Midwest AAOE 2021 Annual Meeting: Speakers

August 19-21, 2021
Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark
1 South Broadway, St. Louis, MO 63102
Valerie Barckhoff
Windham Brannon, LLC
Principal
With more than 25 years of experience in healthcare revenue cycle consulting and operations, Valerie provides strategic, regulatory, and operational consulting services to healthcare providers across the country. She works to deliver solutions to healthcare clients, including revenue cycle assessments and transformations, system implementation, regulatory support, and automation of revenue cycle processes. Valerie holds a Bachelor of Health Sciences from the University of Kentucky and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Tennessee. She is a graduate of Leadership GHA, Leadership North Fulton, and has received awards and recognition for her achievements in improving net revenue.
Amy Blaisdell, J.D.
Amy Blaisdell has represented employers nationwide in the defense of employment and employee benefits litigation, including in the United States Supreme Court.
 
Amy focuses her practice on highly regulated industries including health care, the securities industry and banking. Understanding the specific regulatory framework in which these businesses operate enables her to give comprehensive guidance to her clients.
 
In her securities practice, Amy has defended nationwide class action filed against brokerage firms involving wage and hour matters. She also regularly defends brokerage firms in arbitrations before the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, including claims alleging wrongful termination of brokers and Form U5 defamation.
 
As part of her health care practice, she has defended hundreds of ERISA lawsuits, including class actions. She is a leader of the firm's health care industry group.
Ed Krow
Ed is the Talent Transformation Expert for businesses looking to achieve 8 figure growth. He delivers captivating, high-energy keynote presentations that challenge the traditional model of HR and prepare decision makers for motivating their people with a win-win strategy. 

In his career, Ed has helped over 250 clients, including Fortune 500 companies, achieve talent and culture transformations. As a result, audiences value Ed’s deep understanding of the employee/employer dynamic and his ability create a connection with them right away. On stage, he provides practical approaches, tools, and relevant stories to inspire action. 

A speaker, trainer and coach certified by The John Maxwell Team, Ed’s topics bring a refreshing perspective on how to leverage what is commonly viewed as “people problems”, and turn negative growth into business success. 

Ed is a member of the National Speakers Association, the Forbes Coaches Council and a regular contributor to Forbes.com. He is the author of "Strategic HR: Driving Bottom Line Results Through Your People".
Michael J. McCaslin, CPA
Principal
Somerset CPAs & Advisors
Indianapolis, IN
Mike provides services for health care clients in multiple states throughout the country. As a principal in our health care group, he has many areas of expertise which include the development of health care delivery systems and multi-physician specialty organizations, and the negotiation of physician and hospital relationships. Mike also specializes in joint venture and merger analysis and transactions, strategic planning, buy-in and buy-out structuring and restructuring, development of governance structures and succession planning structures. In addition, Mike assists clients with income distribution methodology design and change management, new services development, ambulatory surgery center development and other physician and health system consulting needs.
 
Mike speaks on health care, accounting and practice management issues to physicians, hospitals and other medical organizations.
 
Mike believes that the key to success is to surround yourself with smart, capable people and then empower them to make full use of their talent and expertise.