Grinnell Regional Medical Center’s governing board
elected two new members to fill vacancies on the 12-member volunteer leadership
team. The GRMC board also announces the election of officers for the year.
Rachelle L.K. Johnson, JD, Montezuma, and Allan F.
Maly, Grinnell, began serving three-year terms on the GRMC Board of Directors
in June. These new members join 10 area residents in providing direction,
vision, and strategic planning for GRMC’s future.
Johnson is an attorney and owns Johnson Law Firm, P.C.
in Montezuma, and has served the community for the past 18 years. She received
a Bachelor of Arts degree from Wartburg College, and earned a Juris Doctorate
from the University of Iowa College of Law. Her professional experience also
includes an adjunct instructor position at Iowa Valley Community College,
Grinnell, for the paralegal program focusing on real estate law. She is also
president and general counsel for Security Title & Escrow Services, Inc.,
Montezuma.
“As a long-time resident of Poweshiek County, I see
our hospital as an important resource for our community,” Johnson says on why
she accepted this board position. “Both of my children were born at GRMC. Serving on the GRMC Board is a way for me to
assist in keeping this resource here and help maintain GRMC’s standard of
excellence.”
She added, “Though I’m new to the GRMC board, I can
already tell that the people who serve on this board are not only steller
members of their communities, but are also a great deal of fun to spend time
with. In addition to continuing to learn about the hospital, its operations,
and the board as a whole, I plan to earn the trustee education certificate
recently awarded to fellow board members Ed Hatcher and Stanley Greenwald. They have set the bar high and it is my hope
to earn this certification as well, to continue our board’s history of strong
leadership, accountability and governance.”
Johnson is married to Vince and they have two
children. She’s involved in their activities and events. She also enjoys
reading, scrapbooking, and photography. She adds that one of her favorite words
of wisdom is a Thomas Edison quote, “Opportunity is so often missed, because
it’s dressed in overalls and looks like work.”
Also joining the GRMC Board of Trustees is Maly. He is a retired mechanical engineer. Maly
worked for AT&T/Bell Laboratories in various management positions, from
1963 to 1997.
“I spent my work life in technical management
positions within American Telephone and & Telegraph Company, AT&T,”
says Maly. “After working in the Midwest for 11 years we moved the family to
New Jersey. I spent an additional 24
years there working in many different departments (sales/marketing,
rates/tariffs, engineering, operations, new business development) and on
several occasions for Bell Laboratories.
AT&T tried several intrapreneurial start-up ventures and I was involved
with two of them. After the fourth or
fifth corporate reorganization, I elected an early retirement option from
AT&T in 1997 and then worked part-time for a not-for-profit international
school organization for about seven years.”
Maly earned a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical
engineering from the University of Iowa and an MBA from Drake University. Maly married Nancy Schmulbach in 1961
following her graduation from Grinnell College.
Together they have four married children and thirteen grandchildren, who
reside in New Jersey, Virginia near Washington, DC, Florida, and Germany.
“We had never expected to remain on the east coast for
so long, but in 1974 Grinnell College asked Nancy to open a recruitment field
office covering New England, the middle Atlantic states, and, a bit later,
international recruitment. It was her
Grinnell College connection that ultimately led to our decision to move to
Grinnell in 2007,” Maly says.
He added that when they relocated to Grinnell they had
to start over with new medical relationships.
“Frankly, it was not as easy as I thought it should
have been. As an incoming community
member, I soon recognized the importance of GRMC both as a medical services
anchor and an important economic engine for Grinnell and the surrounding area,”
Maly says. “I was approached about serving on the board by a current member
whose opinions I respect. After learning
from others in the community about how GRMC administrators and the board are
working together on the many challenges of promoting community wellness and
running a successful community hospital, I thought I might be able to
contribute.”
He says his goals while serving on the board are
straightforward, “I think supporting the GRMC management team’s ideas and
efforts to operate with a positive bottom line, given the challenging Medicare
and Medicaid payment levels, is a good place to focus. I also think there is a great deal of
accessible intellectual capital in the greater Grinnell community. I wonder if there are even more ways to
engage that resource in addressing community healthcare needs.”
Todd C. Linden, GRMC president and CEO, adds, “Each
member of the GRMC Board of Trustees brings an important leadership and
relationship perspective to the medical center board. The medical center has
greatly benefited over the years by so many gifted and bright community leaders
and I appreciate their input into the oversight of GRMC.”
Current Trustee Leadership Team and Members
Leading the board in 2013 is Bill Menner, Grinnell,
the Iowa State Director for Rural Development, U.S. Department of Agriculture;
past chair – Ed Hatcher, Grinnell, area farmer; chair elect – Todd Reding, Grinnell, chief
marketing officer, Spindustry; treasurer – Dan Agnew, Grinnell, retired president
of Grinnell Mutual Reinsurance Company; and secretary – Stan Greenwald, MD,
Grinnell, retired physician.
The GRMC Board of Trustees includes the officers and
new members listed above as well as Karla Erickson, Brooklyn; Laura Ferguson,
MD; Wendy Kadner; and Nicholas Kuiper, DO, all of Grinnell; and Joanne Yuska,
Tama. Ex officio members of the board include Todd Linden, GRMC President and
CEO; Ryan Dahlby Albright, MD, medical staff president; and Sally Lang, GRMC
Foundation Board chair elect. Stepping off the GRMC board are Frank Brownell, Montezuma,
who began serving the board in 2001; Susan Witt, Grinnell, who began serving in
1999; both hitting term limits. JoAnn Manatt, Brooklyn, who began serving on
the GRMC board in 2004, choose to leave after moving to Des Moines.
The board is responsible for overall governance of
GRMC, a nonprofit, private medical center. Its primary roles include
maintaining the mission and vision; strategic planning; appointing members of
the medical and allied health staff; approving the annual budget and providing
financial oversight; monitoring overall quality of services; and appointing the
chief executive.
