Speakers

Michelle was born in Grand Forks, raised in Bismarck and graduated from Bismarck Century High School in 1987. Her mother Betty, a Medicaid policy expert, and her father George, an Army veteran and sales professional, created a faith-filled, service-oriented home, instilling a desire to effect change in their daughter.

After earning an education degree from the University of North Dakota (UND) and a master’s in counseling from Minnesota State University Moorhead, Michelle worked as a school counselor in Richland County and West Fargo Public Schools, including three years at the alternative high school.

Her political calling came after joining future father-in-law Earl Strinden’s U.S. Senate campaign in 1988. Michelle and her husband, the late Dr. Tom Strinden, raised four children in a family rooted in community and service.

Scott Burrows is a top inspirational speaker and bestselling author who is a living testament to the power of determination and adaptability in the face of adversity. Burrows’ unwavering belief in our ability to overcome seemingly insurmountable challenges has touched countless lives and continues to inspire transformation on a global scale.

An accomplished athlete who excelled in both football and martial arts, Burrows was just 19 years old when his life took a tragic turn. Paralyzed from the chest down after a devastating car accident, doctors diagnosed him with quadriplegia and told him he would spend the rest of his life confined to a wheelchair.

Despite this, Burrows became relentless in pursuit of his goal to stand again. Drawing on his athletic background and a profound desire to overcome, he found a way to rebuild his life and defy the odds.

To help him navigate his challenges, Burrows focused on three foundational principles: vision, mindset and grit. Today, Burrows uses his personal journey to inspire audiences around the world to take charge when presented with unexpected obstacles.

Katzenstein is a board-certified pediatric neuropsychologist and co-director of the Center for Behavioral Health. Katzenstein also serves as director of Psychology, Neuropsychology and Social Work at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital and as an associate professor of clinical psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Katzenstein was inducted into the Miller Coulson Academy of Clinical Excellence in 2023 and is the recipient of the 2024 Clinical Collaboration and Teamwork Award and the 2020 Service and Professionalism Award at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital.

Finkel is the program coordinator for the Florida Teen Safe Driving Coalition, where she leads youth-focused safety initiatives, statewide campaigns and student engagement efforts. Finkel will graduate this summer from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Science in Tourism, Hospitality and Event Management and a minor in Mass Communications.

Finkel is passionate about creating meaningful, community-driven programs that empower young people, prioritize mental health and turn education into real-world impact.

Eckroth is a junior at Flasher High School and is involved in many extracurricular activities, including Vision Zero, FCCLA, pep club, volleyball, basketball and track. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, as well as taking vacations with her family.

After graduation, Eckroth plans to attend a four-year university and major in pediatric occupational therapy or speech-language pathology.

Eckroth was born and raised in Bowman. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from Dickinson State University and a Master of Education from Valley City State University.

Currently in her 22nd year of teaching, Eckroth serves as a fifth grade teacher at Flasher Public School, where she is also actively involved in coaching and advising various student groups.

Eckroth and her husband, Travis, reside northeast of Flasher, where they are raising their three children – Brenna, 16; Kinley, 14; and Tate, 11. She enjoys spending her summers on their family ranch alongside her husband and children.

Aberle serves as a trooper with the NDHP and is currently assigned to Bismarck. A native of Williston, he earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in marketing from the UND in 2022.

With nearly four years of law enforcement experience, Aberle is a third-generation member of the NDHP, continuing a longstanding family legacy of service. His father serves as a sergeant with the agency, and his grandfather is a retired trooper.

Aberle began his career as a traffic trooper in Williston before transferring to Bismarck, where he continues his work in traffic enforcement. In addition to his patrol duties, he serves on the Highway Patrol’s Crash Reconstruction Team, assisting in the investigation and analysis of serious and fatal crashes.

Aberle remains committed to roadway safety, professional excellence and serving the citizens of North Dakota with integrity and dedication.

Moore has been with the Grant County Sheriff’s Department since August 2022. He graduated from Mandan High School in 2010 and enlisted in the North Dakota Army National Guard as a military police officer in February 2015, where he first learned the basics of patrol work and crash investigations at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri.

After being hired by Grant County, Moore attended the 143rd Basic Class at the North Dakota Law Enforcement Training Academy in Bismarck. He has served as a sergeant for the department since November 2024, primarily working as a patrol deputy.

Gellner is the Vision Zero Outreach Program director at the North Dakota Association of Counties (NDACo). The program provides county-level traffic safety outreach to county leadership and employees to increase support for traffic safety policies and interventions at the local level.

Gellner also acts as a lobbyist for NDACo during the North Dakota legislative session, working on county-related traffic safety issues. He currently serves as committee chair for the Vision Zero Priority Emphasis Team in the area of occupant protection.

Gellner supervises the Vision Zero outreach coordinators and oversees each regional coordinator across the state. He also works with other traffic safety partnerships outside of county government, including schools and universities, businesses, sports venues, media and other entities.

Gellner is very active in the Impact Teen Drivers program, implementing and teaching the nationwide educational program that confronts the dangers and consequences of reckless and distracted driving. He has worked firsthand with the Impact Teen Drivers curriculum and has delivered the free one-hour course to thousands of students across North Dakota.

Gellner and his wife, Lisa, live in West Fargo with their two children. In his free time, Gellner officiates high school and college basketball and football.

Atkinson is the Vision Zero outreach coordinator for the Northeast region, based at the Grand Forks County Sheriff’s Office. She works to inspire all road users to make safer choices behind the wheel.

Atkinson empowers young and experienced drivers alike with the skills to reach every destination safely, while championing child passenger safety through proper car seat education.

Atkinson is proud to call North Dakota home and continues working to create safer roads across the state.

Kelm is the Vision Zero outreach coordinator for the Southeast region. She is a certified Child Passenger Safety Technician, a trained Impact Teen Drivers ambassador and participates in multiple Vision Zero Priority Emphasis committees.

Before the current role, Kelm spent nearly 10 years in parks and recreation, building a foundation in community engagement and public safety.

Originally from Minnesota, Kelm moved to Fargo to attend NDSU and now resides there with a rescue dog, Bart.

Schoen is the Vision Zero outreach coordinator for the Northwest region, a role she has served in since January 2024 and is housed at the Ward County Highway Department. With a strong background in emergency response from six years as a 911 dispatcher in Ward County, Schoen brings practical, real-world insight to traffic safety initiatives and partner collaboration.

In her current position, Schoen focuses on community outreach, partner engagement and advancing strategies that support Vision Zero’s mission of eliminating traffic fatalities and serious injuries. She is also a certified Child Passenger Safety Technician.

Schoen earned a bachelor’s degree in cybersecurity from Purdue University in 2023.

Carlblom is the Vision Zero outreach coordinator for the East Central region. He began the role in September 2024 and works closely with schools, public health departments and law enforcement agencies throughout the region to promote safety initiatives.

Carlblom attended the University of Jamestown, where he played collegiate football and graduated with a degree in accounting in 2024. He lives in Jamestown with his twin brother, Robert.

Gillen joined the Vision Zero team as the West region outreach coordinator in July 2025. She grew up in southwestern North Dakota and understands the roadway challenges in rural and oil-impacted communities.

With a background in the energy industry, Gillen works to strengthen traffic safety through partnerships with community leaders, businesses and schools.

Gillen lives in Dickinson with family and works out of the state’s attorney’s office at the Stark County Courthouse.

Devasahayam is a board-certified trauma surgeon and surgical intensivist at Sanford Medical Center in Fargo, serving a vast rural Upper Midwest region where prolonged transport times create significant “blood desert” challenges.

She leads efforts to deploy low-titer group O-positive whole blood in the prehospital setting, with Sanford Ambulance implementing this in mid-2025, including the state’s first use in a rural motorcycle trauma case involving severe hemorrhagic shock.

Drawing from military deployments with forward surgical teams in Iraq, Kuwait and Syria, Devasahayam gained expertise in walking blood banks, fresh whole blood protocols and far-forward resuscitation.

She advocates for rapid blood delivery within the critical 30-minute window following injury. As a founding member of regional whole blood initiatives and a frequent lecturer on balanced resuscitation in rural and austere environments, including EAST sessions, the North Dakota Trauma Conference and Trauma Tactics, she focuses on practical civilian adaptations to close blood access gaps and improve outcomes in underserved areas.

Garcia is a graduate of the University of Wyoming with a degree in civil engineering and has worked for the WYDOT in various capacities for more than 40 years.

Garcia began his career as a road designer and later transitioned to a bridge design engineer. Between 1995 and 2003, he led WYDOT’s information technology program and was involved with numerous network, database and software development projects.

Since 2003, Garcia has managed WYDOT’s Intelligent Transportation Systems and Geographic Information Systems program and helped build a statewide Transportation Management Center.

Moe is enthusiastic about the Traffic Incident Management (TIM) program and what it brings to the emergency response community. As the 16-year owner and manager of Oakes Truck & Trailer Center LLC, he frequently encounters situations where training and coordination among emergency response teams are critical to the safety of both responders and motorists traveling through incident scenes.

As a diesel technician with 40 years of experience, Moe understands that safety is accomplished through planning, organization and attention to detail, reinforced through education and practice. He served eight years as director of the North Dakota Towing Association, where he coordinated numerous training events throughout North Dakota and other states. Moe also serves on the board of ITECC, a professional training company, and as president of the board for the nonprofit HERT (Highway Emergency Responder Training) Foundation.

By developing positive working relationships between towing associations throughout the Upper Midwest, Moe has helped build a network of like-minded professionals working toward safer roads and improved working conditions for emergency responders.

Moe has also achieved several professional certifications, including certified Federal DOT inspector trainer, ASE master technician certification in five areas, multiple towing and recovery certifications, and lead certified TIM instructor for the state of North Dakota.

Throughout his career, Moe has received numerous acknowledgments and awards for his commitment to his profession and highway safety. Traveling for towing association business and education has also allowed him to enjoy hobbies including working, hunting, fishing and motorcycling. Many trips include a planned side excursion for at least one of these activities – and, as Moe often says, work can also be a hobby.

Kadrmas is a sergeant with the NDHP and lives in Bismarck with his wife, Connie, and daughter, Libby.

Kadrmas grew up in Dickinson, North Dakota. In 1995, he received an associate of arts degree in criminal justice from Eastern Wyoming College. He later earned a bachelor’s degree in university studies with a focus on human resource management from Dickinson State University in 2016.

Kadrmas has worked in law enforcement for more than 25 years. During his career, he has served as a correctional officer, a city police officer and, for the past 20 years, as a trooper with the NDHP.

Kadrmas was promoted to the rank of sergeant in 2014 and served as a motor carrier sergeant until 2018, when he assumed the role of the agency’s safety and education officer and AMBER Alert coordinator. He served in that position until 2024, when he moved to the Law Enforcement Training Academy as a training sergeant.

During his time as safety and education officer, Kadrmas worked with legislators on several traffic safety bills during legislative sessions to promote roadway safety. Kadrmas also served 13 years in the North Dakota National Guard, where he attained the rank of sergeant and deployed to Iraq from 2004 to 2005 under Operation Iraqi Freedom II.

Anton “Tony” Hillig is a retired U.S. Army command sergeant major and serves as recreation division chief with the North Dakota Parks and Recreation Department. He leads statewide trail development, outdoor recreation programs and motorized recreation (off-highway vehicle and snowmobile) safety initiatives that directly support Vision Zero’s mission of eliminating motor vehicle fatalities and serious injuries in North Dakota.

Hillig is dedicated to building safer communities through youth education, responsible riding instruction and strong partnerships with state, federal and local agencies.

Volk has more than 23 years of experience in substance misuse prevention and has dedicated his career to creating healthier communities through education, intervention and support. He currently works as a prevention specialist for the NDDHHS Behavioral Health Division.

In this role, Volk has worked across various sectors, including schools, law enforcement and community organizations, providing technical assistance in implementing effective, evidence-based prevention strategies tailored to North Dakota.

Volk combines knowledge of behavioral health with a solutions-oriented approach to help youth, families and communities thrive free from the impacts of substance misuse.

Sand holds a master’s degree in environmental health and safety from the University of Minnesota Duluth, is board certified as a Certified Safety Professional and has spent 17 years consulting with North Dakota employers across multiple industries and organizations of various sizes as a WSI safety consultant.

Sand now serves as the loss control program manager at WSI, where he manages a small team and several workplace safety programs, including a recent pilot program for the Safety Technology Grant.

Moser serves as safety director for Winn Construction Inc., a concrete company founded in 1981 by Willie Winn that works on both residential and commercial projects. One of the most notable projects the company is currently working on is the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in Medora. Winn Construction also owns a concrete pumping business known as B&W Rental Inc.

Moser has served as safety director since 2020. In this role, he oversees all aspects of workplace safety, including the development, implementation and revision of company policies. Moser regularly engages with crews through safety talks, inspections and hands-on training and is also a certified Petroleum Education Council and American Concrete Pumpers Association and ACPA instructor.

Before joining Winn Construction, Moser dedicated 22 years to public service with the Stark and Billings County sheriff’s offices. He has also served 23 years as a member of Dickinson Rural Fire and Rescue and the Dive Team.

Moser holds a double degree in social science composite and physical education from Dickinson State University. Before transitioning to law enforcement, he spent eight years teaching high school in Beach.

Outside of work, Moser enjoys life with his wife and is a proud father of two grown children.

Ross is the operations manager at Laney’s in Fargo. He began his career with the company working in fleet management and safety and now oversees fleet operations while continuing to serve on the company’s safety committee.

Ross brings more than a decade of hands-on automotive experience supported by a degree in automotive technology from a local technical college. Early exposure to the business through his grandfather’s car dealerships and repair centers helped shape Ross’ appreciation for hard work, safety and operational excellence.

Ross focuses on improving driver safety, reducing risk and building a culture where operational efficiency and safety go hand in hand.

Moore serves as the general manager of Busy Bee’s Hot Oil Inc., bringing more than 20 years of leadership experience in oil and gas operations and transportation management.

Moore holds a Bachelor of Science in business education from Minot State University and has built a career focused on operational efficiency, workforce leadership and transportation safety within North Dakota’s energy sector.

Through extensive industry experience, Moore provides insight into commercial vehicle operations and roadway safety practices affecting both industry and the traveling public.

Rachel Hellyer, CPA, is a graduate of UND with a Bachelor of Accountancy and has served as controller and financial administrator for Sproule Farms, PD Sproule Co., Sproule Farms Trucking and related agricultural enterprises since 2007.

In this role, Hellyer oversees financial management while also supporting safety coordination and administrative functions. Given the inherent risks associated with large-scale farming operations and over-the-road trucking, Hellyer plays an active role in promoting a strong culture of safety across the organization.

The Sproule family’s Red River Valley-based operation includes a 14,000-acre farming enterprise, potato brokerage operations, a trucking company, a seed business, an Illinois potato farm and the consumer food brand Three Farm Daughters, along with several real estate and farmland-related entities.

The organization is committed to advancing agricultural education and awareness while implementing emerging farming technologies and conservation practices.