2007 MRHA Board of Directors
Member Info |
Bio |
Barbara Muesing 39473 430th St Se |
Ms. Muesing has 40 years of service to the University of Minnesota, beginning in 1965, when she worked for the 4-H program at the Minnesota State Fair. She was an Extension Educator, Extension Program Leader, and Extension District Director. From 1985-1994, she served as the Executive Director and Corporate Secretary for the University of Minnesota Board of Regents. From 1994 Ms. Muesing has dedicated herself to a range of pursuits including university outreach, continuing education, rural health, and vital aging. She serves on the following boards: First Care Fosston, Minnesota Hospital Association Trustee Council, NW MN Women’s Fund, Riverview Auxiliary, Chair, University of Minnesota Crookston Women’s Project Fund, and Crookston Rotary. Ms. Muesing holds a Masters from St. Cloud State University and a Bachelor degree from Mankato State University. |
Elisabeth Quam 5775 Wayzata Blvd Ste 400 |
Director in charge of physician quality programs for the CDI Institute, Center for Diagnostic Imaging; Exec. VP (volunteer) of CMOM which provides technical assistance for health care providers and employers. Secretary of Health Front Board: Policy Co-Chair of National Coalition of Quality Diagnostic Imaging; Policy Co-Chair MN Ambulatory Health Care Consortium. B.A. University of Minnesota |
Duane Nelson, CPA 4310 17th Ave S., |
34 years public accounting experience last 33 years in health care industry. Audits, Third-party reimbursement, organizational analyses, financial feasibility studies. Serves on Board to make a difference in rural health. Value of MHRA to serve as an advocate for rural health. Bachelor of Science in Business, University of Minnesota. |
Jennifer Beech, J.D. 5775 Wayzata Blvd. STE 400 |
Ms. Beech is employed as an attorney at the Center for Diagnostic Imaging. She grew up in rural Minnesota where the majority of her family continues to reside. Her rural roots stimulate her interest in rural health issues. She supports the mission of MRHA and believes that a group of concerned individuals and groups can “roll up their sleeves” and make a difference. Ms Beech holds a Bachelors degree from St. Benedict, St. Joseph, MN. and a Juris Doctorate from St. Thomas School of Law, Minneapolis, MN. |
Dave J. Borgert 1428 Poppy Road |
A lifelong resident of Central Minnesota, Mr. Borgert has served in senior management roles in a variety of for-profit and not-for-profit organizations in both a volunteer and professional capacity. In his practice, he provides consulting services in strategic planning, organizational development, communications and community & governmental relations. Mr. Bogert has a particular concern for the well-being of communities in Greater Minnesota struggling to meet the special challenges to their survival in a state that is increasingly focused on urban and suburban life. Mr. Bogert serves on the Policy and Advocacy Committee of the MN Hospital Association, Advocacy Committee of the Minnesota Catholic Health Association, and Government Affairs Committee of the St. Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce. He holds a Masters of Business Administration from the University of St. Thomas, St. Paul and a B.S. in Sociology from St. John’s University, Collegeville, MN. |
Ray G. Christensen, M.D. 5175 Northshore Drive |
Raymond G. Christensen, M.D. is a board-certified family physician and co-founder of the Gateway Family Health Clinic in Moose Lake, MN in 1972. After a farm childhood and a degree in agriculture, he attended the University of Wisconsin Medical School in Madison, WI and subsequently interned at St. Mary’s Hospital in Duluth, MN. He continues to practice in Moose Lake, MN and currently holds the position of Assistant Dean for Rural Health at the University of Minnesota School of Medicine Duluth. He has assisted in the development of the trauma system in northeastern MN and northwestern WI and in the subsequent formation of the Arrowhead EMS Association, the Northern Lakes Health Care Consortium, and Minnesota Center for Rural Health, Minnesota Office for Rural Health and Primary Care, and the Rural Health Resource Center. A strong believer in access to quality health care and universal coverage, he has long advocated for rural health on the Minnesota Health Care Commission, regional Coordinating Boards and the establishment of a free rural access clinic in Cromwell, MN. On a statewide and national level, he has served on many committees and held offices in many organizations including the President of the Minnesota Academy of Family Physicians, the Minnesota Medical Association and Stratis Health, and as a director, treasurer, and speaker of the house of the American Health Quality Association. As a lifelong member of the Minnesota Rural Health Association and the National Rural Health Association, he continues his advocacy locally, regionally, statewide and nationally. He is the immediate Past President of MRHA and serves on the Boards of the Directors of both the MRHA and the NRHA. |
Maddy Forsberg 2108 King Avenue
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Director of Area Agency of Aging for twenty six years. Passionate about rural health care issues, particularly for the elderly who are the largest users of the services. Involved with MRHA to be involved in the development of a healthcare system that meets the needs of rural elderly across all disciplines of care. Additional Board Memberships: Governor appointed to the Rural Health Advisory Committee, pasat Board member of the Murray County Clinic, Lyon County Women’s Shelter, Murray County Hospice, Minnesota Association of Area Agencies on Aging and others. |
Jack Geller, Ph.D. |
Dr. Jack Geller is the Department Head for the Arts, Humanities, and Social Science Department at the University of Minnesota, Crookston. He provides academic and administrative leadership and fosters research efforts in the department while promoting and fostering an exceptional learning environment for students. Previously, Dr. Geller was the founding President of the Center for Rural Policy and Development in St Peter MN. The Center is dedicated to the study of the economic, social, and political forces impacting rural Minnesotan’s. Dr. Geller received his doctorate in rural sociology from Iowa State University in 1986. Prior to his appointment at the Center, Dr. Geller served as Director of Health Services Research at the Marshfield Medical Research Foundation ( Marshfield, WI); and as Professor of Community Medicine and Rural Health, Director of the Center for Rural Health at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences. |
Mark Schoenbaum, MSW 85 E 7th Place Ste 220 |
Mr. Schoenbaum is Director of Minnesota’s Office of Rural Health and Primary Care at the Minnesota Department of Health. The Office serves as a resource for rural and underserved urban communities as they respond to health-related challenges such as shifting demographics, health care workforce shortages, and financial and economic pressures. It provides grants, loan forgiveness and other assistance to the health care safety net, conducts research and analysis with the guidance of the Governor-appointed Rural Health Advisory Committee, monitors Minnesota’s health workforce and directs the State Trauma System. Mr. Shoenbaum came to ORHPC in 1996 to manage its Primary Care and Financial Assistance Programs, and was appointed Director in 2005. His career spans thirty years of working with Minnesota communities. He holds an MSW from the University of Minnesota and a BA from Antioch College. |
Tim Stratton, Ph.D., R.Ph., BCPS 386 Kirby Plaza |
BS (Pharmacy.) Idaho St. University, 1980; MS (Hosp. Pharmacy)-University of Arizona, 1982 ; Ph.D. (Pharmacy Admin.) – University of Arizona, 1986; Board Certified Pharmacotherapy Specialist 2005. Practiced community, hospital and long-term care pharmacy in Southeast Alaska frontier communities of Sitka and Wrangell (still work summer relief in Sitka). Practiced as a relief pharmacist at Indian Health Service clinics on the Fort Peck and Northern Cheyenne Reservations in eastern Montana. Was a member of the pharmacy faculties at the University of British Columbia and the University of Montana prior to coming to the University of Minnesota in 2004. The focus of the College of Pharmacy on the Duluth campus is to prepare pharmacists to practice in rural communities, and my current teaching, research and service interests revolve around rural pharmacy practice. My interest in serving on the MRHA Board is to continue to represent the interests of rural pharmacy on the Board. |
Greg Thorson, Ph.D. Imholte Hall 207 |
Professor Thorson has published scholarly articles on a wide variety of public policy issues that affect rural areas. His current work focuses on the areas of rural health, rural education, and rural housing. He serves on the West Central Healthcare Purchasing Alliance Board and the Rural Health Care Reform Study Group. He holds a Ph.D. and Masters of Arts from the University of California, Riverside. Bachelors of Arts from Augsburg College. |
Robin Weis 2401 Broadway Ave |
Ms Weis is employed by the Southwest Regional Development Commission and is responsible for a number of projects including: MN Care Outreach, Medicare Approved Drug Discount Cards outreach and education; Senior Linkage Line call center (serving twenty seven counties). She is also involved in program development activities in SW Minnesota. Ms Weis is concerned about rural health issues and is involved at a statewide level advocating for the rural health consumer whose voice needs to be heard. Ms Weis holds a Bachelors degree from Southwest State University in Marshall. |
Nancy Franke-Wilson 4190 Vinewood Lane N |
Independent Contractor working in the area of public health and safety. Ms Wilson has held a number of positions in which she was responsible for changing health and safety behavior, working with a variety of people, organizations, and governmental agencies, as well as developing public education, media and social marketing campaigns. Recently, Ms Wilson held the Community Health Liaison contractor for the MN Department of Public Safety’s Office of Traffic Safety. M.S. Minnesota State University, Mankato |
Tiffany Yen 600 East Superior St., Suite 404 |
Tiffany Yen is the Program Manager at the Rural Health Resource Center. The Center, a nationally recognized non-profit organization, provides technical assistance, information, tools, and resources for the improvement of rural healthcare. It also serves as the federally designated Technical Assistance Service Center for the Rural Hospital Flexibility Program. Tiffany has been with the Center since 1999. She manages the workforce program which provides comprehensive health care provider recruitment and retention services to communities in Greater Minnesota. Tiffany conducts administrative contract review services for physicians and performs recruitment readiness assessment for rural providers. She also manages the Minnesota Rural Performance Improvement Project which utilizes the Balanced Scorecard approach and manages strategies to enhance financial improvement, customer and community service, quality improvement and workforce recruitment and retention. Tiffany is a Certified Professional Medical Services Management by the National Association of Medical Staff Services. She has extensive experience in medical staff governance and credentialing. Her prior experience involved managing medical staff services, post-graduate medical education and continuing medical education in JCAHO accredited hospitals. |
Ex-Officio Members
Marnie S Moore
Minneapolis, MN
952-896-3377
Judith Neppel
Crookston, MN
218-281-8323