Leadership

Executive Leadership

Jill Alessi

Jill Alessi - Chief Executive Officer

Jill Alessi was appointed CEO of Mountain Pacific in 2023. Jill has an extensive background in health care and health care operations, including care coordination, utilization management, health service operations, chronic condition support and improving health outcomes and prioritizing quality health care. She is an experienced leader with experience managing health service organizations across geographic regions and building effective teams by leveraging her clinical, business and compliance experience and expertise. Jill is a registered nurse who has worked as a clinical intensive care unit nurse, case manager, case reviewer and compliance specialist.

800-497-8232 ext. 5820 jalessi@mpqhf.org
Kristen Schuster

Kristen Schuster - Chief Program Officer

Joining the Mountain Pacific team in 2017, Kristen brings over a decade of leadership and consulting experience in health care. She specializes in building multidisciplinary teams, managing diverse projects and building collaborative relationships to deliver evidence-based solutions that enhance patient care and clinical outcomes. Her expertise spans workflow analysis, quality improvement, value-based contracting, building integrated behavioral health networks and implementing health information technology.

800-497-8232 ext. 5835 kschuster@mpqhf.org
Katelin Conway

Katelin Conway - Chief Strategy Officer

Katelin Conway, MBA, MPH, became Mountain Pacific’s chief corporate development officer in 2023. Katelin is responsible for the direction and leadership of expansion and development of the programs and services Mountain Pacific offers. She identifies and manages opportunities for grants, contracts and business agreements with the goal of increasing market share, while ensuring the organization’s customers remain satisfied. Katelin has extensive leadership experience and has helped advance regional efforts in patient, family and tribal engagement, with the continued vision of improved health and health outcomes across our region. She has earned two master’s degrees from the University of Montana, one in business administration and one in public health.

800-497-8232 ext. 5868 kconway@mpqhf.org
Douglas Kuntzweiler, MD

Douglas Kuntzweiler, MD - Chief Medical Director

Dr. Douglas Kuntzweiler is chief medical officer for Mountain Pacific, where he oversees clinical and review activities and promotes quality and transformational change in all health care settings across Mountain-Pacific’s multi-state region of service. Dr. Kuntzweiler has more than 40 years of health care experience, starting as a certified nurse assistant in a long-term care facility in Ames, Iowa, and finishing at St. Peter’s Health in Helena, Montana, when he retired in 2018 after being an emergency department physician for 27 years. He is certified with the Board of American Academy of Family Practice and has cared for patients at every point in their lives, from neonatal care to advance care planning. Dr. Kuntzweiler has been an advocate for serving the health and health care needs among disparate populations and has traveled around the world to serve his country with the U.S. Air Force, Army Reserve and Army National Guard, receiving the Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster in 1972 and the Army Commendation Medal in 2007.

800-497-8232 ext. 5831 dkuntzweiler@mpqhf.org
Rhett Jackson

Rhett Jackson - Chief Information Officer

Rhett Jackson, MBA, joined Mountain Pacific as the chief information officer in 2024. Rhett has 26 years of experience in the health care industry and two decades leading information technology (IT) operations and executing IT strategy to drive business and digital transformation. His collaborative approach to IT management allows Mountain Pacific to harness technology while propelling business objectives, and his strategic initiatives enhance efficiency while promoting digital evolution and cybersecurity. Rhett places great emphasis on cross-functional collaboration, believing in a cooperative and results-driven approach to IT management.

800-497-8232 ext. 5897 rjackson@mpqhf.org
Sean Husmoe

Sean Husmoe - Chief Financial and Administrative Officer

Sean Husmoe joined Mountain Pacific in 2024. As the chief financial officer, Sean supervises both our finance and human resources teams and guides the organization’s financial strategy, budgeting, risk management, employee development and talent acquisition. Results-driven and highly analytical, Sean has been in finance for 25 years and has almost two decades of experience as a top financial executive. He is well accomplished in leading high-performing teams and in fostering operational efficiencies while supporting organizational goals and driving companywide financial success.

800-497-8232 ext. 9809 shusmoe@mpqhf.org

Mountain Pacific’s board is responsible for hiring the CEO, providing strategic direction for Mountain Pacific and creating a policy-based governance system.

Directors serve two three-year terms. Board terms are staggered so not all of the directors’ terms expire in the same year. Board membership represents academia, business, health care facilities, health care information, law, medicine, Medicare beneficiaries and rural health.

Board of Directors

Image of Shanda Lohse, MD

Shanda Lohse, MD

President

Medical Director, Eastern Aleutian Tribes

Anchorage, AK

Physician Representative

Shanda Lohse, MD

President

Term: January 1, 2022 – December 31, 2024


Shanda Lohse joined Eastern Aleutian Tribes in June 2018 and has served as their medical director since May 2019. She is a member of the Standing Rock Lakota Tribe and has worked in the Alaska Tribal Health System since 2005. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Columbia University and her medical degree from the University of Minnesota Medical School. Ms. Lohse did her family medicine residency at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She is a member of the American Medical Association, the Association of American Indian Physicians and the American Academy of Family Physicians. Ms. Lohse has presented nationally and internationally on integrated primary care teams and systems.
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Robert Janicek

Vice President

Chief Information Officer, Riverstone Health

Billings, MT

Rural Health

Robert Janicek

Vice President

Term: January 1, 2023 – December 31, 2025

Bob Janicek previously served as chief financial officer for Mountain Pacific before becoming the chief information officer for RiverStone Health in Billings, Montana. Mr. Janicek has more than 25 years of experience in company management, with 20 of those years spent in the health care industry. A seasoned executive with a proven record of delivering results, he finds success by intersecting new operating models with innovation, process and technology. He received his bachelor’s degree in business administration/information systems from Montana State University Billings.
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Garet Azama

Treasurer

Chief Operating Officer, Zephyr Insurance Company, Inc.

Honolulu, HI

Health Care Systems

Garet Azama

Treasurer

Term: January 1, 2023 – December 31, 2025

Garet Azama is the chief operating officer at Zephyr Insurance Company. In his current role, Mr. Azama is responsible for the overall internal operations, including marketing, sales and underwriting functions, policies and practices, finance and all management control systems. Prior to his role at Zephyr, he spent over 25 years in the health care insurance industry with Hawaii Medical Service Association (HMSA). During his tenure at HMSA, Mr. Azama oversaw areas such as corporate budgeting, data analytics, building facilities and administrative services. In recent years he was responsible for sales and account servicing for commercial and Medicare product lines, product strategy and development and compliance efforts related to commercial products. Mr. Azama is a graduate of the University of Hawaii, where he received his bachelor’s degree in accounting. He is a past board member of the Ronald McDonald House Charities in Hawaii and a current board member of the Oahu Region of the Hawaii Health Systems Corporation.
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Amy Surdam

Secretary

InstaClinic, LLC

Cheyenne, WY

Health Care Systems

Amy Surdam

Secretary

Term: January 1, 2024 – December 31, 2026

Amy Surdam served in the Wyoming Army National Guard and the Hawaii Army Reserves as a family nurse practitioner for over 20 years before retiring. Amy received both her bachelor’s and master’s degree of science in nursing from the University of Wyoming. She now owns and operates a Wyoming-based virtual health company with her spouse but spends much of her time in Hawaii as well. In addition to her service, Amy brings with her a wide breadth of health care knowledge gathered from years in operational and front-line roles across the industry.
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Teresa Bormann, MD

Director

Clinical Director, Indian Health Service

Eagle Butte, SD

Family Medicine

Teresa Bormann, MD

Director

Term: January 1, 2025 - December 31, 2027

Dr. Bormann has been clinical director at the Indian Health Service in Eagle Butte, South Dakota, since 2023. Her prior career was in graduate medical education as site director at the Pierre Rural Family Medicine Residency in Pierre, South Dakota, from 2021 to 2023 as well as serving as the medical director and associate program director at the Alaska Family Medicine Residency in Anchorage, Alaska, from 2014 to 2021. She received her medical degree from the University of North Dakota School of Health Sciences. She is board-certified in family medicine and addiction medicine. Dr. Bormann is a member of the American Medical Association, the Association of American Indian Physicians, American Society of Addiction Medicine and the American Academy of Family Physicians.
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Jeffrey Sather, MD, MBA, FACEP

Director

Executive Medical Director and Emergency Physician, Trinity Health

Minot, North Dakota

Emergency Medicine

Jeffrey Sather, MD, MBA, FACEP

Director

Term: January 1, 2026 - December 31, 2028

Jeffrey A. Sather, MD, MBA, FACEP serves as Executive Medical Director and Emergency Physician at Trinity Health in Minot, North Dakota, and as the State EMS Medical Director for the North Dakota Department of Health. A dedicated leader in emergency medicine and rural healthcare, Dr. Sather brings more than four decades of experience across clinical care, system leadership, and statewide health initiatives. Dr. Sather began his career in emergency services in 1979, first training as an EMT at the U.S. Air Force Hospital in Minot and later as a paramedic at United Hospital in Grand Forks. He holds a B.A. in Psychology from Minot State University, an MD from the University of North Dakota, and an MBA from the University of Tennessee–Knoxville. He completed his Emergency Medicine residency at St. Vincent Mercy Medical Center in Toledo, Ohio, and is board certified in Emergency Medicine. He is also a Fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians. Since joining Trinity Health in 1992, Dr. Sather has led and contributed to numerous quality and performance improvement initiatives across the health system. His leadership roles have included Chief of Staff for Trinity Health’s more than 300 credentialed medical staff members, and he currently serves on the Trinity Health Board of Directors. In his role as State EMS Medical Director since 2014, Dr. Sather provides medical oversight for the Division of Emergency Medical Systems, including prehospital EMS, statewide cardiac and stroke systems of care, and emergency preparedness. He has been instrumental in uniting health systems across North Dakota to develop standardized statewide protocols and coordinated systems for time sensitive emergencies such as cardiac and stroke care. Dr. Sather has also served on several governing boards, including Quality Health Associates of North Dakota—where he served as Board President—the Midwest Region of the American Heart Association, and the Great Plains Quality Innovation Network. Throughout his career, Dr. Sather has remained deeply committed to advancing and strengthening rural healthcare, a passion that continues to guide his leadership and service.
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Francis Chan, MT (ASCP), MPH

Director

Retired

Honolulu, HI

Health Care Systems

Francis Chan, MT (ASCP), MPH

Director

Term: January 1, 2021 – December 31, 2026

Francis Chan served as the chief executive officer of Hawai’i Health Information Exchange (HHIE) for seven years, retiring in 2024. Under Francis’ leadership, Hawai’i HIE continued to support innovations in care delivery by integrating clinical and laboratory data into medication management, minimized preventable hospital admissions from medication side effects and integrated clinical and social determinants of health data to address health inequity. Mr. Chan and his team were recognized as Healthcare Heroes by the HIMSS Alaska-Hawaii chapter for their contribution to the COVID-19 pandemic, routing COVID-19 lab results to the Hawai’i Department of Health so policy makers and the public could track the progress of the pandemic and take steps to slow its spread.
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Mariko Selle

Director

Maritime Director, Alaska Safety Alliance

Anchorage, AK

Community Health

Mariko Selle

Director

Term: January 1, 2022 – December 31, 2024

Mariko Selle is the director of health equity and workforce development at Alaska Primary Care Association and has more than 20 years of experience in quality improvement, including nonprofit and rural hospital executive leadership roles. She serves on several boards that focus on improving the lives of Alaskan residents and is the chair of the Alaska Workforce Investment Board. Ms. Selle splits her time between the communities of Anchorage and Unalaska/Dutch Harbor as the maritime director for the Alaska Safety Alliance. She enjoys examining interconnections between the economic and social wellness of communities. Ms. Selle earned her bachelor’s degree in general sciences from the University of Oregon and her master’s degree in public health from the University of Alaska Anchorage.
Image of Dick Brown

Dick Brown

Past Board President

Retired

Helena, MT

Rural Health and Consumer Representative


Dick Brown

Past Board President

Term: January 1, 2022 – December 31, 2024

Dick Brown served as the CEO of a rural hospital and nursing home for 14 years before spending nearly 30 years with the Montana Hospital Association, the last 12 years serving as president and CEO. Over the course of his 45-year career, Mr. Brown has served on many local, state and national boards and special committees to address a variety of health care issues. His work and experiences provide him with a deep understanding of health care institutions, rural health issues, strategic planning, governance and state and federal government relations. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Montana State University-Bozeman and his master’s degree in hospital administration from University of Minnesota Carlton School of Management.

Compensation

Our board members volunteer their insights, experiences and expertise without compensation. Their travel expenses may be reimbursed for in-person meetings.