

Education Director

Amy Schmitz, BSN, RN, PHN, SANE-A, SANE-P | Program Manager | Allina Forensic Nursing Program

Amy is the Allina Forensic Nursing Program Manager. They service 16 metro hospitals providing care to patients suffering from sexual assault and abuse in general. In addition, Allina Health was granted accreditation for nursing continuing professional development (NCPD) in July 2024 from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), a subsidiary of the American Nurses Association. Amy has been a Forensic Nurse Examiner for about 10 years, and has conducted about 800 exams in her career. Her previous years of nursing were spent working in the emergency department.

Amy has served on the board in the past as the president-elect and president. She is interested in coming back to the board as she knows education is always important and desired by the nurses in the field of forensic nursing. Amy holds a BSN in nursing and is nationally certified as a sexual assault nurse examiner in adults/adolescents and pediatrics.

 

 

Treasurer

Maureen McConnell, MSN, RN

Maureen earned her BSN from the College of St. Benedict, St. Joseph, Minnesota, in 1996.  The first decade of her nursing career took her across the country, working in a variety of women’s health environments.  From bedside nursing in Labor & Delivery to childbirth and women’s health education, she found her passion in working with patients during times of vulnerability.  In 2006, Maureen moved “home” to MN for higher-quality healthcare, education, and family.  She found her niche in ambulatory care and nursing administration.  Over the past 15+ years and various leadership roles and opportunities, she recognized that she thrives in improving patient care through program development, staff and patient education, and quality improvement efforts.

Maureen became involved with IAFN and the MN Chapter in 2020 when she returned to school to pursue advanced education in forensic nursing.  It was during her time as a student that she recognized the second half of her nursing career needed to be based on the core principles of forensic nursing. The highlights of her clinical experiences included working with the Wayne County Medical Examiners’ office and a two-week deployment with the American Red Cross to support the disaster services needs following the Dixie Fire (CA) and Hurricane Ida (LA) during the fall of 2021. Her graduate project was to create an education program to lay the groundwork for implementing trauma-informed care concepts at her organization.  She was selected to present her professional poster at the Midwest Nursing Research Society in the spring of 2023.   In December 2022, she earned her MSN- Forensic Nursing from Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan.  She was the recipient of the Oakland University Board of Visitors Excellence Award.

Maureen is eager to become a more active member of the MN Chapter as she has enjoyed connecting with other like-minded people in working with and serving the community through the broad lens of forensic nursing.  Backpacking, domestic and international travel, digging in the dirt, and cheering on her son play college football are a few ways she practices self-care