Dr. Cyndy Jones is an Associate Professor of Nursing at Winona State University, as well as a Joint Appointment Faculty with Mayo Clinic, Midwest Nursing Academic Affairs. She is attributed with initiating the first ever dedicated education unit (DEU) clinical model at Mayo Clinic as part of her DNP program requirements. She has published multiple articles on the DEU model of clinical innovation. Jones has served as a DEU clinical faculty coordinator onsite at Mayo Clinic in the following settings: vascular surgery progressive care unit and radiology outpatient. Along with creating the role, Jones now serves as the DEU Coordinator at WSU, overseeing up to seven DEUs across multiple campuses and health care facilities.

Linnea Benike graduated from the University of Minnesota with her Doctor of Nursing Practice in Health Innovations and Leadership in 2012, and completed her BSN at the University of Minnesota. Linnea is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Minnesota where she teaches and supports students in the BSN program. Linnea also holds a staff nurse role at Mayo Clinic, and is certified as a Progressive Care Certified Nurse. She has held various leadership roles in both ambulatory and inpatient care settings including roles in nursing quality and nurse management. She is passionate about quality improvement, patient safety, teamwork, and teaching innovations. Linnea is dedicated to exploring and utilizing best practices in undergraduate nursing education and has been involved in several initiatives to enhance teaching in both classroom and clinical settings.