Team

Kevin has a strong vision that has shaped the landscape of CRNA education. With a love of anesthesia and unyielding enthusiasm for educational technology, Kevin leads a team that empowers students and CRNAs to achieve their educational goals. His other primary responsibilities include business development and marketing.

In 2005, Kevin earned his Master of Science in Nurse Anesthesia at Virginia Commonwealth University, where he graduated at the top of his class. Additionally, Kevin scored in the 99th percentile on the National Certification Exam. He has written extensively for APEX Anesthesia review, published in the AANA Journal, co-authored a chapter in Nagelhout’s Nurse Anesthesia 7th ed., and delivered a variety of invited presentations in anesthesia as well as instructional design.

Before transitioning to APEX full time, Kevin greatly enjoyed precepting students. He was named VCU Clinical Instructor of the Year in 2013 and received the VCU Outstanding Alumnus Award in 2019. Kevin loves spending time with his family as well as refining his appreciation of food, wine, and music.

Daniel has been a practicing CRNA for nearly 30 years. He received his MSNA from VCU in 1992 and his DNAP in 2010. As a student, he was awarded the Agatha Hodgins award for academic excellence.

As co-founder of APEX, Daniel’s primary responsibilities include customer success, administration, and content development. He is proud APEX is making a difference in so many lives and strives to hold true to the APEX brand professionally and personally.

Daniel worked with students in the clinical area for 25 years as a preceptor and student coordinator. He is the proud recipient of the Herbert T. Watson award and Outstanding Alumnus award for his continued support to the VCU school of nurse anesthesia. He continues to serve as adjunct faculty at VCU. An avid drummer, Daniel is always looking to play in a decent band. So many drummers, so little time.

Chuck has spent his entire anesthesiology career in academic settings, first at Old Dominion University, then the University of Kansas, then Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, and for the last 20 years, at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Chuck has served continuously as Editor-in-Chief of the AANA Journal since 1988. His doctorate is in epidemiology from the University of Missouri, and he has approximately 200 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters, and is the sole author of the book, Evidence Trumps Belief: Nurse Anesthetists and Evidence Based Decision Making.

Chuck considers his greatest professional achievement as helping students and colleagues alike navigate the formidable cognitive challenges of becoming and remaining expert CRNAs.

Scott is an academic with over 35 years of teaching experience ranging from High School biology to Nurse Anesthesiology graduate school courses to professional meetings. His anesthesia classroom experience includes a 7-year tenure as Assistant Professor of Nurse Anesthesia at St. Mary’s University of Minnesota, where he taught Anatomy & Physiology, Chemistry & Physics, and Statistics & Research Methods. Scott has also given lectures and reviews in the Basic Sciences at several anesthesia programs around the country. For over 19 years, Scott was the principal Basic Sciences Lecturer, content creator, live course production manager, and executive at Valley Anesthesia. Scott received an Excellence in Teaching award from Iowa State University, has presented at local and national conferences and was the emcee for the AANA College Bowl for five years.

Scott was born and raised in Ohio, lived in Iowa and Minnesota for 24 years, and then returned to Akron, OH, in 2017. Scott enjoys soccer, cycling, waterskiing, and getting together with friends for food, wine, and spirits (and yes, beer). Scott was a professional musician in a former life—perhaps he and Danny will get the band together.

Taylor earned her B.A. in Biological and Pre-Medical Illustration at Iowa State University as well as an M.S. in Medical Illustration from Augusta University. Taylor has been a practicing professional medical illustrator since 2016. Taylor finds meaning in her work by combining her passion for science and art to help others learn and understand scientific and medical concepts. Aside from work, she enjoys traveling, nature photography, volleyball, and exploring Minneapolis with her dog, Tilly. She’s excited to be working for a company that places such high value on education and continued learning.

Susan is an instructional designer with over 10 years of experience. She is passionate about creating engaging and effective learning resources that help students achieve their goals. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in English from Wheaton College (MA) and a Master’s degree in Education from NYU. Using her skills and experience as an educator, she develops innovative and effective learning solutions for all learners. She stays up-to-date with the latest trends in the field by exploring industry publications and actively furthering her own professional development.

Susan resides in Charleston, SC with her husband and two children. In her free time, she enjoys playing tennis, running, volunteering, and traveling.

Raquel brings 8 years of exemplary customer care and management experience to our APEX team. Her strengths focus on establishing long-term relationships with her clients and peers. Driven by her never-ending desire to ensure customer satisfaction and happiness, she’s always looking for ways to provide our students and CRNAs with a world-class customer experience.

Raquel is a loving wife and mother to 2 children. In her spare time, she enjoys fitness, boating, going to the beach with her family, and loving on her two dogs, Cash & Stella.

Marcia is a hard-working, dedicated professional with over 25 years of experience in business administration. Her experience with process implementation, system management, and unmatched accuracy, make her an invaluable resource with APEX. 

She’s the definition of the term “Detail-Oriented.” Marcia provides our team with various support to help maximize our internal organizational productivity. She uses her multi-tasking capabilities, communication, and problem-solving skills to provide top-notch customer service, build strong professional relationships, and provide exceptional support to our team. Marcia’s goal is to continue to use her skills and knowledge to help drive our organization toward achieving its maximum potential and overall continued success.

Marcia is a loving wife and mother to a daughter and two cats, Jak and Dax. She devotes her spare time to hanging out with her family, being an avid Soccer/European Football fan, and helping others wherever possible.

Christian is the Assistant Director of the Acute Surgical Pain Management Fellowship at the Middle Tennessee School of Anesthesia, a post-doctoral program for CRNA’s wanting to improve their ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia procedures. He also holds an adjunct faculty position at the University of Iowa Department of Nurse Anesthesia.

Christian has coordinated the open ultrasound scanning labs at the AANA Annual Congress. He lectures locally, regionally and nationally, and has been published in numerous peer-reviewed journals including the AANA Journal, the Journal of Clinical Ultrasound, and the Journal of Neuroscience Nursing. In August of 2018, Christian started a new chapter in his anesthesia career as an Assistant Professor at Duke University, in Durham, NC. In his spare time, Christian likes to listen to Dylan and ride his Triumph.

Penelope has been a CRNA since 1996. Prior to nurse anesthesia, she had a career in respiratory care (RRT 1982) in both clinical practice and management. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Cardiopulmonary Science, a BSN, an MSN-Nurse Anesthesia, and a PhD with a dissertation based on original research in respiratory physiology and obesity.

Penelope brings to APEX extensive experience with over 10 years of experience in nurse anesthesia education at the MSN and DNP level, teaching primarily advanced anatomy, physiology, and other sciences. Along with many previous honors and awards, she received the Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2016 from UTHSC School of Nursing. She particularly enjoys the challenge of connecting the basic sciences to clinical practice, and believes that her skill set is a great match for the programs provided by APEX.

Penelope has been published broadly in anesthesia, respiratory, and critical care journals, including both invited and peer-reviewed articles. She is a regular reviewer for journals such as JoPAN, BMJ Case Reports, and Respiratory Care among others.

Penelope lives in New Mexico, in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, and enjoys the clean air, four seasons, art, and music of the southwest.

Sari joins APEX with nearly 15 years of experience working in and around higher education. She started her career advising students at an undergraduate tutoring center she managed while completing her MBA and has spent the last 10+ years partnering with Nursing, Medical, and Allied Health programs across the country as an account manager. Sari enjoys analyzing data and assisting her institutional partners in leveraging those insights to make data-driven decisions.

In her spare time, Sari can be found spending time with her family and dog, Caesar, practicing her woodworking skills, and completing DIY home improvement projects.

Stephanie is a Strategic Account Manager with TrueLearn (APEX’s parent company) and offers over a decade’s worth of success in building relationships and servicing clients with board prep resources. She has supported a wide range of healthcare programs from Nursing, Allied Health, Osteopathic Medicine and more as they prepare for their certified board exams. She is excited to bring her wealth of knowledge and expertise to APEX clients.

Stephanie is from the Kansas City metropolitan area, where she resides with her husband and 4 children. While an avid book reader, most of her free time is spent traveling the country, where you will most likely find her in a local gym or ballpark watching her kids compete.

Alexis worked as a teacher and counselor in the public school system before joining TrueLearn, the APEX parent company, in March 2022. Today, she assists APEX customers by supporting group purchases and enjoys helping students and CRNAs access the best resources at a discount. 

She considers providing clients with top-tier support and effective communication to be some of her greatest professional strengths. Alexis loves working for a company that prioritizes education and provides quality, science-backed resources to support learning, licensure success, and continuing education.

Born and raised in New Jersey, where she still resides, Alexis enjoys spending time with family and friends, exploring good restaurants, and petting every dog she meets. 

With a customer-focused mindset, Erin is dedicated to providing customers with the highest level of support in all interactions.  A long-tenured employee of TrueLearn, she spent her early years as a Customer Support Advocate, working closely with and developing relationships with learners and educators.  It was through these interactions that she developed a strong understanding of their expectations, desires, and frustrations.

Today, as the Customer Support Manager for TrueLearn and APEX Anesthesia, Erin uses her platform to bring the customers’ ideas and issues to the surface, helping to ensure that their voices are heard and their concerns are addressed.

In personal life, Erin is a loving partner and mother with a grown son, young daughter, and two mischievous Bengal cats.  She enjoys spending time with family as much and as often as possible.

Lauren joined the TrueLearn team (APEX’s parent company) in 2020 with a dedication to providing exemplary support to our customers. She encompasses a wide variety of skills and knowledge needed to ensure every customer interaction is a positive experience and nothing short of satisfaction. She looks forward to building the same relationships with CRNAs all over!

Heather joins APEX with over 20 years of customer care experience.  She provides personalized support to our customers and always leads with empathy and accountability.  She is dedicated to understanding each customer’s unique situation to provide the most efficient and effective solutions.

Heather grew up in Pittsburgh, PA and now resides in Jacksonville, FL.  She loves spending time with her son, her dog Ziggy, and her two cats, Bowie and Maggie.  She enjoys live music, Steeler football, and hiking.

Dr. Michele Gold is Professor of Clinical Anesthesiology at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. She is the past Director of the USC Program of Nurse Anesthesia, serving in this role from 2000 to 2019, was instrumental in the transition of the program to doctoral education, and currently remains as faculty. She has a BSN from the University of Illinois, an MS in Nursing from Rush University, and completed her PhD in Pharmacology from UCLA. Her research and educational interests focused on pharmacology and the mechanism of action of drugs highlighting the safety and efficacy of anesthetics and adjuvant agents.

Catherine Horvath, DNP, CRNA, CNE, CHSE, FAANA, received her BSN from University of Virginia, MSN from Northeastern University, and DNP from Georgetown University. She is presently an Associate Professor and Assistant Director of the Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice Program at Georgetown University in Washington, DC. Catherine has an extensive background as a nurse anesthesiology educator, having developed a multitude of new courses, taught across all courses in nurse anesthesia education, and led innovative approaches to incorporate novel uses of simulation into the training curricula. Catherine has completed a fellowship in simulation pedagogy through the International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation and Learning, has earned the status of Certified Healthcare Simulation Educator with the Society of Simulation in Healthcare, and is an NLN Certified Nurse Educator.

Dr. Crystal Hunnicutt holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Virginia’s College at Wise and a Master of Science in Nurse Anesthesia and Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice from Virginia Commonwealth University. She has 18 years of experience as a certified registered nurse anesthesiologist (CRNA). Since 2013, she has been a faculty member at Lincoln Memorial University, currently serving as the Director of the Nurse Anesthesia Program. Dr. Hunnicutt is actively involved in professional organizations, serving on various committees, and has research interests in wellness topics related to nurse anesthesia.

Jenna Jenkins, MSN, RN, CRNA, is a certified registered nurse anesthetist with 4.5 years of experience in the cardiothoracic and vascular operating rooms at Cleveland Clinic Main Campus. Her passion for cardiac care started while working in the cardiothoracic intensive care units before nurse anesthesia school. In addition to her clinical work, she serves as academic faculty for Case Western Reserve University/Cleveland Clinic School of Nurse Anesthesia and coordinates clinical rotations for students in these specialized areas. She lives in Medina, OH, with her husband, Joel, and their two boxer dogs, and enjoys cycling, golfing, and traveling in her free time.

Dr. Carlene McLaughlin received a BSN from Thomas Jefferson University, an MSN from MCP/Hahnemann University (now Drexel University), and a Post-Master’s (Nurse Anesthesia and Nursing Education) and PhD from the M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing, Villanova University. She was a 2016-2017 NLN Jonas Scholar. Dr. McLaughlin currently works as a Nurse Anesthetist at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA, and as full-time faculty at Villanova University M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing in the Villanova Doctorate Nurse Anesthesia Program. Her educational interests include simulation throughout the curriculum and advanced anesthesia topics, with an emphasis on board review. Dr. Mclaughlin has also mentored nurse anesthesia students in the publication of clinical case studies in the International Journal of Student Nurse Anesthetists.

Dr. Jordan Popp, DNP, CRNA, APRN, is a board-certified Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist and Associate Clinical Director at the Minneapolis School of Anesthesia. In this leadership role, Dr. Popp oversees the clinical education of student registered nurse anesthetists, ensuring the highest quality of training. Dr. Popp maintains clinical expertise through practice at the University of Minnesota Fairview Masonic Children’s Hospital, specializing in pediatric anesthesia. Dr. Popp is committed to ensuring safe and effective anesthesia delivery for all patients, from children to adults. Dr. Popp’s dedication extends to educating future CRNAs, fostering the next generation of anesthesia providers by instilling the same passion for patient care and clinical excellence. Outside of work, Dr. Popp cherishes time spent with his husband and beloved brindle boxer, Athena, enjoying the vibrant city life of Minneapolis and the beautiful Minnesota outdoors.

Kerry Quisenberry has been a CRNA since 2000. She has worked in academic settings since 2013 and currently serves as Assistant Program Director and Vice Chair of Administration in the Nurse Anesthesia Program at the University of Pittsburgh. She is credentialed clinically at Magee-Womens in Pittsburgh, PA, and with Bel-Park Anesthesia in Youngstown, OH, where she works as a preceptor for students. She lectures for Northwest Anesthesia Seminars, LLC, and PANA (Pennsylvania Association of Nurse Anesthetists). She is currently working towards receiving her CHSE (Certified Healthcare Simulation Educator) certification.

Dr. Sarah Rollison, DNP, CRNA, CNE, is an Assistant Professor and Simulation Educator at the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing in the DNP-Nurse Anesthesia Program. Dr. Rollison’s scholarly work has centered on simulation education for the advanced practice registered nurse, including in situ simulations and interdisciplinary team simulation with a focus on team crisis management and medication safety training. In addition to her role as faculty, Dr. Rollison practices clinically in various settings with a focus on neurosurgery, electrophysiology, orthopedics, and outpatient surgery.

Julie Soelberg, PhD, CRNA, completed her Nurse Anesthesia training at the University of Pennsylvania in 2010 and obtained her PhD from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2020. She specializes in pediatric anesthesia and nurse anesthesia education. Julie resides in Oregon and is faculty at Oregon Health and Science University.

Todd Walter received his Master’s degree in Nurse Anesthesia in 1992 from the Minneapolis School of Anesthesia and St. Mary’s University of Minnesota. He has worked for many different practices, from rural solo practices to large teaching institutions, as an employee and as a private contractor. He received his Doctorate in Anesthesia Practice in 2016 from the University of Michigan, Flint, and began his teaching career. Since then, he has taught at St Mary’s University of Minnesota, Minneapolis School of Anesthesia, and the University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh.

Maura White graduated from Texas Christian University with a Doctor of Nursing Practice in anesthesia in 2013. She also holds bachelor’s degrees from both Tulane University and the University of South Florida. She entered into independent practice immediately after graduation and specializes in regional and opioid-free anesthesia. She is currently based out of Green Bay, WI, and has been adjunct faculty with Marquette University since 2019. In her free time, she enjoys travel, cooking, and spending time with her husband, two children, and her Siberian cats.