Staff
Phone: 701-354-9773
Email: nikki@ndltca.org
Nikki Wegner, has joined the North Dakota Long Term Care Association as the Association’s President. Nikki graduated from Colorado State University, Fort Collins in May 2012 with a M.S. degree in Occupational Therapy. She is a dynamic leader and occupational therapist with 12 years of experience collaborating with and educating the public and professionals on Alzheimer’s Disease. Nikki also has 10 years of experience with policy makers at the local, state, and federal levels.
Nikki has a keen interest in continuing to improve and maintain the quality of care, quality of life and safety of older adults in North Dakota. Nikki says, “The passion of the teams that I’ve worked with in my past role have inspired me to dream big. This led us to make many of our innovative ideas related to improving quality of care a reality. I’m looking forward to building on the association’s great momentum to continue to improve our ability to help individuals live fulfilling lives across our communities.“
Erica Cermak, VP of Government Affairs
Phone: 701-354-9778
Email: erica@ndltca.org
Erica Cermak joined the NDLTCA in November of 2024 as the Vice President of Government Affairs. Erica graduated from the University of Mary in 2004 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Social Work. Prior to joining the NDLTCA, Erica worked a combined 20 years in Government Relations, Association Management and Human Resources.
Erica previously served as the Vice President of Association Management and Government Relations for a Bismarck based Government Relations firm, Human Resource Director for an energy sector company and Human Resource Manager for a nationwide trucking company. Throughout the majority of her career, she primarily worked on behalf of the aging and healthcare communities. Erica has a passion for advocacy and the people she serves. She believes integrity is the foundation of all good work and impactful change happens through service of others.
Peggy Krikava, Education Director
Phone: 701-354-9774
Email: peggy@ndltca.org
Peggy Krikava is the Director of Education. Prior to being promoted to Education Director, Peggy was the Education Assistant. Peggy is responsible for planning and coordination of statewide educational events for long term care member facilities.
Prior to joining the NDLTCA, Peggy worked for Sanford Health (formerly Medcenter One) for 15 years. She began her career at Medcenter One as the secretary for the Foundation, was promoted to Annual Support Manager with the Foundation and ending her career with Sanford Health (Medcenter One) in the Marketing Department where she started out as the office manager and them moved up to Project Coordinator in digital marketing.
Stacy Irey, Office Manager
Phone: 701-354-9777
Email: stacy@ndltca.org
Stacy Irey joined North Dakota Long Term Care Association (NDLTCA) in June 2024 as the Office Manager.
Prior to joining NDLTCA, Stacy worked as an Administrative Assistant with Bismarck Public Schools for 12 years. Her prior experience showed she is a dedicated and hardworking professional with a strong ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment.
Belma Chpeljac, Administrative Assistant
Phone: 701-354-9775
Email: belma@ndltca.org
Belma Chpeljac joined the North Dakota Long-Term Care Association (NDLTCA) as Administrative Assistant on March 10, 2025. She is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree with a double major in Business Administration and Marketing from North Dakota State University.
In addition to her academic pursuits, Belma is an active member of the North Dakota Army National Guard, where she is expected to complete her service in April 2025.
Before joining NDLTCA, Belma gained valuable experience as a bookkeeper and marketing representative at Horizon Financial Bank in Bismarck. Her diverse background in both finance and marketing brings a unique skill set to her current role.
Vanessa Raile, Director of Emergency Planning
Phone: 701-354-9776
Email: vanessa@ndltca.org
Vanessa J. Raile is the Director of Emergency Planning. In this position she works with long term care facilities in North Dakota to assist them in being prepared for unexpected disasters. Having staff trained in the event of an emergency improves the outcome in assuring everyone is safe.
Prior to joining NDLTCA, Vanessa worked with Puklich Chevrolet as the Process Coordinator; focusing on workforce safety programs. Prior to that, she worked with Sanford Health Foundation as their Office Coordinator. Vanessa’s previous work experience includes 21 years in supervising Customer Service for various corporations in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area.