Thursday, April 9
The Permission You Didn’t Know You Needed
Anne Rulo, LMFT, LPC
The work we do is both essential and challenging which often puts us in a difficult position as we attempt to do our best for those we serve without burning out ourselves. Unlike your typical keynote, this year we begin our conference with an invitation to experience this year in whatever way your soul needs. Sit back, relax, and enjoy a permission-filled beginning to this year’s Meeting of the Minds.
Learn more about the presenter here
Anne Rulo, LMFT, LPC – speaker, author, therapist
Anne Rulo has been attending MOM for longer than she’s willing to admit out loud. Having previously served as a counselor in higher education, she is now an author and speaker in the areas of faith and mental health. She lives in mid-Missouri with her husband Tim, children Caleb and Charlotte, and cats Golden and Loaf.
Friday, April 10
Forging our Path Forward: A Conversation with Prevention Leaders and Researchers
Dr. Ashley Helle, Dr. Jenna Wintemberg, Dr. Fred Rottnek, and Dr. Denis M. McCarthy with moderator Jen Jacobsen
Join faculty leaders from Missouri institutions for an engaging and forward-looking conversation about the evolving landscape of Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) prevention. This panel will bring together prevention practitioners and researchers to explore how Missouri’s higher education community can continue to lead with innovation, collaboration, and resilience during uncertain times.
Panelists will share insights into the current state of AOD prevention work, highlighting emerging trends, persistent challenges, and promising practices. The discussion will emphasize the critical role of faculty partnerships in strengthening campus and community prevention efforts, as well as the value of collaboration in advancing evidence-informed strategies. Participants can expect a candid and solution-focused dialogue centered on building sustainable partnerships, aligning research with practice, and fostering a culture of positivity and shared purpose—even amid shifting policies, funding landscapes, and public health priorities. This session will offer practical ideas and renewed inspiration for forging a strong and unified path forward in prevention work.
Learn more about the panelists here
Dr. Ashley Helle is an Assistant Research Professor at the University of Missouri, licensed clinical psychologist, and Director for Engagement at the Missouri Center for Addiction Research and Engagement (MO-CARE). Dr. Helle’s work applies implementation science approaches to understand and reduce barriers for student health professionals working in substance misuse prevention in higher education settings. She does this work in close collaboration with campus professionals and the Missouri Partners in Prevention statewide coalition. Dr. Helle also works as an evaluator and implementation specialist for the SAMHSA Addiction Technology Transfer Center (ATTC) Mid-America Region and Network Coordinating Office. In addition to her research and evaluation work, Dr. Helle provides training and tailored support to health providers and educators in evidence-based practices for substance prevention and early intervention.
Dr. Jenna Wintemberg, PhD, MPH, CHES, NCTTP is an Associate Teaching Professor of Health Sciences and Public Health at the University of Missouri, with more than a decade of experience in tobacco treatment. Dr. Wintemberg serves as a TTS co-facilitating MU Health Care’s outpatient cessation program, and is a certified TTS trainer, delivering an accredited curriculum to Missouri providers. In the past, she has also provided one-on-one and group cessation services on a university campus and for Housing Authority properties. Dr. Wintemberg is an advocate for tobacco control policies and health systems transformation, currently serving on the board of Tobacco Free Missouri (formerly as Chair). She previously served on the Missouri Eliminate Tobacco Use Initiative steering committee and the University of Missouri Tobacco Taskforce. She developed and evaluated an adolescent tobacco cessation toolkit in partnership with the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services and Missouri school nurses. Dr. Wintemberg also serves as a cessation trainer and consultant for Missouri Partners in Prevention, serving college campuses across the state. Dr. Wintemberg serves as the Hub Team member for the Missouri Vaping, Tobacco, and Nicotine Treatment ECHO (a virtual case-based learning community), to expand best practice tools and strategies for tobacco treatment statewide and regionally.
Dr. Fred Rottnek MD, MAHCM is a Professor and the Director of Community Medicine at SSM Health/Saint Louis University School of Medicine and the Program Director of the SSM Health/Saint Louis University Addiction Medicine Fellowship. His clinical practices include family medicine, addiction medicine, and correctional healthcare. He teaches in the School of Medicine and the School of Law. Board-Certified in Family Medicine and Addiction Medicine, he is the Medical Director for the Assisted Recovery Centers of America (ARCA) and Juvenile Detention in Family Court for the City of St. Louis. He consults with SAMHSA’s GAINS Center and Opioid Response Network.
Dr. Denis M. McCarthy, Ph.D., is the Professor and Associate Chair for Research in the Department of Psychological Sciences, and Director of the Missouri Center for Addiction Research and Engagement (MO-CARE) at the University of Missouri. He received his BA in Psychology and Philosophy from the University of Notre Dame, his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Kentucky, and did his Clinical Internship and Post-doctoral work at the University of California San Diego. His research has focused on identifying predictors of alcohol-related negative consequences, with a particular emphasis on risk for driving while impaired by alcohol or cannabis. His work has been consistently funded by NIH/NIAAA since 2002. He is the Director of MU’s Addiction Training group, funded by NIAAA training grants (T32 and R25) that supports 18 undergraduate, pre- and post-doctoral training per year. He is also the Director of the Missouri Center for Addiction Research and Engagement at the University of Missouri, which provides support to addiction-related research and training activities across the University of Missouri system.
Jen Jacobsen, MA, MPH (she hers) has been working in higher education for nearly 30 years, across many different institutions and professional roles. For over a decade, she has closely collaborated with faculty about low-effort, role-appropriate strategies they can use to support student well-being and, in turn, academic engagement. Jen has co-facilitated several multi-day faculty workshops on this topic at the campus and consortium level (ACM faculty development), as well as conference sessions at NASPA Strategies, NECHA/NYCHA, and the AAC&U CLASS conference, faculty/staff guided book readings, and campus-based presentations and discussions. She has deep knowledge of the ACHA-NCHA-III instrument and data trends over the last 15 years and served as a multiple-time principal investigator at two institutions; this data offers supporting evidence for the importance of this work. Jen is currently pursuing a DrPH with a concentration in implementation science and a focus on college student behavioral health.
Saturday, April 11
Be the Difference: Belonging is the Support We Need
Gaelin Elmore, Speaker, Trainer, Consultant
What determines if an individual is a “success” story or a “cautionary” tale? Is it talent? Is it resilience or grit? Is it simply luck? Gaelin Elmore knows that stories of caution and success have more things in common than we’d care to admit. He knows because he lived it. Mr. Elmore’s powerful story has motivated and inspired thousands, but instead of using his story to focus on “success,” he uses it to shed light on the importance of belonging and “support.” Throughout this keynote, attendees will be challenged and inspired to be individuals who CARE about belonging, because belonging is ‘the difference’ between a story of success and a tale of caution.
Learn more about this presenter here
Gaelin Elmore is a former NFL athlete turned nationally recognized keynote speaker and belonging expert. He has worked with fortune 500 companies, state agencies, and small locally run non-profits, all with the same mission – to create environments where EVERYONE can thrive:
teams, leaders, AND clients. And thriving is only possible when we belong. Gaelin’s keynotes are a perfect blend of humor, practicality, and hard truth that challenges, connects, and changes every audience he shares space with. Gaelin’s message, passion, and story has led him to stages in 39 different states and multiple different countries in the last calendar year alone. Even still, the most important stage where Gaelin gets to “practice what he preaches” is at home with his superstar wife, Micaela, and their superstar children (depending on the day), Laniah, Gideon, and Tatum.