Sally Buck
Chief Executive Officer
Sally Buck, an avid runner, gardener, and overall water lover (sailor, swimmer, kayaker, etc.), is a dedicated and determined rural health leader with over 20 years of experience. She is either collaborating with other organizations, seeking innovation or providing technical assistance to improve health in rural communities. Sally keeps busy with twin boys and a feisty golden retriever at home. She is active with the National Rural Health Association and believes that without health care services, businesses and families will leave, yet rural areas help sustain our country in producing food, fuel, recreation, a providing a healthy place to live. If she were not working at The Center, you’d likely find her spending more time in her apple orchard in rural Wisconsin.
Chief Executive Officer
Sally Buck, an avid runner, gardener, and overall water lover (sailor, swimmer, kayaker, etc.), is a dedicated and determined rural health leader with over 20 years of experience. She is either collaborating with other organizations, seeking innovation or providing technical assistance to improve health in rural communities. Sally keeps busy with twin boys and a feisty golden retriever at home. She is active with the National Rural Health Association and believes that without health care services, businesses and families will leave, yet rural areas help sustain our country in producing food, fuel, recreation, a providing a healthy place to live. If she were not working at The Center, you’d likely find her spending more time in her apple orchard in rural Wisconsin.
Terry Hill
Senior Advisor for Rural Health Leadership and Policy
Terry grew up in a small town in Central Alaska. As a young child he was mauled by wolves, leaving him permanently off kilter and subject to frequent episodes of manic energy. His long professional career in rural health has been marred by periodic lapses in judgment, chronic impatience and occasional episodes of running in place. His proudest professional achievement has been to lead an organization where staff is free to challenge his ideas, thereby saving him from serious professional blunders. Terry is pathologically competitive, but no longer a danger to teammates. He lives by a life-long motto, adopted from his hero, Alfred E. Newman: “What me worry?”
Senior Advisor for Rural Health Leadership and Policy
Terry grew up in a small town in Central Alaska. As a young child he was mauled by wolves, leaving him permanently off kilter and subject to frequent episodes of manic energy. His long professional career in rural health has been marred by periodic lapses in judgment, chronic impatience and occasional episodes of running in place. His proudest professional achievement has been to lead an organization where staff is free to challenge his ideas, thereby saving him from serious professional blunders. Terry is pathologically competitive, but no longer a danger to teammates. He lives by a life-long motto, adopted from his hero, Alfred E. Newman: “What me worry?”
Angie LaFlamme
Senior Program Coordinator
Angie has been with The Center since 1996 and works diligently to help support rural facilities with their workforce challenges to ensure high quality care is provided in rural communities. When the energetic, ambitious and efficient Angie isn’t at work, she enjoys spending time with her kids, running, shopping (perhaps for running shoes?) and making home improvements (she’s a DIY aficionada!). If she weren’t working at The Center, Angie would most likely be an interior designer/decorator, but we feel blessed to have had her on staff for nearly 17 years.
Senior Program Coordinator
Angie has been with The Center since 1996 and works diligently to help support rural facilities with their workforce challenges to ensure high quality care is provided in rural communities. When the energetic, ambitious and efficient Angie isn’t at work, she enjoys spending time with her kids, running, shopping (perhaps for running shoes?) and making home improvements (she’s a DIY aficionada!). If she weren’t working at The Center, Angie would most likely be an interior designer/decorator, but we feel blessed to have had her on staff for nearly 17 years.
Alyssa Meller
Director of Operations
Alyssa has worked in health care in one form or another for most of her professional life. Growing up in northern Minnesota and now living in the country in northern Wisconsin, rural is what she knows. In addition, her family has always been intertwined in health care in some way, shape or fashion. Her dad is a neuro trauma intensive care nurse. Her stepmom is a clinical nurse specialist. Her mom works on the patient accounts and customer side of the house, and her husband is a strategic data analyst. Alyssa says health care has always been ingrained as a central part of who she is, and she feels strongly that everyone deserves access to good, quality care.
Prior to joining The Center, Alyssa worked with and managed Medicaid and Medicare programs in Minnesota. She was able to gain firsthand experience with the difficulties of providing and obtaining access to quality care for rural Minnesotans. It is things like the lack of providers or access to reliable transportation (that could tackle the mounds of snow we receive in winters), and an understanding of what is needed to obtain and receive good, timely and preventive medical care that has fueled her passion for rural health. By joining the team at The Center, she is now expanding her interest and involvement nationally.
Being well both in mind and body are important to Alyssa. Just recently, she began running. At first it was to prove a point that she could, but now is an integral part of who she is. It was only after Alyssa had some medical struggles a few years back, which limited and took away her ability to move freely, that she realized how much she counted on it both physically and mentally. So now she runs, takes the stairs and just chooses to move more at every opportunity.
Alyssa is married and has two children, Grace and Sam. She says they are her light to a dark day (if those dark days weren’t caused by them, that is). They keep very busy with school, music and sports activities.
Alyssa has a crafty side. She loves to quilt and tends to get lost in this creative outlet. She says taking fabric, cutting it up and then sewing it back together is so much fun, and the design and intricacy to some of the finished pieces are so breathtaking.
If she won the lottery, Alyssa says she would pay off the mortgage and set up college funds for the kids and cousins. She would create a foundation that supported organizations that have helped her or her family in some way over the years.
When asked what three words Alyssa would use to describe herself, she said:
Methodical… at times
Dedicated… sometimes to the detriment of others and myself
Goofy… especially in making fun of myself or to ease an awkward moment
Director of Operations
Alyssa has worked in health care in one form or another for most of her professional life. Growing up in northern Minnesota and now living in the country in northern Wisconsin, rural is what she knows. In addition, her family has always been intertwined in health care in some way, shape or fashion. Her dad is a neuro trauma intensive care nurse. Her stepmom is a clinical nurse specialist. Her mom works on the patient accounts and customer side of the house, and her husband is a strategic data analyst. Alyssa says health care has always been ingrained as a central part of who she is, and she feels strongly that everyone deserves access to good, quality care.
Prior to joining The Center, Alyssa worked with and managed Medicaid and Medicare programs in Minnesota. She was able to gain firsthand experience with the difficulties of providing and obtaining access to quality care for rural Minnesotans. It is things like the lack of providers or access to reliable transportation (that could tackle the mounds of snow we receive in winters), and an understanding of what is needed to obtain and receive good, timely and preventive medical care that has fueled her passion for rural health. By joining the team at The Center, she is now expanding her interest and involvement nationally.
Being well both in mind and body are important to Alyssa. Just recently, she began running. At first it was to prove a point that she could, but now is an integral part of who she is. It was only after Alyssa had some medical struggles a few years back, which limited and took away her ability to move freely, that she realized how much she counted on it both physically and mentally. So now she runs, takes the stairs and just chooses to move more at every opportunity.
Alyssa is married and has two children, Grace and Sam. She says they are her light to a dark day (if those dark days weren’t caused by them, that is). They keep very busy with school, music and sports activities.
Alyssa has a crafty side. She loves to quilt and tends to get lost in this creative outlet. She says taking fabric, cutting it up and then sewing it back together is so much fun, and the design and intricacy to some of the finished pieces are so breathtaking.
If she won the lottery, Alyssa says she would pay off the mortgage and set up college funds for the kids and cousins. She would create a foundation that supported organizations that have helped her or her family in some way over the years.
When asked what three words Alyssa would use to describe herself, she said:
Methodical… at times
Dedicated… sometimes to the detriment of others and myself
Goofy… especially in making fun of myself or to ease an awkward moment
Tracy Morton
Program Manager II
Tracy's background in epidemiology (she holds a Masters in Public Health from the University of Minnesota) leads her to chase members of the staff, especially the situational rabid Terry Hill, around with hand sanitizer. In her professional role at The Center, Tracy supports the more than 1,300 critical access hospitals in the country through the Technical Assistance and Services Center (TASC). Tracy attended middle and high school in a rural community, and, as such, intimately recognizes that rural communities are special with their own strong connections, culture, history and persona. Rural people are proud of who they are and where they are from and should be able to receive care where they live. If she were not working at The Center, you’d most likely find Tracy counting passer-buyers on a tropical beach somewhere.
Program Manager II
Tracy's background in epidemiology (she holds a Masters in Public Health from the University of Minnesota) leads her to chase members of the staff, especially the situational rabid Terry Hill, around with hand sanitizer. In her professional role at The Center, Tracy supports the more than 1,300 critical access hospitals in the country through the Technical Assistance and Services Center (TASC). Tracy attended middle and high school in a rural community, and, as such, intimately recognizes that rural communities are special with their own strong connections, culture, history and persona. Rural people are proud of who they are and where they are from and should be able to receive care where they live. If she were not working at The Center, you’d most likely find Tracy counting passer-buyers on a tropical beach somewhere.
Kim Nordin
Program Assistant/Coordinator
Kim, The Center's free-spirit and wellness ringleader, has worked in non-profit organizations for 13 years. Kim works for the equality of all people in all settings - especially health care for rural communities. When she is not at work, you can find her and her son at the beach - rain, sun or snow (preferably sun). If Kim was not working at The Center, she'd be working on an organic food farm in Hawaii or California. And living on the beach.
Program Assistant/Coordinator
Kim, The Center's free-spirit and wellness ringleader, has worked in non-profit organizations for 13 years. Kim works for the equality of all people in all settings - especially health care for rural communities. When she is not at work, you can find her and her son at the beach - rain, sun or snow (preferably sun). If Kim was not working at The Center, she'd be working on an organic food farm in Hawaii or California. And living on the beach.
Kami Norland
Community Specialist
Kami, one of many perpetually positive personnel at The Center, is an art therapist by trade and has worked in all care settings (residential, in-home, inpatient), but the majority of her time was spent at an outpatient mental health clinic serving adults with serious and persistent mental illness. Kami firmly believes that a rural community’s greatest asset is the health of its citizens, and can typically be found traversing the country supporting rural communities in executing Community Health Needs Assessments, focus groups. If she were not working at The Center, you’d likely find her as a flying, dancing, trapeze artist with a paint brush in one hand and a large canvas below, inspiring the world one whirling paint stroke at a time.
Community Specialist
Kami, one of many perpetually positive personnel at The Center, is an art therapist by trade and has worked in all care settings (residential, in-home, inpatient), but the majority of her time was spent at an outpatient mental health clinic serving adults with serious and persistent mental illness. Kami firmly believes that a rural community’s greatest asset is the health of its citizens, and can typically be found traversing the country supporting rural communities in executing Community Health Needs Assessments, focus groups. If she were not working at The Center, you’d likely find her as a flying, dancing, trapeze artist with a paint brush in one hand and a large canvas below, inspiring the world one whirling paint stroke at a time.
Joe Wivoda
Chief Information Officer
Joe Wivoda is the token rural resident on staff at The Center, and currently lives, works, and plays music in Hibbing, Minnesota. Joe is the best of "breeds" in that he is able to discuss IT (not to mention quantum physics) as easily and conversantly with IT experts as he is with relative novices and does both with a great sense of humor. In his journey to CIO of The Center, Joe has served as a project manager, trainer, system administrator, and developer of IT…and has lived to tell about it. When he isn’t crisscrossing the country trying to improve information technology and exchange in rural facilities, you can find Joe on his ham radio (call sign N0AU), playing bass guitar or upright bass, or discussing theoretical physics (specifically computational physics).
Chief Information Officer
Joe Wivoda is the token rural resident on staff at The Center, and currently lives, works, and plays music in Hibbing, Minnesota. Joe is the best of "breeds" in that he is able to discuss IT (not to mention quantum physics) as easily and conversantly with IT experts as he is with relative novices and does both with a great sense of humor. In his journey to CIO of The Center, Joe has served as a project manager, trainer, system administrator, and developer of IT…and has lived to tell about it. When he isn’t crisscrossing the country trying to improve information technology and exchange in rural facilities, you can find Joe on his ham radio (call sign N0AU), playing bass guitar or upright bass, or discussing theoretical physics (specifically computational physics).
Kap Wilkes
Program Manager II
Kap Wilkes grew up racing sailboats and later served as a sailboat captain on Lake Superior chartering boats to Isle Royale; a tempting lifestyle but she decided to get her MBA instead. Kap has worked in both non-profit health care and corporate retail environments, and has a dynamic skill set to show for it! She is a facilitator, collaborator, faculty, analyst, manager, and volunteer. She learned a thing or two about IT and healthcare while working within a dynamic HIT network of hospitals and clinics. Kap agrees with Peter Drucker, “The best way to predict the future is to create it.” With that in mind, her focus at The Center is to help all kinds of health care organizations improve health in their rural communities. Kap also expresses her creativity through her gardening; an explosion of color in the summer and for the next six months out of the year – you need to appreciate the structure!
Program Manager II
Kap Wilkes grew up racing sailboats and later served as a sailboat captain on Lake Superior chartering boats to Isle Royale; a tempting lifestyle but she decided to get her MBA instead. Kap has worked in both non-profit health care and corporate retail environments, and has a dynamic skill set to show for it! She is a facilitator, collaborator, faculty, analyst, manager, and volunteer. She learned a thing or two about IT and healthcare while working within a dynamic HIT network of hospitals and clinics. Kap agrees with Peter Drucker, “The best way to predict the future is to create it.” With that in mind, her focus at The Center is to help all kinds of health care organizations improve health in their rural communities. Kap also expresses her creativity through her gardening; an explosion of color in the summer and for the next six months out of the year – you need to appreciate the structure!
Cassy Rockers
Program Coordinator
Cassy graduated from the University of Minnesota Duluth with a focus in health care management. She works at the center as a program coordinator and when she's not helping with Network TA needs shes out there shredding up Spirit Mountain during the winter months. which in Minnesota there are five and a half! During the summer its all long boarding, hiking and being outside as much as possible.
Program Coordinator
Cassy graduated from the University of Minnesota Duluth with a focus in health care management. She works at the center as a program coordinator and when she's not helping with Network TA needs shes out there shredding up Spirit Mountain during the winter months. which in Minnesota there are five and a half! During the summer its all long boarding, hiking and being outside as much as possible.