Speakers

Governor Doug Burgum appointed Ron Henke to lead the North Dakota Department of Transportation (NDDOT) in October 2022. He joined the NDDOT in 1990 and previously served as the Deputy Director for Engineering, Office of Operations Director, and Office of Project Development Director. In addition, he also served across other areas of the department including Design, Construction, and as Assistant Engineer for Planning and Programming.

Henke earned bachelor’s degrees in Construction Management and Construction Engineering from North Dakota State University (NDSU) in 1988 and 2001. He is a Registered Professional Engineer in North Dakota with a background in field construction, statewide operations (construction and maintenance), planning and programming of projects, budget, environmental document preparation, and plan development.

Henke serves on the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Transportation Policy Forum and Council on Streets and Highways and is active in the Western Association of State Transportation Officials (WASHTO). He is active in the community through the Bismarck High School football and basketball booster organizations.

Dan Clark is the founder and CEO of an international leadership development company; a high performance business coach; New York Times Best Selling Author of 35 books; university professor; a primary contributing author to the Chicken Soup for the Soul series; international podcaster; Gold Record songwriter; and an award winning athlete who fought his way back from a paralyzing injury that cut short his football career.

Clark was inducted into the National Speakers Hall of Fame – and has been named one of the top ten motivational speakers in the world.

He has spoken to over six million people, in all 50 states, in 71 countries, on six continents, to more than 6,000 audiences including most of the Fortune 500 companies, Super Bowl champions, NASA, and to our combat troops in Iraq, Afghanistan, Asia and Africa.

Clark has appeared on over 500 television and radio shows including Oprah and Glenn Beck, PBS and NPR, and has been featured in the Mayo Clinic Journal, Forbes, Inc., Success, Entrepreneur, Thought Masters and Millionaire magazines.

Clark’s extraordinary life includes soaring to the edge of space in a U2 Spy plane; flying fighter jets with the Air Force Thunderbirds; racing automobiles at Nur-burg-ring and sailboats in Australia; serving on the Olympic Committee and carrying the Olympic torch in the Winter Games; and keynoting the United Nations World Congress.

He was named an Outstanding Young Man of America and has received the United States Presidential Medal presented by President Ronald Reagan; the United States Distinguished Service.

Medal presented by the US Department of Defense; was the national recipient of the prestigious Air Force American Spirit Award; and was named Utah Father of the Year!

Dr. Khan holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Engineering and Technology, Peshawar, and a master’s degree in transportation engineering from the National University of Sciences & Technology (NUST), Pakistan. He earned his Ph.D. in Transportation and Logistics from NDSU, where his research was driven by Vision Zero – focused on eliminating road fatalities and injuries.

He has authored several peer-reviewed journal articles and conference papers and has been invited as a speaker at prestigious conferences such as the Transportation Research Board, ATSIP Traffic Records Forum and Lifesavers. With over seven years of expertise in road safety, transportation planning, statistical modeling, and traffic operations, Dr. Khan has conducted numerous impactful studies.

Justin Schlosser started working with the NDDOT after graduating from NDSU in 2007 with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering. Schlosser is currently the traffic operations engineer where he prepares and analyzes traffic and infrastructure safety studies. He also manages the Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP), a federal-aid highway program which seeks to significantly reduce fatalities and serious injuries on all public roads.

Tpr. Jacob Jones has been a trooper of the North Dakota Highway Patrol since 2011. His post locations have included Crosby, Dickinson and now Bismarck. He has served on the Crash Reconstruction Team since 2015 and is now a full time analyst. His primary job is analyizing the evidence and data from serious injury and fatality crashes to help determine if there is criminal fault in a crash. Some of his other duties include continuous training in the area of crash reconstruction, maintaining peace-officer standards/training, teaching crash investigation classes at the law enforcement training academy, helping to instruct traffic incident management classes, occasional road patrol duties and also serving as a crash scene technician collecting evidence at crash scenes and from vehicles. Jacob graduated from Bismarck State College and Minot State University with a bachelor's degree in criminal justice with a minor in psychology. Since graduating the law enforcement academy he has attended approximatley 800 hours of crash/criminal investigation courses.

Wade Kadrmas is a Sergeant with the NDHP bringing over 25 years of law enforcement experience. His career has included roles as a correctional officer, city police officer, and, for the past two decades, a state trooper with the NDHP. He was promoted to sergeant in 2014 and served as a motor carrier sergeant until 2018. From there, he took on the role of safety and education officer and Amber Alert coordinator, where he worked closely with legislators to support traffic safety legislation. In 2024, he transitioned to his current position as a training sergeant at the Law Enforcement Training Academy.

Sgt. Kadrmas holds an associate’s degree in criminal justice from Eastern Wyoming College (1995) and a bachelor’s degree in university studies, with a focus on human resource management, from Dickinson State University (2016).

In addition to his law enforcement career, he served 13 years in the North Dakota National Guard, attaining the rank of Sergeant and deploying to Iraq in 2004–2005 as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom II. He lives in Bismarck with his wife, Connie, and their daughter, Libby.

Enoch Orukotan is a sophomore at Sheyenne High School in West Fargo. In addition to being a Vision Zero School student leader, he is a dedicated athlete and musician with a profound passion for football, basketball and playing both classical and jazz saxophone. His musical achievements include being a finalist in the prestigious Music Teachers National Association Senior Woodwind competition and serving as an alternate at the esteemed International Saxophone Symposium. Enoch's aspirations are to pursue a career in sports and music, majoring in music performance. Through rigorous training and unwavering commitment, he aims to excel in both his athletic and musical endeavors, striving to leave a lasting impact in each domain. 

Ann Muggli is a senior at Oakes High School and a dedicated student leader in North Dakota’s Vision Zero School program. A well-rounded and accomplished student, Muggli is an all-district and all-state volleyball player, a state track qualifier in high jump and a two-time national qualifier in Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA). She is also a member of the National Honor Society and previously served on the North Dakota Student Cabinet under the direction of the state school superintendent.

Beyond academics and athletics, Muggli is passionate about giving back to her community. She plays a key role in the Stronger Together Foundation, a nonprofit she helped establish, where she actively raises funds to support its mission. Muggli plans to attend Valley City State University on a volleyball and track scholarship.

Cole Just is a sophomore at LaMoure High School. Growing up on his family’s cattle farm, Just developed a strong work ethic and a passion for agriculture. He serves as a state ambassador for 4-H and is actively involved in Future Farmers of America, demonstrating his leadership in agricultural education and community engagement.

Just serves as a student leader in North Dakota’s Vision Zero Schools program, advocating for traffic safety among his peers. He is also on the LaMoure High School football team. Outside of school and farm work, Just gains hands-on experience in the agricultural industry by working at Infinity Ag.

Brenna Eckroth is a sophomore at Flasher Public School. Along with being a Vision Zero Student Leader, she is involved in many school and community activities which include volleyball, basketball, track, FCCLA and 4-H. Eckroth enjoys spending time with friends and spending as much time as possible outside in the summer. Her favorite part of being a Vision Zero Student Leader is helping people in her community make safe choices.

Kaitlin Atkinson is the Vision Zero Outreach Coordinator for the Northeast region of North Dakota. Housed out of the Grand Forks County Sheriff's Office, her work focuses on helping road users make safe choices when behind the wheel. She is committed to working across various fields to reach people throughout the region, ensuring young drivers and experienced drivers alike have the skills they need to make it to each of their destinations safely. Atkinson is passionate about North Dakota being her home and looks forward to continuing to make a positive impact on North Dakotans across the state.

Claire Marker is a freshman at Jamestown High School and a newly licensed driver! An accomplished athlete, she played a key role in helping her volleyball team reach the state tournament and competes in varsity basketball and track and field, specializing in mid- and long-distance races. Beyond sports, Marker is a leader in her school's Fellowship of Christian Athletes, a member of Key Club, and serves on the student council. She enjoys spending time with friends, working out and playing with her family’s dog, Murphy. While she’s still exploring her future career path, her passion and dedication shine in everything she does.

Addison Marker is a senior at Jamestown High School and a dedicated athlete. She played a key role in helping her volleyball team reach the state tournament last year and excels in track and field, competing in shot put, discus and javelin. While she hopes to compete again this spring, her participation will depend on recovery time and a second opinion regarding her spinal fusion. Beyond athletics, Marker continues to play the violin in the orchestra and enjoys spending time with friends, baking, working out and snuggling with her dog, Murphy. She currently works part-time at Downtown Dental and aspires to become a dentist in the future.

Megan Wieland is a junior at Sheyenne High School in West Fargo with a strong Christian faith that guides her in all aspects of life. She has a deep love for working with children and loves spending time at the lake, where she enjoys the outdoors and making memories with family and friends. Wieland is always up for an adventure, especially if it involves traveling to warmer destinations. In addition to her passion for exploring new places, she enjoys trap shooting and strength training, always striving to challenge herself and stay active. Whether she’s with friends, at the gym or soaking up the sun, Wieland embraces life with enthusiasm and a positive spirit.

Sue Faller is a volunteer EMT at Kindred Ambulance Service and has 12 years of EMS experience. She is the vice president at Kindred State Bank, serves on the North Dakota Banker Association Advisory Board for the North Dakota School of Banking and is on the Kindred State Bank and Kindred Ambulance Board of Directors. Faller lives in rural Kindred with her husband and dog.

Chris Mahoney is the current fire chief for Southern Valley Fire & Rescue in Horace, ND. He has been in this position since the fall of 2023 and prior to that was the training captain for the Williston Fire Department. Mahoney moved to North Dakota in early 2016 and is originally from St. Louis, Missouri. He has been in the fire and EMS service for 20 years and obtained his paramedic license in 2018. Mahoney has an extensive background in fire and EMS education and currently sits on the North Dakota EMS Association Board of Directors and provides instruction and evaluation for the North Dakota Firefighter Association.

Capt. Bryan Niewind has served with the NDHP since September 2000. He began his career as a traffic trooper in Medina before transferring to Valley City in 2001, where he worked as a motor carrier trooper, traffic trooper and K-9 trooper until 2007. That year, he was promoted to regional sergeant in Jamestown.

In 2009, he advanced to lieutenant and took on the role of southeast region commander. Two years later, in 2011, he was promoted to captain and continued leading the southeast region. From 2006 to 2018, Capt. Niewind was a member of the NDHP Emergency Response Team, serving as its commander from 2009 to 2018. He has also been a use-of-force instructor and has taught various courses at the NDHP Law Enforcement Training Academy.

Capt. Niewind holds a Bachelor of Science in Human Resources from Valley City State University (1999). He furthered his professional training by graduating from the Northwestern University School of Police Staff and Command (2008) and the FBI National Academy (2012, Class 248). He currently lives in West Fargo with his wife and two children.

Deputy Craig Keller has been dedicated to law enforcement since 2014, beginning as a reserve deputy for the Cass County Sheriff's Office and transitioning to his full-time role with the agency in 2017. He has a strong passion for traffic safety, especially regarding the prevention of impaired driving. Deputy Keller is currently assigned as a contract deputy to the City of Horace and also serves as a field training officer.

Outside of his professional life, Deputy Keller enjoys staying active and spending time with his family. He loves running, hunting and fishing with his two sons and mountain biking with his wife. He is also a dedicated soccer dad, often traveling across the country to attend games.

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

Gellner acts as the Vision Zero Outreach Coordinator supervisor and oversees each regional coordinator across the state. He also works with other traffic safety partnerships outside of county government to include 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. Ryan has been working firsthand with the Impact Teen Drivers curriculum and has delivered the free one-hour course to thousands of students across North Dakota.

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

Elizabeth ‘Libby’ Stuyt, MD is a board-certified psychiatrist and has worked in the addiction/behavioral health field since 1990. She was the medical director from 1999 – 2020 for the Circle Program, a 90-day inpatient treatment program, funded by the state of Colorado for persons with co-occurring mental illness and substance abuse who have failed other levels of treatment. She was instrumental in helping the Circle Program to become tobacco-free in January 2000 and has been a strong advocate of the need to address all addictions at the same time, including tobacco, to improve outcomes.  

She has been actively incorporating complementary treatments into treatment programs, including the five point ear acupuncture National Acupuncture Detoxification Association protocol and Brain Synchronization Therapy (BST), to help patients recover from addiction as well as trauma which often underlies addiction and chronic pain issues.

She retired from clinical practice in 2021 and continues to do consultant work for treatment programs, trainings on ear acupuncture and BST, and presentations to educate as many people as possible on the un-intended consequences of the commercialization of marijuana in Colorado, focusing primarily on the deleterious effects of high potency THC on the developing brain and mental health. She is on the International Academy on the Science and Impacts of Cannabis Board of Directors and believes that people should be following the science regarding policies related to cannabis.

Based in Cass County, Leah Kelm is the Vision Zero Outreach Coordinator for the Southeast region of North Dakota. She is a certified child passenger safety technician, a trained Impact Teen Drivers ambassador, and a strong advocate for reducing serious injuries and fatalities from motor vehicle crashes. Prior to becoming a traffic safety professional, she was in the field of parks and recreation for 10 years. From planning activities and events for youth and adults to serving on the North Dakota Recreation and Park Association’s Board of Directors, Kelm has a wide variety of experience providing engaging opportunities for communities. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, attending sporting events and concerts, being with friends and family, and hanging out with her rescue dog named Bart.

Carma Hanson, a nurse by background, has served as the Coordinator of Safe Kids Grand Forks for the last 29 years. Safe Kids Grand Forks coalition’s focus is on preventing unintentional injuries and death to children under age 19. Safe Kids Grand Forks covers northeast North Dakota and northwest Minnesota. Hansen has helped lead her team to expand their reach within the region and state with a wide variety of injury prevention topics. She has been involved in curriculum and program development, strategic and campaign planning and policy development in many areas of injury prevention. She is a certified child passenger safety technician proxy with certification in special needs transportation and teaches the Safe Transportation of Children in Ambulances curriculum and the Child Passenger Safety on School Buses class.

John Grinsteiner is a retired (recovering) district court judge from the South Central Judicial District in North Dakota. After 18 years of wearing the judicial robes, 14 of which were spent in the state’s treatment courts, John retired to become North Dakota’s first Judicial Outreach Liaison (JOL) and has served in this role since September of 2021. As the State’s JOL, Judge Grinsteiner brings access to current and evidence-based practices that assists judges in their work and helps promote more effective outcomes in impaired driving and other traffic related cases.

With the help of the American Bar Association’s judicial division and its partnerships with various organizations (All Rise, National Judicial College, National Center for State Courts and GHSA), Judge Grinsteiner works to provide education, training and technical assistance to judges and court staff throughout North Dakota and the Region. He was recently named as a faculty member for All Rise (formerly the National Association of Drug Court Professionals). As faculty, Judge Grinsteiner will join with the All Rise staff on the road as a facilitator or specialized presenter and subject matter expert.

Daniel Haugen joined the NDHP in September 2000, spending eight years as a state trooper stationed in Crosby and Bottineau before being promoted to sergeant and becoming a shift supervisor in Devils Lake, Dickinson and Bismarck. He was promoted to lieutenant in 2014, becoming the training director of the North Dakota Law Enforcement Training Academy in Bismarck, where he also served as a member of the North Dakota Peace Officers Standards and Training Board, and was chairman for two years. In 2023, Col. Haugen became the southwest regional commander supervising the Dickinson and Bismarck ?eld offices.

Col. Haugen earned an associate’s degree in criminal justice from Bismarck State College and is a graduate of Northwestern University School of Police Staff & Command. He received three Colonel’s Award for Excellence awards and the North Dakota Peace Officer Association’s Life Saving Award.

Col. Haugen was born and raised in Langdon and is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps. He is very active off duty with the community, belonging to five non-profit organizations in North Dakota and Alexandria, VA. Haugen is married to Tara, and they have three children; Alex, Devon and Madison.

Joseph Carlblom, the Vision Zero Outreach Coordinator for the east central region, began his role in September 2024 with enthusiasm and a commitment to learning and building connections within his community. He works closely with schools, participates in sporting events, collaborates with public health departments and engages with law enforcement throughout his counties to promote safety initiatives.

Carlblom attended the University of Jamestown, where he played collegiate football and graduated with a degree in accounting in the spring of 2024. He balances his professional responsibilities with his hobbies, including golf and weightlifting. Despite his diverse interests and achievements, his passion for his Vision Zero role remains his primary focus as he strives to make a positive impact on the state of North Dakota. Carlblom lives with his twin brother Robert in Jamestown.

Russ Buchholz has been leading innovative operations for the NDDOT as Innovations manager since January 2019. Previously, he served as the Information Technology (IT) Director from October 2007 to December 2018, overseeing all IT functions. Before joining the NDDOT, Buchholz dedicated 26 years to the North Dakota National Guard, retiring in 2007 as a lieutenant colonel. In addition to his current role, he serves as the program administrator for North Dakota’s National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program and the Federal Aviation Administration’s Beyond, Phase II of the Integrated Pilot Program for Unmanned/Uncrewed Aircraft Systems.

Mike Metzger has been with Minn-Dak Farmers Cooperative since 2001 and currently serves as Vice president of agriculture and research. He oversees agronomic research, production, harvest, storage, and delivery of sugar beets from 500 shareholders farming over 105,000 acres. In addition to managing operations, he provides technical expertise and education on current sugar beet production and emerging technologies to the cooperative’s agriculture staff, shareholders and growers. Metzger serves on the boards of the Beet Sugar Development Foundation, the American Society of Sugar Beet Technologists, and the Sugar Beet Research and Education Board of Minnesota and North Dakota. He holds both a master’s degree and Ph.D. in Plant Pathology from NDSU, with research focused on fungal and bacterial root rot in sugar beets. He and his wife, Jessica, live on a hobby farm near Fergus Falls, MN, with their three teenage children.

Laura Anderson, MPH, is the behavioral health division policy director with North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services. She received her master's in public health at the University of Iowa and has 15 years of experience in substance use prevention and behavioral health program and policy administration.

Theresa Thom is the Vision Zero Coordinator for the Southwest region of North Dakota and is housed at the Burleigh County Sheriff’s Department in Bismarck. Thom graduated with a degree in communications from the University of Mary in 2020. She is a member of the Occupant Protection Committee and works with schools and communities to increase seat belt use rates within her region through observational studies and data collection. Through events, education and networking, Thom hopes to continue to expand the Vision Zero Initiative and get every North Dakota citizen home safely.

Molly Schoen, an advocate for safety and security, currently serves as the Northwest Regional Coordinator for Vision Zero, a position she assumed earlier this year. Schoen’s commitment to public safety stems from her background as a 911 dispatcher for six years in Ward County, where she played a crucial role in emergency response and assistance.

In her role as a Regional Coordinator for Vision Zero, Schoen is dedicated to advancing the principles of Vision Zero and eliminating all traffic fatalities and serious injuries. Drawing from her experience in emergency services, she brings a unique perspective to the team, emphasizing the importance of proactive measures in achieving the Vision Zero goals.

Schoen is a recent graduate, having earned her bachelor's degree in cybersecurity in December 2023 from Purdue University. Her academic pursuits further demonstrate her commitment to enhancing security measures and ensuring the well-being of communities.

Jason Horning has been managing and advancing the state’s 911 program since 2012 when he started working for the NDACo. Prior to his time at NDACo, he worked in the private sector building mapping software and Geographic Information System datasets for 911 centers. Horning is a member of the National Emergency Number Association, ND 911 Association, and the National Association of State 911 Administrators where he has served in various leadership capacities. He is well known nationwide for his leadership in advancing next generation of 911 technologies and helping develop its standards and policies.