Born and raised in Columbus, Ohio, Tainesha Owens blends purpose with joy in everything she does. An artist, licensed social worker, and curator of joy, she treats her work as both a calling and a creative practice. She earned her Bachelor's and Master's of Social Work degrees from The Ohio State University, dedicating her time to creating spaces of belonging, healing, and empowerment for students and the wider community.

Her leadership as President of the Black Graduate and Professional Student Caucus centered mental health and wellness as essential to collective success, work that earned her the 2022 National Association of Social Workers (OH) Student of the Year Award. Beyond campus, she channels her passion for well-being into The Bold Joy Movement, a platform dedicated to cultivating joy as a form of nourishment, wellness, and restoration in various communities.

Tainesha moves through every space, committed to pouring into the communities she joins, working alongside the people who make those spaces what they are. A proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., she serves on the I Be Black Girl Blac Fund Council and works as a social worker with Veterans Affairs NWI. In each role, she centers collaboration, care, and the collective well-being of those she serves. For Tainesha, joy is not a fleeting moment but a deliberate practice of survival, one tool among many in the sacred work of sustaining ourselves in this world to transform lives and fortify communities as boldly as possible.

Valerie Dehline is a Nurse Consultant for hospital and ESRD regulations. Valerie works in the Bureau of Education Services and Technology within the Quality Assurance Division for the State of Wisconsin. Valerie has a master’s degree in nursing and has worked as a nurse for almost 40 years. Valerie has worked with regulatory requirements for over 15 years and has worked in both hospital and clinic settings.

Naomi began her nursing career in 1995 and transitioned into dialysis in 2001, building nearly 25 years of nephrology experience. She has worked across in-center hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis, and home hemodialysis, and has spent over 15 years contributing to policy, procedure development, and quality improvement initiatives. Naomi is passionate about patient education and empowering individuals to actively manage their care.

Adrian has more than 30 years of experience in the dialysis industry, spanning patient care, product development, vascular access clinic operations, and dialysis center management. He is an owner of Independent Dialysis Group, which serves 300 patients across Pennsylvania and Ohio. Adrian holds a B.A. in Economics from Kenyon College and an M.H.A. from Virginia Commonwealth University. He currently serves as Treasurer of the Executive Board of the Renal Healthcare Association and has helped found several industry initiatives, including the RHA Billing Forum and RSE RenalEdge GPO.

Becky Berg is a native of North Dakota and is currently living in Thief River Falls MN. She has 3 very active kids who keep her busy year round. She has worked as a dialysis floor nurse, charge nurse, unit manager and now regional Dialysis Director for Sanford Health. She is currently co-chair of both the Education and Quality Committees. She created the 2018 version of the RHA QAPI tool and is currently working with a Task Force to create an updated tool. She joined the RHA Board of Directors last fall.

Dean Rosen is a healthcare policy expert and founder of the health care practice at Mehlman Consulting, where he advises a range of stakeholders on federal health policy and strategy. He previously held senior roles in Congress, including Chief Healthcare Advisor to Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, and has deep experience shaping U.S. healthcare legislation. He also serves on advisory boards for healthcare and policy organizations and continues to focus on healthcare strategy and government relations.

Robert Taylor, MD, DCI Chief Medical Officer and Co-Founder of REACH Kidney Care, has practiced nephrology for 30 years. He served on the executive team for a 30 physician nephrology practice in Middle TN and was the kidney transplant lead at a local health system prior to joining DCI and REACH in 2016.

Jane Schell is an Associate Professor of Medicine and the Section Chief of Palliative Care and Medical Ethics at the University of Pittsburgh, and is the Medical Director of UPMC’s Palliative and Supportive Institute. She is dual-trained in palliative medicine and nephrology. Her academic passion is improving palliative care within nephrology through education and innovative practice models. She developed a nationally recognized communication training, NephroTalk, designed for teach nephrology fellows and nephrologists palliative care communication skills for treatment decision-making and end of life care in patients with kidney disease. Her current research interests are focused on innovative programs to improve palliative care and hospice services in patients with kidney disease at end of life.

Lisa Maurer has over 30 years of Nephrology Social Work experience and serves as the Corporate Social Worker for Dialysis Clinic Inc.  She provides national leadership and subject matter expertise in social work practice, supporting social workers, operations leaders, and interdisciplinary teams to strengthen patient-centered care and align practice with regulatory and quality priorities.