Sarah Snider, Executive Director
MBA, Executive Director, Rural Health Innovation Collaborative
Sarah Snider, MBA, is Executive Director of the Rural Health Innovation Collaborative (RHIC). Prior to serving in this position, Ms. Snider served for 14 years as Administrator of Union Hospital’s Richard G. Lugar Center for Rural Health in Terre Haute, Indiana. In her role as Administrator, Ms. Snider guided the functions of the Lugar Center as a part of its mission to prepare future rural health providers to successfully practice in rural settings and ultimately to improve and increase access to care among individuals living in rural areas. During her time with the Lugar Center, Ms. Snider also served as CEO of the Vermillion-Parke Community Health Center, a Federally Qualified Health Center in west-central Indiana. During her tenure with the Lugar Center, Ms. Snider was extremely successful at obtaining grant funds to support the Lugar Center’s many activities as well as more broadly related rural health initiatives. Ms. Snider’s experience also includes: serving as a founding member of the Indiana Rural Health Association (IRHA) as well as president of IRHA; serving as president of the west-central Indiana Area Health Education Center (AHEC); and serving as an Advisor to B&D Consulting in Washington D.C. In her role with B&D, Sarah counseled clients in health, life sciences and economic development matters.
Prior to working in Indiana, Ms. Snider worked as a Research Analyst with the Employee Benefit Research Institute in Washington D.C. Her research there focused on employee benefits issues with a specific focus on health policy. She has authored numerous articles, which have appeared in journals such as Health Affairs, the Statistical Bulletin and the Journal of Labor Research. Ms. Snider earned her master’s degree in business administration (M.B.A.) from American University in Washington D.C.
John Adkins
Executive Director for Administration, Ivy Tech Community College – Wabash Valley
The Honorable Duke Bennett
Mayor, Terre Haute, Indiana
Duke Bennett graduated from Ivy Tech Community College-Wabash Valley (formerly known as the Indiana Vocational Technical College) in 1980 with an Associate of Science in Telecommunications and from Indiana Wesleyan University in 2006 with a BS in Business Administration.
He served as Director of Operations for 12 years at Hamilton Center, a community mental health center with 32 locations serving a ten county area in west central Indiana. Originally hired as Director of Information Systems, Bennett was responsible for directing all corporate wide activities involving Capital Projects, Facilities, Safety and Security, Transportation and Purchasing.
Terre Haute citizens elected Bennett in November 2007. As Mayor, he leads a city with incredible opportunities ahead of it, and works hard to address its challenges. He believes in serving his community and sees public service as a venue for creating change and crafting solutions that will allow Terre Haute to continue to grow and encourage strong economic development.
Bennett works to generate a collaborative spirit between the city and county. One partnership established is with the Vigo County Corrections. This cooperative venture developed a keep Terre Haute clean' program whereby detainees collected over 320-tons of refuse from city alleys, empty lots and city streets. Bennett implemented and chairs the Terre Haute/Vigo County Railroad Re-Alignment Committee. This committee is comprised of city and county officials who work to develop long-range plans to mitigate railroad issues within the community.
Bennett is active in a number of community and civic organizations. He serves on the board of Western Indiana Community Action Agency (WICCA); the Terre Haute Chamber of Commerce; and Vigo, Clay, and Owen County Solid Waste Management District. He is Chairman of the Metropolitan Planning Organization Transportation Policy Committee for West Central Indiana Economic Development District. Bennett also serves on the Executive Committee of the Terre Haute Economic Development Corporation.
Mayor Bennett and his wife Pam have two children, Suzanne and Ryan.
Daniel J. Bradley
President, Indiana State University
Daniel J. Bradley became Indiana State's 11th president on July 31, 2008after serving as president of Fairmont State University in West Virginia for seven years. He previously held a variety of positions at Montana Tech of the University of Montana, including vice chancellor for academic affairs and research, dean of engineering and head of the petroleum engineering department.
During Bradley's tenure at Fairmont State, the institution grew substantially. More than $100 million in construction projects were completed, computing infrastructure was upgraded, a robust distance education program was developed, and graduate programs were launched in education, business and social sciences.
Born in Portage La Prairie, Monitoba, Bradley immigrated with his parents to California when he was 7.
A veteran of the US Army, Bradley holds a Ph.D. in physical chemistry from Michigan State University, a master's degree in petroleum engineering from the University of Tulsa and a bachelor's degree in petroleum engineering from Montana College of Mineral Science and Technology. During graduate studies, he spent two years at Oak Ridge National Laboratory performing his research. After graduate school, he was a postdoctoral scholar at the University of California, Berkeley in the Chemistry Department before joining the faculty at Montana Tech.
Bradley and his wife, Cheri, have three grown children and three grandchildren.
D. Craig Brater, M.D.
Dean and Walter J. Daly Professor
Indiana University School of Medicine
D. Craig Brater, M.D., is a native of Oak Ridge, Tenn. He attended undergraduate and medical school at Duke University, completed his internship at Duke, and his residency at the University of California at San Francisco (UCSF), followed by a fellowship in clinical pharmacology. There he, developed a research and clinical interest in diuretics that continues today. After a year as a junior faculty member at UCSF, Dr. Brater spent nine years on the faculty at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School.
Dr. Brater joined the faculty at the Indiana University School of Medicine in 1986, where he began the Division of Clinical Pharmacology in the Department of Medicine. Four years later he was selected to chair the Department of Medicine, the largest department in the School. In 2000, Dr. Brater was selected to be the ninth dean of the IU School of Medicine. As dean, Dr. Brater is responsible for 26 academic departments, a full-time faculty of more than 1,000 members, and nearly 2,500 medical students, residents and doctoral candidates on nine campuses throughout the state of Indiana. In 2006, Dr. Brater was appointed as a Vice President of Indiana University with responsibility for the life sciences.
Dr. Brater has published more than 100 research articles and 50 books or book chapters. These publications, for the most part, concern diuretics or the effects of non-steroidal inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) on renal function.
He is a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation and the Association of American Physicians and has been awarded mastership in the American College of Physicians. He has been or is currently president of the Alliance for Academic Internal Medicine, the American Society for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, the Association of Professors of Medicine, the Central Society for Clinical Research, and the United States Pharmacopoeia. He is a member of the board and the executive committee of BioCrossroads, an Indiana consortium of business, industry, and academic organizations dedicated to economic development through advancements in the life sciences. He serves on the boards of directors of Clarian Health Partners, BioCrossroads, and the Riley Children's Foundation. In 2000, his alma mater awarded him the Duke Medical Alumni Award in recognition of his contributions to academic medicine. In 2005, Dr. Brater became a member of the Ethics Committee of the United States Olympic Committee.
Dr. Brater and his wife Stephanie have one daughter Aimee, who lives in Florida. The Braters are actively involved in the Indiana University-Moi University Faculty of Health Sciences exchange Program in Kenya and have made several trips to the area. Through this program, they met their -Kenyan son- Michael, who is now a graduate student at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.
James R. Buechler, M.D.
Director Emeritus for the Richard G. Lugar Center for Rural Health
Dr. Jim Buechler received his MD from the University of Illinois and did his residency at St. Joseph's Hospital in South Bend prior to settling down to private practice at Cork Medical Center in Marshall, Illinois.
Dr. Buechler started the Family Medicine Residency at Union Hospital iin 1972 and still serves as faculty physician for the residents. Under Dr. Buechler's leadership, the Clay City Center for Family Medicine and the Rural Training Track became a reality in 1993. The Clay City site received accreditation from the ACGME and is now selected by the majority of family medicine residents. It allows the residents to work out of the main site during their full three years of training while gaining rural experience at a federally-designated rural health clinic. Dr. Buechler served as Director of the Richard G. Lugar Center for Rural Health previously named the Midwest Center for Rural Health for 12 years prior to becoming semi-retired.
Dr. Buechler serves on many committees throughout Indiana and has membership in the AAFP, IRHA, and NRHA. His passion for teaching has always been a priority and in 1993 he was awarded the National Educator of the Year Award by the National Rural Health Association.
Dr. Buechler is highly regarded at Union hospital for his dedication and leadership toward patient care and advancement of healthcare.
Mel Burks
CEO, Hamilton Center, Inc.
Elizabeth Burrows
Chief Executive Officer, Vermillion Parke Community Health Center
Elizabeth graduated magna cum laude from DePauw University with a degree in Political Science and Communications. Elizabeth then went on to receive her doctorate of jurisprudence from Indiana University-Bloomington where she was involved in the Community Legal Clinic. Elizabeth entered a career in state government as Director of Project Development for the Lt. Governor’s Office of Community and Rural Affairs and then as Director of the State Office of Rural Health. As Director of the State Office of Rural Health, Elizabeth more than doubled the grant funding that the state received with a special focus on health information technology.
Elizabeth was then recruited to return home to Vermillion County, Indiana to start up and serve as Chief Executive Officer of the Vermillion Parke Community Health Center, a federally qualified health center. The health center serves the underserved populations of rural west central Indiana while educating medical residents and students in rural health care.
Elizabeth is a member of the Indiana Bar Association, the Indiana Primary Health Care Association, and the Clinton Optimist Club. She is a graduate of the Richard G. Lugar Series for Excellence in Public Service, received the Governor’s Award for Tomorrow’s Leaders, and the DePauw University Alumni Community Leadership Award Recipient. Elizabeth enjoys reading, shopping, and travelling with her husband.
David R. Doerr, President and CEO
Union Health System
David R. Doerr is the President and CEO of Union Health System (UHS) He served as the President and CEO of Union Hospital Inc. from September 1999 to August 2010.
He leads the Wabash Valley's largest health care system comprising of Union Hospital in Terre Haute, Union Hospital Clinton, Union Associated Physicians Clinic (85 physician multi speciality clinic) and more than 40 other employed physicians. Union Health System affiliates employ nearly 3,000 people in locations throughout the area.
Doerr has held numerous positions at Union Hospital beginning as an administrative assistant in 1979. He was promoted to assistant administrator in 1980 and served in that capacity until 1982 when he became Administrator of Mary Sherman Hospital in Sullivan, Indiana. He returned to Union Hospital in 1987 as Vice President of Business Development. He was promoted Senior Vice President of Union Hospital in 1989 and Chief Operating Office in 1995.
Doerr earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Nuclear Medicine Technology from Indiana University School of Medicine. He also served in the United States Army in the Presidential Honor Guard.
He is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and is past Chairman of The Greater Terre Haute Area Chamber of Commerce, United Way of the Wabash Valley and the Indiana Hospital Association. He also currently serves on the Board of Directors for Ivy Tech Community College, Wabash Valley Region and the Regional Advisory Board of the American Hospital Association Regional Advisory Board.
He is married to wife, Charlene, and has one son, Eric.
Dr. Taihung Peter Duong
Assistant Dean & Director, Indiana School of Medicine
Dr. Taihung Peter Duong received his B.A. in Biology from Whittier College and his Ph.D. in Anatomy from UCLA. He joined the faculty of the Indiana University School of Medicine - Terre Haute (IUSM-Terre Haute) in 1991, where he has been teaching Medical Anatomy. Dr. Duong served on the IUSM Academic Standards Committee and the Admissions Committee. He has also served as grant reviewer for the National Institutes of Health and the Alzheimer's Association. He was appointed Associate Center Director in 2002 and became Assistant Dean and Director of IUSM-Terre Haute in 2008.
Robe Fazekas
Ph.D., Executive Director of Clinical Services, Hamilton Center, Inc.
Wayne Hutson, Executive Vice President & Chief Finical Officer
Union Hospital Inc.
Hutson has been employed at Union Hospital as CFO for 35 years. Hutson is the
longest tenured Hospital CFO in Indiana. He serves on the community boards of
directors for Goodwill, VNA/Hospice, Community Theatre, Union Hospital Health
Services, IPACS Inc., Family Service Association, Center for Occupational Health
and RHIC.
Hutson resides in Terre Haute with his wife Karen. He has two grown children and enjoys spending time with his three granddaughters. He enjoys going to the movie theatre, planning his elaborate outdoors holiday light display, and is an avid sports fan.
Don Kelso, MBA
Executive Director of the Indiana Rural Health Association (IRHA)
Don Kelso, MBA, has been the Executive Director of the Indiana Rural Health Association since January of 2008. With a current staff of nine, Kelso leads the largest state rural health organization in the United States. With nearly 2,000 members, IRHA has demonstrated success and leadership in many rural health initiatives, such as: broadband connectivity through fiber construction, rural hospital networking, telehealth adoption for mental health and stroke care services, Rural Health Clinic disaster preparedness/education and support, tobacco cessation education, and e-Learning/education. The Association also hosts the largest state rural health association annual conference in the country.
Kelso is a native and lifelong resident of Southwest Indiana. His 35-year career spans education, manufacturing and healthcare industries. Kelso was a high school business teacher at Washington Catholic High School, Industrial Engineer and Human Resources Director at Kimball International, Human Resources Director at Jasper Memorial Hospital and Vice President of Operations and Human Resources at Daviess Community Hospital.
Kelso earned his B.S. in Business from Oakland City College and his M.B.A. from Baker College. He and his wife Rosie have three grown children and three beautiful granddaughters.
Rick Kiovsky
M.D., Statewide Director, Indiana Area Health Education Center and Faculty, Indiana University Department of Family Medicine
Dr. Kiovsky is a native Hoosier and received his medical degree from Indiana University in 1976. He completed his Family Medicine residency training at Mercy Medical Center in 1979 in Denver, Colorado. Prior to his academic appointment in 1990, he served in private practice for 11 years in Aurora, Colorado. Shortly after joining the Department, he completed his Academic Fellowship in Family Medicine from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Dr. Kiovsky is Board Certified in Family Medicine and is a member of the American Academy of Family Physicians. He holds the American Medical Association, Physician's Recognition Award Certificate (AMA PRA) and is consistently listed among the "Best Doctors in America" for his clinical specialty. Dr. Kiovsky holds the rank of Professor of Clinical Family Medicine and currently serves as Director, Area Health Education Centers of Indiana. In 1998, he served as the Department’s Acting Chair for 2 years and subsequently served as Vice-Chair of Clinical Affairs until 2004. He serves on the medical school’s Admissions Committee and has been instrumental in guiding the Rural Medical Education program in Terre Haute, IN. Dr. Kiovsky's educational activities have included the development of the first decentralized clerkship (Family Medicine) in the medical school’s history.
He developed the Primary Care Scholars Consortium, dedicated to improving the healthcare provider shortage problem in underserved populations. He has received 7 teaching awards and has led multiple national faculty development workshops designed to enhance community-based physician teaching skills. He has served as National Chairman for PreDoctoral Education for the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine.
Dr. Kiovsky serves on the Board of Directors of the National AHEC Organization. He serves as consultant to AHRQ in developing educational training in Preventive Medicine and HRSA to promote InterProfessional Education in Academic Health Centers. He is a member of the Medical School’s Admissions Committee and serves as Faculty Advisor for the Christian Medical Student Association.
He is married for 40 years to his lovely wife, Carolyn, and has 3 children: Kelly, Jody and Scott.
Jack Maynard
Ed.D., Provost, Indiana State University.
Becky Miller
Executive Director of Resource Development, Ivy Tech Community College – Wabash Valley
Claudia Tanoos
Vice President, Terre Haute Economic Development Corporation
Scott Teffeteller, Cheif Executive Officer
Union Hospital Inc.
Scott Teffeteller, age 39, became Chief Executive Officer of Union Hospital in December 2010. Teffeteller began working at Union Hospital as Vice President and
Chief Operating Officer in March 2006. In January 2008 he was promoted to
Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. In September 2010 he was
promoted to Interim President and Chief Executive Officer.
Teffeteller has a long-standing tenure with for-profit and non-profit hospitals and surgical centers in both metropolitan and rural communities. Prior to joining Union Hospital, Teffeteller held various positions with a number of other health care organizations, including Chief Operating Officer of Terre Haute Regional Hospital in Terre Haute, Indiana, and Chief Operating Officer of the Medical Center of Aurora in Denver, Colorado.
Teffeteller holds a B.S. in Radiology Administration from the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond, Virginia, and a Masters of Business Administration from Averett University in Danville, Virginia. He is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and serves on the Federal Bureau of Prisons Community Relations Board, as well as several civic organizations in the Wabash Valley community.
He and his wife, Sondra, have two children and live in Terre Haute.
Ann Valentine
Chancolor, Ivy Tech Wabash Valley Region
Dr. Ann Valentine has held faculty and administrative positions in higher education for more than 20 years and was selected in May 2011 to serve as Chancellor for Ivy Tech’s Wabash Valley Region. She earned her doctorate degree in Higher Education and Master’s degree in Public Administration from Iowa State University. She earned her Bachelor’s degree from Mount Mercy College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and her associate degree from Kirkwood Community College also in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Her dissertation research topic was interdisciplinary health professions education and she served as the director of such programming for the Vice President for Health Sciences at The University of Iowa.
From 2005-2011, she served as President of Minnesota State Community and Technical College, a four-campus college that enrolls nearly 6500 FTE students per year. Prior to that, she was vice president of Gateway Technical College in Kenosha, Wisconsin, from 2000 to 2005. In addition to a career in higher education, she serves on a variety of local and national Boards and Commissions.
Richard "Biff" Williams
Ph.D., Dean, College of Nursing, Health and Human Services, Indiana State University
Dr. Biff Williams serves as the Founding Dean of the College of Nursing, Health, and Human Services at Indiana State University. A former high school teacher and head athletic trainer, Dr. Williams holds a bachelor’s degree from Weber State University in Utah, an M.S. in athletic training from Indiana State University, and a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from New Mexico State University.
Dr. Williams was previously a faculty member at the University of Northern Iowa from 1998 – 2008 where he served in roles such as associate Dean of the College of Education, executive associate director of the School of Health, Physical Education and Leisure Services, Chair of the Division of Athletic Training, and program director. At Northern Iowa he helped create a private-public partnership between the local hospital, medical community, and university that resulted in the construction of a two-story human performance center that serves the surrounding rural communities.
Steve Witt
President, Terre Haute Economic Development Corporation
As President of the Terre Haute Economic Development Corporation, Steve Witt works closely with his Board of Directors, his THEDC colleagues, local elected officials and many others to formulate and implement the City of Terre Haute/Vigo County’s economic development efforts.
Mr. Witt has worked in the economic development arena in Terre Haute and Vigo County for over 20 years. Prior to coming to the Terre Haute Economic Development Corporation in January, 2005, Steve served as Executive Director of the City of Terre Haute/Vigo County Department of Redevelopment. During his tenure at the Department of Redevelopment, Steve implemented City and County government’s business attraction and retention efforts and also oversaw the implementation of the City of Terre Haute’s Community Development Block Grant program.
Major industrial employers that Steve Witt has helped attract to his community include Companhia Siderurgica Nacional (CSN), LLC’s cold roll steel processing facility; Staples Corporation’s Midwest distribution center; Aisin Brake & Chassis’ automotive brake manufacturing plant, ThyssenKrupp Presta’s automotive steering column manufacturing facility, CertainTeed Corporation’s fiber cement board manufacturing facility and Boral Bricks’ clay brick manufacturing plant. Steve has also been involved in numerous expansion projects throughout the community including those at Applied Extrusion Technologies, Sony DADC and Pfizer Corporation to name a few.
Since 1994, Steve has also served as the manager of the 1,500 acre Vigo County Industrial Park. Since the first tenant entered the park in 1995, over 1,400 jobs have been created within the park with a total private sector investment of nearly $500 million.
In addition to his work with the Terre Haute Economic Development Corporation, Steve serves on a number of boards of directors including those of the Terre Haute Chamber of Commerce and the Workforce Network, Inc. Steve is also the current president of the Terre Haute Board of Sanitary Commissioners
Steve earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Economics from Indiana State University. He is also a graduate of the University of Oklahoma’s Economic Development Institute. Additional information on the Terre Haute Economic Development Corporation can be found at www.terrehauteedc.com.
Darrel Zeck
Director of Public Affairs, City of Terre Haute