President: Jen Baumann PAVSA SANE Program, Duluth MN
Jennifer Baumann is currently employed with PAVSA having served 124 SANE exams, as well as with Essentia as an OBGYN Registered Nurse. She graduated from registered nursing school in 2010 from Lake Superior College in Duluth MN. She began her training for adults and pediatrics in 2012 and began performing SANE exams with PAVSA in 2013. She completed expert training through the Training Institute on Strangulation Prevention in 2012, and additional extensive training through the Department of Justice’s National Indian Country Training Initiative, Indian Country Strangulation and Suffocation Seminar, in 2018, at the National Advocacy Center (NAC) in Columbia, South Carolina. She completed the Institute’s masters course, virtually in 2019.
She has trained other SANE IAFN courses through PAVSA, including strangulation prevention and screening. She has worked with PAVSA and local hospitals to develop their Strangulation prevention screening guideline and incorporating it into PAVSA’s electronic medical record for SANE exams.
She has presented at numerous community and medical events including the St. Louis County Health and Human Resources. In 2021 She became a certified SANE-A and graduated from the College of St. Scholastica with her Bachelors of science in Nursing. She has volunteered countless hours as a ski and bike patroller and served on city councils and committees. She has also volunteered for the local wildlife rehabilitation organization and fostered dogs and puppies through another non profit.
She is currently learning her role as president elect of the MN Chapter IAFN. She most recently decided to learn how to curl with some of her favorite people in Duluth MN. Her next endeavor is a houseboat Air BnB she is renovating with her husband and friends.
She loves family, friends, food, animals and life.
Immediate-Past President: Savanha Winkel, MSN, RN, SANE-A | Regions SANE Program, Saint Paul MN
Savanha has been a nurse for 6 years and a SANE in the Twin Cities since 2019. Currently, Savanha works in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and for the Regions SANE Program, serving hospitals in the east metro area. It was not until the fall of 2018 Savanha discovered the field of Forensic Nursing. She instantly became engaged in the necessary level of caring, compassion, education, and cooperation required in the field. Her first couple years were everything you could imagine as a new SANE, eye-opening, challenging, and also rewarding. It became excruciatingly clear to her just how important this work was, for her patients and for society as a whole. She quickly got involved with her program participating in trainings for new SANEs, advocates, and law enforcement personnel. Her passion for education had always been there, but her work as a SANE taught her truly just how powerful education can be, for her patients, her community, and the systems in which Forensic Nursing intersects. Having meaningful interdisciplinary educational opportunities available where true learning and change can happen is where her passion lies. Although her time in Forensic Nursing has just begun, she has committed herself to the field and looks forward to the opportunities to serve and learn from members of the Minnesota IAFN chapter.
President-Elect: Lillie Graham, BSN, RN, PHN | 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 Catherines 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.
Director at Large: Breanna Heisterkamp, BSN, RN, PHN, SANE-A, SANE-P | Clinical Care Supervisor | Hennepin Assault Response Team
Breanna has been a registered nurse since 2015 and graduated with her BSN from Bethel University. She first worked with Hennepin Healthcare as a nurse on their Inpatient Medicine and Oncology unit. When she learned about the field of forensic nursing, she applied for a casual forensic nurse position in 2018 with the Hennepin Assault Response Team in Minneapolis. After not too long at all, she knew this was where her passion was, so she moved to a full-time position with the HART program. In 2022, she transitioned into the Clinical Care Supervisor position for the team. She now enjoys supporting the forensic nurses on her team and working to improve care for victim-survivors. She maintains both SANE-A and SANE-P certifications. She is dedicated to seeing forensic nurses become better equipped and more confident in their practice through education and engagement in the forensic nursing community. As the Project Director for the HRSA-funded grant Train to Retain: SANE Expansion in the Upper Midwest, she also seeks to remove barriers pursuing this field of nursing.
Education Director: Kelly Nelson-Cichosz RN, BSN, SANE-A | Lead Forensic Nurse | Allina Health Forensic Nursing Program
Kelly has been a registered nurse since 1999. Since graduation, she has been practicing in the emergency department. In 2015, Kelly took a SANE on-call position working for the Unity program while also leading the St. Francis Forensic Program as well. Earlier this year, Kelly took a full-time role assuming the role as the Lead Forensic Nurse for the Allina Health Forensic Nursing program. She is SANE-A certified and is currently working towards obtaining her SANE-P certification. Kelly has a strong passion caring for victims of both Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence patients. After attending the IAFN international conference, she set a personal goal to become more involved in the IAFN MN Chapter and expand her passion to other nurses. Kelly is committed to this group and serving in whatever capacity her talents can best be utilized. On a personal note, she is married with seven children. Kelly lives on a small hobby farm where they raise chickens and tend to six bee colonies.
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.
Secretary: Katie Laney RN | SANE | PAVSA SANE Program, Duluth MN
In addition to being a RN for 10 years, Katie has been a valued member of the Duluth SANE team since 2016. In her time as a SANE, Katie has provided exceptional care to the diverse and vulnerable population in the Duluth region. She has conducted 49 adolescent/adult forensic examinations and is pursuing her SANE-A certification this year.
Throughout her time as a SANE, Katie has become a valued member of the team. She demonstrates excellence in attendance and responsiveness. Katie quickly rose to preceptor status. As a preceptor, Katie has assured that nurses new to the role of SANE uphold the responsibility of providing thorough, detailed care and documentation.
Katie’s care as a SANE has been an example of how to do this job right and how to do this job well. Her documentation has been used for statewide case reviews. It is also frequently used as an example within the Duluth SANE program. Katie’s attention to detail in her charting is one of her strongest attributes as a SANE.
Katie has served as liaison to the board of the MN Chapter of the IAFN for the past year, fulfilling the role of secretary. She selflessly filled this position in order to assist the board to accomplish their mission. Her experience in this role makes her a strong candidate to continue in the role of secretary for the MN Chapter of the IAFN and demonstrates her commitment to the field of forensic nursing.