Board of Directors

Elena Sherr is a Board member of Palliative Care Network of Wisconsin.

Elena Sherr, APSW, ACHP-SW

Chair

Meet Elena

Tim Jessick is a Board member of Palliative Care Network of Wisconsin.

Tim Jessick, DO

Suzie Feuling, RN, MS

Treasurer

Meet Suzie

Mary Jane Higgs is a Board member of Palliative Care Network of Wisconsin.

Mary Jane Higgs, NP

Meet Mary Jane

Jessica Lisinski is a Board member of Palliative Care Network of Wisconsin.

Jessica Lisinski, MBA, BSN, RN, CHPN

Meet Jessica

Sean Marks is a Board member of Palliative Care Network of Wisconsin.

Sean Marks, MD

Secretary

Meet Sean

Amanda Sommerfeldt, MD

Meet Amanda

Kate Talbott, MSW, CAPSW, APHSW-C

Meet Kate

Jacob Werkheiser, Reverend, MDIV, BCC

Meet Jacob

Jessica Lisinski, MBA, BSN, RN, CHPN

Jessica serves as the Vice President and Chief Operating Officer with Horizon Home Care and Hospice in Milwaukee, WI, overseeing home health services, supportive home care services, the Lawlis Family Hospice, The Kathy Hospice, a large home hospice, a community based palliative consult program, and a unique model of hospice care delivery within Froedtert Hospital. Jessica is a Certified Hospice and Palliative Nurse, ELNEC trainer, and is also a past President and Treasurer of the Greater Milwaukee Chapter of the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association.

Elena Sherr APSW, ACHP-SW

Elena Sherr is an Advanced Certified Hospice and Palliative Care Social Worker. She is the Hospice Manager at Horizon Home Care and Hospice. She is passionate about issues of equality and accessibility. Elena facilitates trainings for new employees focused on the hospice philosophy and cultural sensitivity. Additionally, she provides education to current employees through the ELNEC program.

Suzie Feuling RN, MS

Suzie is passionate about palliative / patient centered care and is pleased to serve PCNOW. She brings over 35 years of experience in healthcare, which includes 20 years of progressive healthcare leadership and nearly 10 years in executive operation, quality, and safety roles. Suzie is a registered nurse with her MS degree in organizational leadership and quality from Marian University. She is certified in healthcare quality (CPHQ), patient safety (CPPS), Lean process improvement (green belt), change management, and is a TeamSTEPPS master trainer.

Sean Marks MD

Sean Marks MD has been on the PCNOW board of directors since 2016. He is an associate professor in palliative medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin. He is also the editor-in-chief of Fast Facts and Concepts and the program director for the MCW Hospice and Palliative Medicine physician fellowship program. He lives in Shorewood, Wisconsin where a Milwaukee Bucks flag proudly flies over his family’s front porch.

Kelly Cooke DO

Kelly Cooke has been the Medical Director of Palliative Care with ProHealth Care since 2013—prior to that she practiced in central Texas. She is board certified in Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Her palliative care interests lie in oncology, young adults and veterans.

Mary Jane Higgs NP

Mary Jane currently works at ProHealth Care with the palliative care team and meets with patients during their hospital admission. She is board certified as MSN, APRN, AGNP-C as well as Advanced Certified Hospice and Palliative Care NP. Mary Jane was fortunate enough serve as a member of a palliative care team as the RN in the early 2000’s when palliative care was in its infancy, and she has kept much of the same philosophy and support throughout her nursing career in various roles. In 2015, Mary Jane became an NP and has worked as a palliative care provider since then. She has worked with her teams to arrange and participate in community education and events including conferences, radio interviews, movie showings, educational panels, book clubs, workshops and educational sessions. Mary Jane has met with members of our state’s politicians and representatives for input on legislation that supports palliative care moving forward.

Tim Jessick DO

Timothy Jessick, DO – Dr. Jessick has been a Palliative Medicine Physician for over 12 years and practiced Family Medicine for over 13 years. Dr. Jessick received his Doctor of Osteopathy from Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine and his Bachelor of Science in Exercise Physiology from the University of Wisconsin in Madison. He is board certified in both Palliative Care and Family Medicine and is a member of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Care and the American Academy of Family Physicians. He is also a Clinical Adjunct Assistant Professor at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. Dr. Jessick has presented locally and nationally on the topics of palliative care, pain management, advance directives, mortality and end of life care, and he has participated in numerous initiatives related to these topics. Currently, Dr. Jessick is the Post Acute Care CMO at SSM Health. Dr. David Weissman and Dr. Jessick co-founded the Palliative Care Network of Wisconsin in 2016 and Dr. Jessick has served as the Chair of PCNOW and is still serving on the Board of Directors.

Kristi Barfield BS, RN, CHPN

Kristi is the manager for Aurora at Home Hospice and Palliative Care in southeastern Wisconsin. She received her diploma degree in nursing from St. Luke’s School of Nursing, Fargo, North Dakota and her Bachelor of Science from Excelsior College, Albany, New York. Kristi has devoted her career to hospice and palliative care with over three decades of experience in a variety of roles including twenty-four years as a field clinician, and more recently as a clinical educator and hospice leader. Kristi believes that our patients and families are the best teachers and continues to be humbled by the lessons they share.

Jessica Bumgarner NP

Jessica Bumgarner is board certified as a FNP-BC and currently is a Nurse Practitioner for Gundersen Hospice in La Crosse. She received her bachelors in nursing and masters in nursing from Indiana State University. She started her work in hospice in 2006 as their first LPN, then transitioned to an RN role where she worked as a case manager and then team lead before completing her master’s degree and becoming their first NP in Gundersen Hospice. Jessica is certified as a Ped-ELNEC trainer and is passionate about pediatric hospice and palliative care.

Jacob Werkheiser Reverend, MDIV, BCC

Jacob currently serves as a hospice chaplain at Zilber Family Hospice in Wauwatosa and as a Certified Educator Candidate with the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education through Advocate Aurora Health. In addition, he serves on the faculty of the Aurora Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship. Jacob is an ordained pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and is endorsed for chaplaincy as a Board-Certified Chaplain with the Association for Professional Chaplains. Jacob brings years of personal and professional hospice experience as a congregational pastor, chaplain, and Educator to his role.

Casey Eckley, DO

Dr. Casey Eckley is an inpatient palliative medicine physician and the Associate Program Director of the Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship at Emplify Health – Gundersen Region in La Crosse, Wisconsin. She has worked in the field of palliative care for the past eight years. Dr. Eckley earned her Doctor of Osteopathy from Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine and holds a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. She is board certified in both Internal Medicine and Hospice and Palliative Medicine. A dedicated educator and leader, Dr. Eckley developed the Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship at Emplify Health – Gundersen Region during the 2023–2024 academic year. She also serves as a Clinical Adjunct Assistant Professor at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. Dr. Eckley is an active member of the American College of Osteopathic Internists and the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine.

Amanda Sommerfeldt, MD, FAAHPM, FAChPM

Dr. Amanda Sommerfeldt is a palliative care physician with ThedaCare in Appleton, Wisconsin. She is board certified in family medicine and hospice and palliative medicine, and is a fellow of both the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine and the Royal Australasian College of Physicians – Palliative Medicine Chapter (FAChPM). Before returning to Wisconsin in 2022, she served as a Hospice Medical Director and Palliative Medicine Specialist in Invercargill, New Zealand. Her professional interests include advance care planning and quality improvement in palliative care.

Kate Talbott, MSW, CAPSW, APHSW-C

Kate Talbott is a certified advanced practice social worker and an Advanced Palliative Hospice Social Worker–Certified. She serves as a social worker with the Home-Based Primary Care program through the Veterans Health Administration and maintains an affiliation with Aurora at Home Hospice Care. Kate is actively involved with the Hospice and Palliative Credentialing Center and is currently pursuing certification as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. She is deeply committed to patient and community education, using her strong communication skills to advocate for and promote the benefits of hospice and palliative care for patients, families, and communities.

Elena Sherr, APSW, ACHP-SW

Tim Jessick, DO

Vice Chair

Kristi Barfield, BS, RN, CHPN

Jessica Bumgarner, APNP

Kelly Cooke, DO

Casey Eckley, DO

Suzie Feuling, RN, MS

Mary Jane Higgs, NP

Jessica Lisinski, MBA, BSN, RN, CHPN

Sean Marks, MD

Amanda Sommerfeldt, MD

Kate Talbott, MSW, CAPSW, APHSW-C

Jacob Werkheiser, Reverend, MDIV, BCC

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