2024 AKAMSP Annual Educational Conference Registration & Speakers
Maggie Palmer, MSA, CPCS, CPMSM
I am a passionate Healthcare (Medical Staff) Administration Professional utilizing my experience, interpersonal skills, and initiative in maximizing service, quality, productivity and promoting strong client relations. Nothing is more important than the safety of the patient, the quality of their care and outcomes. I strive to bridge the gap between physicians and administration through trust and knowledge sharing. I encourage growth, positive change and opportunity for professional advancement for my team, as well as myself.
Erin L. Muellenberg, JD, CPCS, CPMSM
Erin Muellenberg brings a strong skillset to her exclusive practice of medical staff law. As a former director of medical staff services in a large community-based hospital, she is intimately familiar with the daily operations of the medical staff organization and its governance process. Erin’s practice focuses on advising hospitals, health systems, critical access hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, and medical groups on the regulatory, compliance, and practical requirements of credentialing, peer review, disciplinary matters and for interfacing the medical staff and allied health professional staff with hospital operations.
Mary Ann Foland, MD
Dr. Foland is an award-winning family physician with a special interest in women’s care and helping patients with eating disorders or chemical dependencies. Regardless of her patients’ health issues, she enjoys caring for and getting to know them over time. Dr. Foland is also the Medical Director of the Physician Health Committee of Alaska which operates programs that monitor substance use, mental health and behavioral health problems for MDs, DOs and Physican Assistants.
Monica Martin, MA, CPCS
NAMSS Director at Large (California, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Alaska)
Monica Martin is currently the Administrator of Central Nephrology Clinic, PLLC. She has over twenty-five years of experience in the Medical Services Profession. Originally from Texas, she has resided in the Jackson, MS Metropolitan area since 2017. She earned her B.S. in Speech Communication from the University of Texas at Austin and a M.A. in Organizational Management form the University of Phoenix. She received her CPCS Certification in 2009.
Ms. Martin is currently Director At Large for NAMSS and a former Board member with the Mississippi Association of Medical Staff Services and Texas Society of Medical Services Specialists. In addition, she served as an officer with the Greater Houston Society of Medical Services Specialists. In 2019, she received the NAMSS Joan Covell Carpenter Award for her published article “Taking the Leap” and has written subsequent articles “Experiencing the 2021 NAMSS State Leadership Conference” and “Still Taking the Leap: Growing as an MSP Leader”. She has presented at NAMSS, MAMSS and GHMSS. Ms. Martin is a member of True Vine Missionary Baptist Church in Brandon, MS, where she volunteers on the Intake Team and is leader of the Hospitality Ministry. She has been married to Fulton for 31 years and they are the parents of Callie who resides in Houston, TX.
Chester Gilmore, JD
Chester Gilmore represents medical and legal professionals, healthcare institutions and other clients in all stages of complex litigation. A proven trial lawyer, he has extensive knowledge of how to communicate complicated medical, legal, and technical issues to juries and judges. Chester’s extensive experience with health care institutions and hospitals allows him to provide advice and counsel in regulatory compliance and peer review matters.
Having clerked at the Alaska Supreme Court, Chester was a felony team leader at the Alaska Public Defender Agency, winning statewide honors as a trial practitioner, and acquittals in high profile murder cases. In private practice, he has successfully represented clients in arbitrations, appeals and trials – including the only medical malpractice trial held during the pandemic, where he won a full defense verdict for his client via Zoom.
As one of Alaska’s top trial lawyers, Chester represents many different types of clients in high stakes commercial disputes and contract litigation. He has a particular expertise in legal and medical malpractice and advises hospitals on peer review and fair hearings.
Debbie Kesselring, CPCS, CPMSM
Debbie Kesselring, CPCS, CPMSM is the Director of Medical Staff Services for Bartlett Regional Hospital in Juneau, Alaska and credentialing verification organization (CVO) for a small critical access hospital in Southeast Alaska. In her role, she oversees credentialing/privileging, provider continuing medical education program, on-call on-line management system, ensures compliance with bylaws, accreditation standards, regulatory entities, and legal requirements pertaining, and is the executive associate to the Chief of Staff. She has served as a President of the Alaska Association of Medical Staff Professionals, NAMSS Director at Large (DAL), Chair for the NAMSS Leadership Development Work Group, and is currently a member of the Subject Matter Expert Committee.
Danielle Morgan, MBA, CPCS, CPMSM
Danielle Morgan has over 24 years of medical administrative experience, with 14 of those in Medical Staff Services. She is dual-certified (CPCS & CPMSM). She has earned three degrees, a master's in business administration with an emphasis in health system management, a bachelor's in psychology, and an associate in health care administration. All degrees were earned while working full-time and providing for her family. She has six children and 14 grandchildren. She volunteers, serving on the AKAMSP board since October 2017, and as an American Cancer Society volunteer. She is also an Air Force veteran. Danielle enjoys spending time with family, art, music, soccer, fishing, and hockey.
Cassie Bush
Mrs. Cassie J. Bush has lived in the Anchorage area since 1992 and has enjoyed working at Providence Alaska Medical Center, Alaska Spine Institute, Alaska Regional Medical Center, Mat-Su Regional Medical Center and Joint-Base Elmendorf-Richardson: 673 MDG, Medical Staff- Credentialing. She began her credentialing career in the Mat-Su in 2016. As a front line credentialing professional she ensures that information provided is accurate and meets required standards for the Defense Health Agency: United States Air Force. My goals for my career field is to network with other credentialing specialists, strive to attain credentialing consistency in the military treatment facility. My values are organization, consistency, honesty, and proactivity. She has been married since 1996 and has two adult children, two dogs & two chinchillas. She loves her career field because it is the foundation of the treatment facility, supporting providers and ensuring quality and safe patient care.
Megan Carter, PESC
Megan Carter is the Provider Enrollment & Payor Contracts Manager for Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium (SEARHC), in Juneau, Alaska. Megan has been with the Organization since October 31, 2016. Megan oversees all individual practitioners and facility enrollments with contracted health insurance agencies for the Organization. Currently overseeing approximately 650 active enrollments (credentialed/non-credentialled) and managing facility enrollments in 27 Southeast Communities and continuing to grow. Megan is involved in multiple layers of the Revenue Cycle for SEARHC. Megan manages two full-time staff who assist with the day-to-day operations.
Megan was born and raised in Alaska, living in Juneau most of her life. She moved to Malta (Saratoga County) New York in 2006 and returned to Juneau in 2016. Megan did not have medical administrative experience when she accepted the position of Provider Enrollment Coordinator with SEARHC. Megan’s background has been in data analytics and contracts, with the State of Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (10 years) and Research Analyst in the Grants Department for the Research Foundation of Suny Albany (9 years). Megan holds an associate degree in Liberal Arts from the University of Southeast Alaska, Juneau.
Megan keeps busy outside of work, enjoying the outdoors, hunting, fishing, hiking. Pretty handy with her compound bow and used to shoot competitively as well as participating in pistol league at the Juneau Hunter Education Shooting Complex. Instead of human children, she has two Arabian horses (Faith and Buddy), a chocolate lab (Remington) and 3 cats (Maisy, Caramel, Taffy) who keep her on the run daily.
Heather McMurry
Heather McMurry has worked as a Diversion Investigator for the Drug Enforcement Administration for over 27 years. She started her DEA career in Chicago, Illinois during 1997. Her case work included working on investigations in which physicians, pharmacies, drug distributors, and other DEA registrants were diverting controlled substances for purposes other than legitimate medical use. In 2005, she was promoted to the position of Group Supervisor in the Chicago Field Division. During 2008, she was transferred to the DEA Special Operations Division in Virginia, where she coordinated with DEA offices around the world with investigations of the diversion of pre-cursor chemicals used in making methamphetamine destined for meth labs in Central America and Mexico. During 2013, she was transferred to the West Palm Beach, Florida office as a Group Supervisor where she had extensive experience in supervising investigations of “pill mill” type pharmacies. In May 2016, Ms. McMurry was promoted to the position of Diversion Program Manager of the El Paso Field Division where she was responsible for the Diversion offices in El Paso and Albuquerque. In February 2024 Ms. McMurry was transferred to the Seattle Field Division where she is responsible for the Diversion offices in Seattle, Portland, Boise and Anchorage.
Ms. McMurry grew up in rural southeast Missouri and obtained a Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminal Justice Administration with a minor in Industrial Security from the University of Central Missouri in 1992.
Natalie Norberg, LMSW
Natalie Norberg became the Executive Administrator for the State Medical Board in 2021. Prior to taking on this role, she held a variety of leadership positions with the Office of Children’s Services and worked as a medical social worker. Ms. Norberg grew up in Southeast Alaska and currently resides in Juneau with her husband and two dogs.