Speakers

Connie Steed, MSN RN CIC FAPIC

Connie Steed, MSN, RN, CIC, FAPIC has worked in the field of Infection Prevention and Control for over 40 years. Connie’s experience spans the continuum of care including academic and community acute care hospitals, Long-Term Care and Ambulatory care. She most recently serves as the Corporate Director of Infection Prevention at Prisma Health in South Carolina, from which she retired. Connie is currently a consultant specializing in Infection Prevention and Control (IPC).

Connie is a Fellow of the Association of Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC). She has served APIC in multiple capacities including 2020 APIC President and was the recipient of the 2018 APIC President’s Distinguished Service Award in Honor of Patricia Lynch and the Carol DeMille Achievement Award in 2024. Connie recently served the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) HICPAC Committee, and Personnel Health and Isolation Precautions Work Groups. Currently, she is an appointed member of the APIC/SHEA work group charged with addressing IPC Guidelines development and maintenance due to the dissolution of CDC HICPAC. Connie is published in the field and has presented nationally and internationally.

Connie received both her Bachelors and Master of Science Degrees in Nursing from Clemson University. She has been board certified in Infection Prevention and Control (CIC) since 1985. Connie is also a certified change agent and a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt.

JoAnna M. Wagner, MSN, RN, BHSA, CIC

JoAnna M. Wagner, MSN, RN, BHSA, CIC, has been employed with the Georgia Department of Public Health since 2016 and currently serves as the Director of the Healthcare Associated Infections Antimicrobial Resistance (HAIAR) Program for the Acute Disease and Epidemiology Section. Her leadership supports a HAIAR Analytics Team, Infection Preventionist Team, and an Antimicrobial Stewardship Team. She has been a nurse for 25 years and has worked as an infection preventionist for 21 years.

Kari L Love, RN MS CIC FAPIC

Kari L Love, RN MS CIC FAPIC has worked in healthcare for over 30 years as a Registered Nurse and discovered her passion for infection prevention and epidemiology over 20 years ago. She is currently the Corporate Director of Infection Prevention at Emory Healthcare.

Kari has published and co-authored books and numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals and continues to remain involved in the day-to-day challenges of infection prevention. She is the recipient of the Daisy Leadership Award for her contributions during the COVID pandemic response at Emory and has received recognition for her leadership and clinical achievements.

Kari received her Nursing Degree from New Mexico State University and her Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Clinical Management and Leadership from George Washington University. She is certified in infection prevention and control (CIC) has been recognized as a Fellow of APIC (FAPIC) and is currently completing her Ph.D. in Translational Health Sciences at George Washington University.

Taunya Faulkner, MBA

Taunya Faulkner is Vice President of Quality for Georgia for Atrium Health, where she leads quality and performance improvement activities, while driving results for safety and health outcomes and reputation programs.  

Prior to this current role, Taunya served as Vice President of Performance Improvement for the Atrium Health Floyd Area, where she had responsibilities for Quality, Lean & Six Sigma, Coordinated Care, Care Coordination, Hospice and matrixed responsibilities for Laboratory, Security, Rehabilitation Services, Emergency Management and Environmental Health and Safety. Taunya has a deep passion for improving patient outcomes and has consistently demonstrated success in performance and process improvement, capacity management, and length of stay optimization. Prior to that, she has served in several leadership positions including Lean Six Sigma Director, Revenue Management Assistant Director, and Physical Therapy Director. She began her career as a staff physical therapist at Atrium Health Floyd.

Taunya is a Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality and a Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt, bringing extensive expertise in operations, leadership, quality, and change management.

Taunya earned a Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy from Georgia State University. She also received a Master of Business Administration degree from Kennesaw State University. She is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives, the National Association for Healthcare Quality, and the American Physical Therapy Association. She also serves on the board of Mercy Care Rome.    

Taunya lives with her husband, Chuck, in Calhoun, Georgia. They have two sons. In her free time, she enjoys tennis, pickleball, and walking for exercise. 

Dr. Katie Passaretti, MD 

Dr. Katie Passaretti, MD is the Vice President and Chief Infection Prevention Officer at Advocate Health, where she provides medical leadership for quality improvement in infectious disease and emerging pathogen response across 69 hospitals in 5 different states.  She also serves as a Professor of Internal Medicine in the Section of Infectious Diseases at Atrium Health Wake Forest University School of Medicine.

Shelley Kester, MSN, RN, CIC,

Shelley Kester, MSN, RN, CIC, is the Enterprise Lead of Infection Prevention at Advocate Health.

With two decades of experience in infection prevention, she leads infection prevention efforts across a large multi-state healthcare system.  Shelley is committed to collaboration, developing strong IP leaders, and building practical, sustainable approaches that improve patient outcomes.

Dr. Darien Campbell, PharmD, BCPS 

Darien Campbell, PharmD, BCPS is an Infectious Disease Pharmacist at Atrium Health Navicent, where he serves as the Co-Lead for the Antimicrobial Stewardship Program.

Darien is deeply committed to advancing patient care through collaborative, evidence-based approaches.  His work focuses on bridging disciplines to implement stewardship strategies that reduce antimicrobial resistance, improve clinical outcomes, and support infection prevention efforts across the continuum of care.

Emily Ryan, PhD

Emily Ryan, PhD is a board-certified clinical chemist and currently the Clinical Lab Director for Advocate Clinical Laboratories in Georgia and an Assistant Professor at Mercer University, School of Medicine.  She received a PhD in Biochemistry and developmental biology and a Masters in Clinical Research from Emory University in 2012.  Her research interest includes improving laboratory utilization and provider literacy around laboratory medicine.

Erica Umeakunne, PhD, MSN, MPH, RN, CIC, CPPS

Erica Umeakunne, PhD, MSN, MPH, RN, CIC, CPPS

Infection Prevention Manager

Atrium Health Navicent Medical Center

Erica Umeakunne is a highly experienced healthcare professional with a career spanning two decades as a registered nurse and public health expert, with a strong interest in infectious diseases, patient safety, health equity and advocacy, and nursing and health professions education. Erica holds certifications in infection prevention and control (IPC) and healthcare epidemiology and in patient safety. Her extensive experience includes primary care, critical care, healthcare administration, and public health, serving in various roles as a registered nurse, an adult-gerontology nurse practitioner, nurse epidemiologist, public health consultant, and nurse leader in diverse healthcare settings.

As a respected IPC subject matter expert, she has provided consultation within clinical settings as well as within federal and regulatory agencies. At the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion, Erica served as a nurse consultant for domestic and international IPC initiatives and emergency responses, including Ebola outbreaks and the COVID-19 pandemic. Erica's dedication to improving patient care extended to her role as an infection prevention specialist and consultant at a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Quality Innovation Network - Quality Improvement Organization (QIN-QIO), where she worked to enhance infection prevention and patient safety in acute-care and long-term care settings. She also has experience leading IPC programs in large, academic healthcare systems and currently holds the position of Infection Prevention Manager at Atrium Health Navicent Medical Center.

Erica has completed a robust educational journey, earning a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the Medical College of Georgia (now part of Augusta University). She pursued advanced studies at Tulane University’s School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, where she obtained a Master of Public Health in Infectious Disease Epidemiology and International Health and Development. Further expanding her clinical expertise, she earned a Master of Science in Nursing as an Adult-Gerontology Nurse Practitioner from Walden University. Most recently, she achieved a Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing Research and Education from Mercer University’s Georgia Baptist College of Nursing (GBCN).

In her multifaceted roles as a nurse scientist, educator, and dedicated patient advocate, Erica maintains an active research profile and serves as adjunct faculty at Mercer University GBCN. Her published work contributes valuable insights across a range of critical public health and clinical topics, including healthcare equity and advocacy, patient safety, infectious diseases, health professions education, chronic disease prevention, and health promotion. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family, reading, cooking, and traveling.

Marcia A. Gellineau MSN, APRN, MHI, CIC, CNOR, FNP-C 

Marcia A. Gellineau MSN, APRN, MHI, CIC, CNOR, FNP-C has served at Northside Hospital for the past 20
years within the surgical services and infection prevention departments in various capacities.
She obtained her Master’s degree in nursing from Graceland University and Master’s degree in
Healthcare Informatics from Walden University. She has maintained her certification as a perioperative
Nurse for the past 13 years and is a member of the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses
(AORN).

Mrs. Gellineau currently holds a position as an Outpatient Department High Risk Infection Prevention
Specialist at Northside Hospital and has extensive experience in the field of nursing education and
professional development.