GRMC Board of Directors Welcomes New Members

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.