Board of Directors

John Heinmiller

Independent Investor and Consultant

John Heinmiller is a medical device industry expert who brings over three decades of management experience to the Fairview Health Services Board of Directors. During a long career at St. Jude Medical as its executive vice president and CFO, John was responsible for managing finance, human resources, information technology, legal, security, and business development. He oversaw 20 acquisitions totaling roughly $9 billion, smartly and efficiently expanding St. Jude’s portfolio. John was instrumental in negotiating St. Jude Medical’s merger with Abbott Laboratories in 2017, a transaction valued at $31 billion. At the time, St. Jude Medical had approximately $6 billion in annual revenue and employed about 18,000 people.

John was recognized for his financial expertise by Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, which honored him with their “Career Achievement Award” in 2013. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Ohio State University and is a Certified Public Accountant. 

Tim Marx

Counsel, Winthrop & Weinstine, P.A.

Tim Marx serves as Counsel at Winthrop & Weinstine P.A., practicing in the areas of real estate finance, affordable housing, regulatory and government relations, and nonprofit corporations. Prior to that, Marx was president and CEO of Catholic Charities for 10 years. There, he provided leadership for major public/private partnerships, including significant fundraising and advocacy efforts supporting housing stability, child development services, and dignity for older adults. These efforts have resulted in a stronger Twin Cities community and better lives for thousands who experiencing homelessness and poverty. Tim has first-hand knowledge of how housing stability, nutrition, and access to economic opportunity contribute to health and well-being.

Before he joined Catholic Charities in 2011, Tim was a practicing lawyer and public official. He served as city attorney and deputy mayor of Saint Paul, and as Minnesota’s housing commissioner. Tim continues to serve the broader community through various board commitments. Tim is a graduate of St. John’s University, the University of Minnesota Law School, and the Humphrey School of Public Affairs.

Julie S. Causey

Chairman Emeritus, Western Bank

Julie Causey is a tech advisor and investor and longtime bank chairman, and brings a wealth of financial knowledge to the Fairview Board of Directors. She served as executive chairman of Western Bank for 12 years and led the successful sale of the $500 million institution. After its acquisition, Julie continued as executive chairman and served on the board of directors of the $3 billion acquiring bank. She also served on the board of directors of the $30 billion Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis.

Julie has a longstanding connection to the healthcare industry. She is an advisor and accredited investor, focused on healthcare and medical technology. She previously served on the HealthEast Board of Directors, where she chaired the audit and finance committee. HealthEast was acquired by Fairview Health Services in 2017.

Julie serves on the Minnesota Public Radio Board of Trustees. She holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Colby College and an MBA in finance from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Michael Connly

Chief Executive Officer, Connly Solutions

Mike Connly has over two decades of experience leading information and technology strategy for Minnesota companies, helping them adapt and best utilize new capabilities in a fast-paced digital landscape. He served as Chief Technology Officer for UnitedHealth Group, later transitioning to Chief Information Officer for its Optum division. In these roles, Mike helped lead the nation’s largest health insurance company in ensuring security and reliability for customers. He also updated the company’s foundational capabilities, making sure it was easily able to adjust as new, better technologies became available.

Mike’s insight is invaluable to the Fairview Health Services Board of Directors in our increasingly digital landscape. He is able to help evaluate new healthcare technologies, determining how they can allow us to better serve patients. Mike holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Minnesota.

CEO, Texas Health Resources

Barclay Berdan brings his experience as a seasoned healthcare administrator to his role on the Fairview Health Services Board of Directors. He has worked with Texas Health Resources since 1986 in various leadership roles, currently serving as CEO. Texas Health is one of the nation’s largest faith-based, nonprofit health systems. Like Fairview Health Services, it encompasses a range of unique brands and partnerships, including a partnership with the University of Texas aimed at bringing new healthcare innovations to patients. Barclay brings his experience leading this collaboration to M Health Fairview, our joint clinical enterprise with the University of Minnesota and University of Minnesota Physicians. Barclay earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from Texas Christian University and an MBA with a specialization in hospital administration from the University of Chicago.

Division Director of Gynecologic Oncology, University of Minnesota

Melissa Geller embodies Fairview Health Services’ commitment to make leading-edge care available to all Minnesotans. She serves as both a professor and division director of gynecologic oncology in the University of Minnesota Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women’s Health. At M Health Fairview she leads multiple clinical trials and specializes in groundbreaking research in ovarian cancer. Melissa is committed to clinical research, taking the newest scientific breakthroughs and helping translate them into patient care.

Melissa graduated from Boston College with a bachelor’s degree in biology and went on to study at the Chicago Medical School. She completed an internship and residency in obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Minnesota, followed by a fellowship in gynecologic oncology. She holds a master’s degree in clinical research through the University of Minnesota School of Public Health.

CEO, Amethyst Advisory Group

Shawntera Hardy serves as the CEO of Amethyst Advisory Group (AAG), an award-winning consulting firm that provides services in the areas of crisis readiness and response, government relations, and economic development. With over two decades of experience, AAG is widely respected for its expertise in helping clients accelerate agency in disruption. By providing strategic counsel and capacity, AAG supports clients in solving some of the most complex organizational and community issues.

Shawntera currently leads three other ventures: Plural, a venture-backed SaaS company building legislative intelligence tools for discovering, analyzing, and tracking bills in state legislatures and Congress; Certified Access, a supplier development company that helps small businesses obtain and benefit from certification; and Fearless Commerce, a company providing services to amplify and accelerate businesses owned by Black Women.

Previously, Shawntera served as commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development. In this role, she led a team of 1,300 employees and was responsible for an annual budget of over $1.1 billion. As a former Deputy Chief of Staff for Governor Mark Dayton, she was responsible for crisis and emergency management for the State of Minnesota. As a former government relations manager at HealthPartners, Shawntera is uniquely able to advise on the role health systems can play in improving quality of life for all Minnesotans. Shawntera holds a bachelor’s degree in consumer affairs from The Ohio State University, and a master’s degree in urban and regional planning from the State University of New York – Buffalo School of Architecture and Planning.

Financial Advisor, Minneapolis NAACP vice president

PJ Hill is a financial advisor with NorthRock Partners and a current vice president of the Minneapolis chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). He is deeply committed community member and advocate, holding leadership roles at several local nonprofits, including Juxtaposition Arts, Southside Initiatives, and the George Floyd Worldwide Healing Hands Project. He is also a prominent voice for equity within Minneapolis – having served as a keynote speaker for the Minnesota Timberwolves, the 100 Blackmen of America, and at various appearances across Minnesota. When he’s not mentoring and coaching the future leaders of tomorrow, PJ leverages his diverse insights and experiences to drive change and equality throughout his community and beyond.

Fairview President and CEO

Fairview President and CEO James Hereford joined Fairview in 2016 bringing extensive experience in strategically guiding organizations, strengthening core operations and bringing teams together to drive cultural change.

Prior to joining Fairview, James served as chief operations officer at Stanford Health Care. Previous roles included chief operations officer at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation and a series of leadership roles with the Group Health Care Delivery System.

James holds bachelor's and master's degrees in mathematics from Montana State University. He has taught courses with Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business, University of Washington’s Master of Health Administration program and The Ohio State University’s Masters of Business Operations Excellence program. He is a frequent writer and presenter on the topic of lean management systems and transformation.

Vice President, Amazon Web Services

For over two decades, David Levy has focused on the intersection of technology and organizational change. As Vice President of U.S. Government for Amazon Web Services, he helps government and nonprofit customers use technology to transform their organizations and more efficiently fulfill their missions. As technology continues to shape healthcare, David’s experience using new developments to streamline processes and improve customer care have been invaluable to the Fairview Health Services Board of Directors.

Prior to joining Amazon Web Services, David led U.S. public sector business for Apple. In this role, he helped drive the adoption of mobile technologies among federal, state, and local governments. Under his leadership, Apple’s government business grew from $250 million to $1.2 billion over a four-year period. David has a bachelor’s degree in international economics from Texas Tech University.

Divisional Vice President, Abbott Ventures

A practicing cardiac electrophysiologist, electrophysiologist and business leader, Srijoy has wide-ranging health care and entrepreneurial experience and deep familiarity with the system.

Srijoy has three decades of experience in the medical device space ranging from developing novel procedures to starting companies and running clinical trials. Srijoy also worked as Fairview’s Chief Strategy Officer and was a Professor of Medicine and Assistant Dean of Innovation at the University of Minnesota Medical School.

Currently, Srijoy is a Divisional Vice President at the Abbott Ventures, the venture arm of Abbott Laboratories. In this role, he guides Abbott’s entry into new areas of medicine, invests in small innovative companies, and runs an internal startup.

Srijoy has been involved in six startup companies, and products Srijoy helped bring to patients now treat more than 600,000 patients a year worldwide. He holds 12 patents and contributed to more than 100 publications.

Srijoy received a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and an MBA from MIT, completed his medical school training at Tufts, and completed his fellowship training at Mayo Clinic. He was also a consulting cardiologist to the National Basketball Players Association for 15 years.

Executive Chair, Duly Health and Care

For decades, Tami Reller has been a leader at the intersection of healthcare, finance, and technology. Reller started her career at Great Plains Software, and then became a senior executive at Microsoft before joining UnitedHealth Group. There, she was appointed to a diverse set of senior executive roles – including chief financial officer for Optum and the chief marketing and digital experience officer for United Healthcare. From 2021 to 2023, Reller led the largest independent physician group in the United States as the president and CEO of Chicago-based Duly Health and Care.

Reller has extensive board experience. Since 2016, she has served on the board of directors for SPS Commerce, a world-leading retail and trade partner network, including five years as chair. She was also a long-time board member for Avalara and held a four-year term as a member of the Seattle Children’s Hospital Foundation board, including acting as the treasury chair. Reller is an active technology investor and has a master’s degree in business administration from St. Mary’s College in Moraga, California.

Vice Chairman and Chief Risk Officer, U.S. Bank

Jodi Richard is a seasoned risk management leader, most recently for U.S. Bank. She oversees all risk areas – including operational risk, market risk, global compliance and more – and brings her keen financial eye to the Fairview Board of Directors. Prior to joining U.S. Bank in 2014, Jodi worked at HSBC Bank in various leadership roles, including operational risk, risk governance, and administration and regulatory compliance.  

Jodi spent over a decade working for the federal government at the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. In this role, she helped ensure that banks nationwide were operating in a safe and secure manner for their customers. Jodi is respected in her field, serving on the board of the Risk Management Association and speaking frequently at industry events. She holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Northern Iowa. 

Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer, Andersen Corporation

Karen Richard serves as senior vice president and chief human resources officer at Andersen Corporation, a role she has held since 2014. Karen brings her ability to navigate challenging situations, including turnarounds, recessions, CEO transitions, the pandemic, social unrest, natural disasters, and supply chain disruptions, to her role on the board. She also has a passion for supporting women in executive positions and empowering youth. She believes in paving the way for others, as demonstrated by her experience serving on boards for Genesys Works Twin Cities and MPR. She is also involved with GreenLight Fund and Chief.

Karen holds an executive MBA from the University of St. Thomas and a Bachelor of Arts in Accounting from the College of St. Benedict. She has been recognized for her work in human resources with an OnCon Top 10 Chief Human Resources Officer Award in 2023 for success, positive impact, and contribution to the community. Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal recognized her with a Women in Business Award for her leadership and contribution to the Twin Cities community.

Professor Emeritus, University of Minnesota

Kenneth Roering is a Professor Emeritus in the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management. Before retiring, he occupied the prestigious Pillsbury Company-Paul S. Gerot Chair in Marketing from 1982 to 2004 and served as Chairman of the University of Minnesota Marketing Department. Throughout the course of his career, Ken has consulted with some of Minnesota’s largest companies, including 3M, Cargill, Target, and Medtronic. He has shaped their corporate governance, strategic planning, marketing strategy, technology use, and more. Ken has also done research and consulted on senior executive coaching.

His expertise has brought him to Harvard University, Northwestern University, the University of Michigan and others worldwide as a visiting professor and guest lecturer. Ken also brings over 35 years of experience on several boards to his current role with Fairview Health Services. He has been recognized as one of the Outstanding Corporate Directors in the State of Minnesota. He received his bachelor’s degree from St John’s University and his doctorate in business administration from the University of Iowa.  

Senior Fellow, Institute for Healthcare Improvement

Stephen Swensen brings more than three decades of experience in practicing, researching, and teaching medicine to his work on the Fairview Health Services Board of Directors. He served as professor of radiology at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and oversaw the department of radiology on the clinical side. In 2006, he became the system’s director for quality and Safety. In this last role as head of leadership and organizational development, he helped the health system improve physician onboarding and development and led the Professional Burnout Initiative. During an incredibly difficult time for healthcare workers worldwide, Stephen has been an invaluable voice at Fairview Health Services when it comes to supporting our employees as they support patients.

Stephen received his medical degree from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. He completed his residency at the Mayo Clinic and later received a master’s in medical management from Carnegie Mellon University.