Conference Presenters

Andrea Zickmund

Andrea Zickmund NREMT-P/FF has been working in EMS for 13 yrs. She has worked at every level from EMT through Paramedic. She is known as the black cloud in all the busy 911 systems she has worked, as a lead paramedic. She also has been teaching in EMS programs since 2007 and is a Primary Instructor for the state of Indiana. She currently works for Lutheran Air 3 as a flight paramedic full time, Schererville Fire Dept as a Firefighter/Paramedic, and for Franciscan Alliance Crown Point as an EMS Educator in their EMS academy. Andrea has a passion for teaching and working as a paramedic.

Jena Lu Simpson

Paramedic since 1995, Own and Operate Medic West Oklahoma with Husband Ray for the past 9 years. We operate an Ambulance Service in rural Oklahoma where it takes anywhere from 5-30 minutes to get to a patient, then 25-60 minutes to get the patient to the ER. I also serve as the President of the Oklahoma EMT Association as well as the Treasurer. Have served on the Board for 20 plus years in numerous capacities. My favorite thing to do right now in my time off is riding horses with my hubby and working with my rescue horse Charlie!

Breanne Lane

Breanne has been in EMS since 2007. Starting in Hot Springs, SD. She went on to complete the paramedic program at Creighton University. After paramedic school moved to Texas to work for East Texas Medical Center EMS. During that time moving up through the field training ranks to eventually be the FTO coordinator. During this time assisted with the School of EMS. Breanne is Currently the Lead Coordinator and educator for the School of EMS primarily in the online program but does teach sections of the live courses. In her off time she spends time with her wonderful boyfriend Allen and their two dogs Lexie and Buddy.

Teresa Thie

Teresa is a Licensed Social Worker and and an Education & Public Awareness Specialist at Children’s Home Society in Sioux Falls.

Nancy Fischer

Nancy is a registered nurse and the current emergency department director at the Avera Heart Hospital in Sioux Falls.

Catherine Cuka

Catherine Cuka, from Tyndall, SD, is a NREMT and her passion for documentation began in 2002 when she began workig for Yankton County EMS in the Billing Department. She continues to work part-time as an EMT with Yankton County EMS and Santee Sioux Nation Ambulance Service. She is the director of the Centerville Community Ambulance Service.

Michael Murphy

Captain Murphy has been serving with Sioux Falls Fire Rescue (SFFR) since 2006 and is currently assigned as the Captain on Rescue Company 5. As a 2008 Civil Engineering graduate from South Dakota State University, Capt Murphy has been able to combine his engineering knowledge with his career in the Fire Service by serving with the SFFR Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) program. In addition, he serves as a Rescue Specialist and Structures Specialist with South Dakota Task Force 1 and Iowa Task Force 1 which both serve as response teams for USAR incidents throughout each state. During his career, he has deployed to incidents such as: the Dakota Dunes flooding, Palisades State Park-High Angle Rescue, Brandon-SD Firefighter LODD, Brandon-SD trench collapse, Garreston-SD wind storm, Mapleton-IA tornado, Rock Valley-IA flooding, Sioux Falls-N. Main triple fatality fire, and most recently the Phillips Ave Building Collapse.

Kevin Franklin

Flight nurse

Steve Rydquist

Flight Paramedic

Dr. Abrea Roark

Sanford Hospital OB/GYN

Nathan Leonard

Flight Paramedic

Mike Broderick

Cardiac arrest survivor

Jason Culberson

Paramedic, Rapid City Fire Department

Rebecca Baird

SD State EMS Office/State Trauma Coordinator