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Board Members

We are currently recruiting community members and current patients to join our board of directors. Our board members bring diverse skills and perspectives to provide overall governance to the organization. Board members represent the gender, racial, cultural, geographic, and ethnic diversity of UFM’s patient population.

If you want to be part of a growing professional group who works together to improve access to healthcare for people in St. Paul and our surrounding community, please submit your interest via email and the application information will be sent to you.

 

Karen Gries, CPA

Chairperson of the Board

Director – Exempt Tax Services, Baker Tilly

I have been in public accounting for the past 30+ years serving nonprofit and healthcare organizations. What truly inspires me about UFM is the focus on serving the needs of an individual’s health and wellness plus their family members. A healthy family is key to an individual’s overall success. As a community, we must be looking at the overall well-being of an individual and their family – whether housing, physical or mental health, or other supporting services, etc.

 

Zach Ryan, CPA

Vice Chair

CPA in private practice.

I desire to make healthcare access to all in a fair and prudent manner.

 

David Baker

Secretary

Assistant Director, Graduate Admissions, University of St. Thomas Opus College of Business

As a long-standing patient of the clinic and resident of the West 7th neighborhood with a passion for service to the underrepresented, I bring a voice of the patient and the community to the board.

 

Anthony Cognetta 

 

Assistant Vice President and Financial Solutions Advisor, Merrill 

 

Daymond Dean

Former Associate Director of Alumni Relations, Macalester College

I’m a longtime Saint Paul native. When I was asked to serve on the board by a former student of mine who was working in development at UFM years later, I had to look at the mission. What I liked about the mission was providing quality care in the community and making sure that was accessible for everybody. My dad had a heart transplant and needed to have continual care. But he wasn’t going to be able to afford to do all the check-ups afterwards. I knew that the UFM provided quality care for the community and made it affordable for people. So, the mission of UFM certainly resonated with what my dad’s experience was. It was important for me to give back.

 

Stephen Gumnit

Glass artist and President of the Board, Caponi Art Park

I have extensive history developing FQHC type health delivery models which are especially important to support, aid and maintain the health of historically underserved people in our community. Additionally, I have years of experience leading big data health informatics research, developing data driven healthcare delivery platforms and devising payer and provider service strategies. As a patient, my goal is to merge the voice of the patient with my skills in order to support health care delivery to patients of United Family Medicine.

 

Maria Eugenia (Alvarez Echegaray) MacWilliams

Principal Bilingual Oncology Patient Manager OPN-CGA and Principal Manager, Be The Match Mexico

I have been a patient advocate for 16 years and worked with underserved populations from the US and abroad. My work has focused on developing programs and managing new patient advocacy projects in US and Mexico. I think outside the box, have ideas and can see new horizons where there doesn’t seem to be options. I am committed to excellence in whatever I do and strive to make life of patients easier. There is always a way to achieve good things for patients and families. I believe in healthcare for all.

 

Christian Parker

 

United Family Medicine

United Family Medicine