Women's Health Leader Trust: Board Members

Carol Kraft, President-Elect President, Carol Kraft, 2011 - 2012
Carol Kraft is the Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at SelectAccount, and CCS. SelectAccount is a spending account administrator and CCS is a health plan third party administrator. Both companies are subsidiaries of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota.

For over 30 years, Kraft held various leadership positions at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, most recently she was the Vice President of Technical Operations and was responsible for the companies infrastructure in the Information Technology Division. In 2002, she left the company and took a position as the Chief Operating Officer for the International Publishing Management Association. This not-for-profit organization provided leadership and education to 2,000 member companies across the United States.

Kraft has been actively involved in numerous boards and organizations throughout her career, including: Board Member Women’s Leadership Trust, Eastman Kodak Advisory Board, EDSF Advisory Board, Xerox Advisory Board, Bluestone Credit Union, past chair of St. Paul College Advisory Board and Dakota County Technical College Graphic Arts Advisory Board, Member Minnesota Minority Purchasing Council, Mentor with Menttium 100 and member of Mendota Dakota Organization.

Past President, Cathy Barr, 2011 - 2012
Cathy Barr is the CEO of Bethesda Hospital and Vice President for Community Services, including Home Care and Clinic Care Management within the HealthEast Care System. Cathy began her career as a nurse in a neuro step-down unit in Philadelphia, PA. Throughout her career she has applied her medical, communications, strategic and operational leadership skills to a variety of settings including acute care, clinic and outpatient settings, and home health care. Cathy has been with HealthEast since 1998, providing program development innovations and management expertise to a wide array of service areas. She has held a variety of positions including Senior Director, Home Health Care; Project Manager, Clinical Needs of Aging Population; and Vice President, Community Based Services (including Medical Transportation, Home Care Case Management, and Interpreter Services). Prior to joining HealthEast, Cathy worked for eight years in the HealthPartners system.

Cathy has been active in legislative issues affecting health care on both the federal and the state levels. She served for two years on the Government Affairs Committee of the National Association for Home Care and Hospice, focusing on issues such as reimbursement rates and technology usage. In 2007, Cathy was appointed to the Minnesota Legislative Commission on Health Care Access, a health care reform task force. Her passion for achieving quality patient outcomes and employee satisfaction are integral to how she develops strategies to balance care access and delivery challenges.

Cathy holds an MBA from the University of St. Thomas as well as a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Niagara University in New York. On a personal note, Cathy has been very fortunate in her life to have had great mentors. Given this, she is personally committed to mentoring new, emerging, and existing leaders to help strengthen the future of health care.

President Elect, Wendy Stulac Motzel 2011 - 2012
Wendy Stulac Motzel is the Operations Executive, Outpatient Services at HealthEast Care System. Wendy has extensive experience as a healthcare leader in both the acute care hospital and outpatient care settings. Wendy has held several leadership positions in the healthcare industry with a strong emphasis in operations management, process improvement, business development and clinical quality initiatives.

Wendy has earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Health Care Management from St. Mary’s University, Winona, Minnesota and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of St. Thomas, Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Wendy is a member of the Trust program committee. She participates in many community volunteer programs and mentoring opportunities.

Kathy Orner, Secretary 2011-2012
Kathy Orner joined Carlson in 2006 as the Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer. She is responsible for supporting the information security strategies and programs that enable Carlson’s business lines. She’s also in charge of creating and maintaining the policies and environment that safeguards the assets, confidential information and intellectual property of Carlson. Orner chairs the Information Security Council. Before joining Carlson, Orner held numerous positions at United Health Group. Most recently, she was Vice President of Recovery Services and Business Risk Management. Prior to that, she was Chief Information Security Officer and Director of Information Security. Orner also spent many years with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota, and Deluxe Corporation. She has extensive IT leadership experience in IT Operations and quality areas; change management, service management, configuration management, help desk management, desktop services, voice and data networks, security operations, disaster recovery, and software quality assurance. Orner has served on Board of Directors for Dakota Communities Inc. since January 2006 and is currently on the Executive Committee of the Board. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Mankato State University, is a Certified Information Systems Auditor, a Certified Information Security Manager and is certified in IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) Foundations.

Treasurer, Stacie Usem 2010 - 2011
Stacie Usem is a partner at Lurie Besikof Lapidus & Company, LLP in charge of their Entrepreneurial Services Group. Lurie Besikof Lapidus & Company LLP, one of the top 100 accounting and consulting firms in the nation, has been working with healthcare providers throughout its history.
Stacie works with clients to gain an understanding of their business goals and be their primary business advisor. She assists clients in the following areas: internal control studies, financial compilations and forecasts, income tax planning, compensation formula design and implementation, retirement and employee benefit plans, budgeting, governance, deferred compensation, billing and accounting systems, strategic planning, succession planning and cash flow modeling.

Stacie is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Minnesota Society of CPAs, the Medical Group Managers Association and the Minnesota Medical Group Managers Association. Stacie is also a mmber of the Women Presidents’ Organization.

Directors (term is through year listed)

Robin Carpenter, Board Member Robin Carpenter, 2013
Robin is the Managing Partner and co-founder of Evantage Consulting. Evantage specializes in helping clients in the healthcare and consumer products industries create new products and services and bring them to market. In healthcare, Evantage has helped medical technology, providers, payers and health and wellness organizations create innovative medical device interfaces, disease management programs, employer wellness programs and personal health records.

Robin has been a member and/or leader in several professional associations. She was a founding board member of the Minnesota Interactive Marketing Association and chaired its Education Committee. She served on the e-business advisory board for Lutheran Social Services. She is also a member of the Women President’s Organization, the Women Business Leaders in Healthcare Foundation and American Marketing Association. In 2009, the National Association of Women Business Owners (MN) named her the Minnesota Woman Business Owner of the year. Robin also serves on the sponsorship committee for the Hope Chest for Breast Cancer.

Prior to founding Evantage, Robin was the President of VIA International, a consulting firm specializing in helping clients leverage the Internet in new product and service development. Robin’s career also includes a progression of management and executive roles in marketing and information technology at Burlington Northern and in government and public affairs. Robin completed her undergraduate work at the University of Minnesota in Urban Studies.

Connie Delaney, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, FACMI, 2013
Connie White Delaney is Professor & Dean, School of Nursing, the University of Minnesota, the longest continually operated US School of Nursing founded in a University. She also holds an appointment in the University of Minnesota Institute for Health Informatics and since 1998 an appointment at the University of Iceland, Faculty of Medicine and Faculty of Nursing with focused activities in health informatics.

Delaney is the first Fellow in the American College of Medical Informatics to serve as a Dean of Nursing. She is a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing since 1998. Delaney is a recent appointee to the Health Information Technology Policy Committee, an advisory body established by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act within the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO). Delaney serves on numerous boards, including the Board of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, LifeScience Alley, and the American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA). She is an active leader, researcher and writer in the areas of national standards for the electronic health record and outcomes/safety data.

She holds a Bachelors of Science in Nursing with majors in nursing and mathematics from Viterbo University, LaCrosse WI, a Masters degree in Adult Health and Ph.D. in Educational Administration and Computer Applications both from The University of Iowa. She completed postdoctoral study in nursing & medical informatics at the University of Utah. Prior to joining the University of Minnesota she served as Professor, Director of the Institute for Nursing Knowledge, and Director of Health &Nursing Informatics at The University of Iowa.

Kaye Foley, 2012
Kaye Foley has held a number of leadership roles in healthcare over her career. She is currently the Vice President for Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer for North Memorial Health Care, a position she has held for over 20 years. Foley has also served as President of the Minnesota Organization of Leaders in Nursing and is currently the chair of their Professional Development Committee. Foley is also a member of the American Organization of Nurse Executives, Sigma Theta Tau, and serves of the board of the Katharine J. Densford International Center for Nursing Leadership. She received her BSN in Nursing and her Master’s degree in Nursing Administration and Education from Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana. She has been a member of the Trust since 1999.

Chris Gibson, 2012
Chris Gibson is the Chief Marketing Officer for UnitedHealthcare, the commercial division of UnitedHealth Group, a Fortune 50 company serving over 70M Americans with diversified health and well-being services via a network of approximately 550,000 physicians and 4,800 hospitals. Gibson joined UnitedHealth Group in 2004. Her responsibilities have spanned a comprehensive range of growth functions including market strategy, brand and advertising, consumer and business marketing, interactive ecommerce, product management, sales performance, and public relations. Prior to joining UnitedHealth Group, Ms. Gibson was the Senior Vice President of Marketing for Kinko’s, Vice President of Marketing and Strategy for Gateway Computer, and started her business career at Qwest Communications (formerly U S WEST) and has held a successive series of sales, service, marketing and management positions over 20 years.

Paula Hart, 2012
Paula Hart is President and CEO of Volunteers of America – Minnesota (VOA-MN), a non-profit that helps people gain self-reliance, dignity and hope and offers a broad range of services to children and their families, older adults, persons with disabilities and other special needs and adults completing rehabilitation programs. With over 60 programs across the state, VOA-MN serves more than 26,500 program participants, has over 900 employees, and an annual budget of approximately $43 million. Prior to VOA-MN, Paula was the President and CEO of Dakota Communities, a non-profit that partners with people with disabilities to realize their potential, and Chief Operating Officer of Courage Center. Before entering the heath care field, Paula was a retail merchandising and marketing executive with Dayton's. She serves on the boards of the Edina Rotary and ARRM, a statewide association of community-based providers that support people with disabilities. Paula graduated magna cum laude from Carleton College where she was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. She recently completed Stanford's Executive Education for Nonprofit Leaders program and is currently pursuing her Master's in Organizational Leadership at St. Catherine University.

Laurie Heyer-Dean, 2012
Laurie Dean, Senior Vice President, Operations, provides leadership to UCare's Claims, Customer Services, Delegated Business Services, Provider Enrollment & Configuration, and Provider Network Management departments. As a member of the Senior Management Team, she helps guide the strategic direction of UCare to achieve organizational goals.

Dean brings over 20 years of managed health care experience to UCare. Previously she was Senior Vice President at M-Care, a health plan operated by the University of Michigan Health System where she was responsible for all internal health plan operations. Prior to joining M-Care in 1998, Dean was Director of Provider Relations at SelectCare, a managed care plan based in Troy, Mich.

Dean has a bachelor's degree in Biology and Health Education from Luther College in Decorah, IA.

Mary Larweck, 2013
Mary Larweck is the principal of Emerald Quality Services (EQS), a healthcare quality and epidemiology consulting company. EQS provides data analysis, project and position support, mentoring and training to healthcare organizations in the upper Midwest. Mary has a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing and a Master of Science degree in management. Prior to forming EQS, Mary Larweck held several leadership positions in Minnesota healthcare organizations.

Ms. Larweck has served on the University of Minnesota Nursing Alumni Board for 2 terms and she has been the vice president of the Luther Seminary Friends Foundation Board. Mary has served as president, vice president and director of the Minnesota chapter of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc.

She is an active member of the Minnesota Association of Healthcare Quality Professionals (MHQP), the Minnesota Council for Quality and the Minnesota chapter of the American Society for Quality (ASQ). She is a past Minnesota quality award examiner. Mary Larweck has been a WHLT member since 2004.

Janet Stacey, Board Member Janet Stacey, 2012
With more than 25 years in the medical device and health care industries, Janet brings extensive experience in branding, public relations, strategic planning, communications and direct-to-consumer and physician marketing to Padilla Speer Beardsley. Clients value her in-depth knowledge and insights on the complexities and challenges in the dynamic medical field, and she enjoys cultivating relationships and offering strategic and creative solutions to help clients succeed. Besides her marketing track record, she has hands-on experience with product launches and recalls, clinical trials, reimbursement, tradeshows and patient and medical education. Before joining Padilla, Janet was president of her own health care marketing and public relations firm, workikng with a variety of medical clients. She also worked in the corporate sector, including at Zimmer Inc., formerly Centerpulse Orthopedics, Inc. As director of stratetic marketing and public relations there, she was responsible for leading strategic planning, market research, communications and public relations. Prior to that, she was vice president of business development for HealthAnswers.com, a start-up health care technology group. On the provider side, she served as marketing manager and financial analyst for TriHealth, Inc., a diversified health care system with multiple hospitals, hospice services, senior facilities, corporate health services, and a home health business. Janet holds a master's degree in marketing and finance from Xavier University and a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Tennessee. She is actively involved in volunteering and serving on the boards of several non-profit organizations, including Children's Cancer Research Fund, Women of Influence Giving Circle, University of Minnesota Nursing School Foundation, and Girl Scouts of Minnesota and Wisconsin River Valleys.

Dee Thibodeau, Board Member Dee Thibodeau, 2012
Dee Thibodeau is one of the co-founders and a Co-CEO of Charter Solutions. Charter Solutions is a Management Consulting Company that specializes in Health Care. Before forming Charter Solutions, Thibodeau was President of EDI Solutions, an international Electronic Commerce company. Thibodeau also founded and formed Charter Investments, an investment company specializing in real estate and service companies. Prior to the founding of Charter Investments, Thibodeau served as President of Arco Transcription, Inc. a national company specializing in providing medical transcription to the medical field. In 1987, Thibodeau founded and served as Managing Partner of Milestone Investments Inc., a firm which specialized in fund raising and acquisitions of real estate, service companies and hotels. Thibodeau was also President and CEO of the top computer training institution for the upper Midwest area, Microworx. Ms. Thibodeau holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Mankato State University. She has been President of the National Association of Women Business Owners, Chair of the Minnesota High Tech Association and founder and President of the Twin Cities EDI Business Forum and also currently Chairs Marketing for the NACD. She is a founder of the National Women on Boards events, Chair of HCMC Health Services Plan Advisory Committee, founding member of Minnesota Women Corporate Directors and a member of the Women Business Leaders of the US HealthCare Industry Foundation. Dee has been a Board Member of the Trust since 2005.

Lorena Weaver, 2014

Lorena Weaver currently is VP of Allianz Life’s Central Project Office, reporting to Walter White, Chief Administration Officer. In this role she has developed a new organization and governance for the portfolio of enterprise projects and is responsible for OPEX (Six Sigma) Localization at Allianz Life.

Prior to joining Allianz she was at ING for 11 years in various senior leadership positions in IT and Operations. She also served on the Minneapolis site committee and was chairperson for the Minneapolis volunteer activities. She also worked at Northern States Power Company (now Xcel Energy) for 15 years in various IT leadership positions.

Her responsibilities have included helping to develop business and IT strategies, organization design, management and sponsorship of projects, management of service areas and improvement of business processes, management of Application Development and Maintenance, IT contract negotiations and vendor management. She has worked in various industries, including retail, manufacturing, utilities and financial services. Her technical experience covers the gamut of programming, analysis and design, project management, application portfolio management, customer operations, infrastructure management, help desks, and sales.

Lorena is currently on the Board of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Twin Cities, member of the Women’s Health Leadership Trust organization and Awards Committee chairperson, Menttium, Women Business Leaders and secretary of the Mendota Mdewakanton Dakota Community. She has a BA in Business with a focus on Management of Information Systems from Metropolitan State University and a Certificate of Data Processing.

Kim Wiese, 2012

Kim Wiese is Vice President of Marketing at Optum, the services division of UnitedHealth Group. UnitedHealth Group is a Fortune 22 company serving more than 70 million Americans through its extensive repertoire of assorted health care offerings. Kim leads product marketing for OptumHealth Care Solutions, providing nearly 100 clinical health care management services that help people stay healthy, get healthy, and live with health conditions (i.e., wellness, condition management, consumer advisory services, women’s health, physical health, and complex medical conditions). Kim joined Optum in 2008 from Regency Beauty Institute. As Vice President of Marketing, Kim led the development of Regency’s marketing strategy, branding, PR and communications, lead generation, and online presence, and helped grow the start-up educational institute to national leadership. Kim’s career also includes progressive management and executive marketing, advertising, and product management roles at General Mills, Digitas, and Polaroid.

Kim is involved in several organizations, including Women Business Leaders in Healthcare Foundation, the Minnesota Interactive Marketing Association, and Junior Achievement.

Kim earned her master's of business administration from the Columbia University Graduate School of Business in New York City. She holds a bachelor's degree in marketing from the University of Northern Iowa.