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Health Care Leaders

David M. Schultz, MD

CEO | Nura Pain Clinics

Influence: As an anesthesiologist working in labor and delivery at North Memorial, I was able to stop the pain of labor with an epidural catheter infusion. I loved doing a procedure that could provide such immediate relief of suffering and focused my career on pain relief. This was 1990 and image-guided pain management was in its infancy. I am entrepreneurial by nature and this new medical specialty presented opportunities to innovate.

Leadership: Heartfelt gratitude and collaboration with your team is the most important part of leadership. Saying thank you, calling out good work, pitching in when times are tough and showing kindness and compassion can motivate others to perform at the top of their abilities and help leaders transform the workplace into a great place to be.

Rachelle H. Schultz, Ed.D

President and CEO | Winona Health 

Influence: During a fellowship with a health system CEO I was given full access to his work, often acting as a sounding board for his leadership. This gave me unique insights early in my career. He has continued to provide mentorship and guidance in my development. Those fundamental lessons continue to be of great value and applicability today.

Leadership: People are the most important factor in both developing and expressing leadership. Communication is critical and must be multidirectional. It’s never about knowing everything, it’s about setting a direction (vision) and enlisting people’s knowledge, expertise, hearts and minds. Talent development is a key responsibility. We should never stop learning and evolving. It’s the only way to move forward.

Nneka O. Sederstrom, PhD, MPH, MA, FCCP, FCCM

Chief Health Equity Officer | Hennepin Healthcare

Influence: My parents were the biggest influence on my career but today my children are. My parents overcame various obstacles to become the best at what they did, and they instilled in me the understanding that I can become the best at what I choose to do. I choose to improve the lives of the community I serve and in doing this work I ensure my children will reap the benefits.

Leadership: It takes trust and humility to ask people to go down paths that may seem to have no clear direction or promise of success. Without gaining their trust and the humility to be OK with getting things wrong, or not knowing what to do next when it happens, leading is disrespectful and ineffective.

Lisa Shannonn, MBA

President and CEO | Allina Health

Influence: My father and his mother served as life mentors who modeled a strong work ethic and lives rooted in service to others. My early career as a dietitian on a burn and trauma team taught me valuable lifelong lessons. The best care relies on people with different roles working in collaboration to provide multidisciplinary care ensuring optimal outcomes for our patients. 

Leadership: Heartfelt gratitude and collaboration with your team is the most important part of leadership. Saying thank you, calling out good work, pitching in when times are tough and showing kindness and compassion can motivate others to perform at the top of their abilities and help leaders transform the workplace into a great place to be.

Teri Shelton

Co-CEO | Integrity Health Network

Influence: Physicians. I’ve seen the challenges they face in the health care landscape, which has fueled my passion for independent medicine. My goal is to ease the administrative burden faced by independent physicians so that they can focus on patient care, decrease burnout and practice medicine the way they see fit. 

Leadership: A great leader fosters collaboration, communication, accountability and team empowerment and ensures that the team is aligned with the vision and values of the company.

Janet Silversmith, MA

CEO | Minnesota Medical Association

Influence: Bob Meiches, MD, who served as MMA CEO from 2003-2017. During that time, I led MMA’s health policy efforts and enjoyed the wonky, detailed work involved in researching and crafting policy. He helped me see my additional potential. He challenged me to think beyond my comfort zone, connected me with a career coach and invested in my leadership development.

Leadership: Having a vision is essential — a clear, articulated direction. Effective leadership requires self-awareness and emotional intelligence. It can be challenging to say no, to deliver difficult news or to cut program budgets. Honest and empathetic communication, with genuine sensitivity to those directly affected, matters and is appreciated. Finally, surrounding yourself with smart and creative people is a great recipe for success.

Dawn Simonson, MPA

President and CEO | Trellis

Influence: Olivia Mastry, Collective Action Lab. I met Olivia when I interviewed for the leadership position at Trellis. Olivia has always been committed to helping older adults and family caregivers thrive. She taught me the power of collective impact and to think big. She is incredibly skilled in facilitation and in synthesis of similar and disparate input and helped me understand that concise, clear communication is a key ingredient in setting strategy and for effective collaboration.

Leadership: We are internally striving to standardize and collaborate with traditional “competitors” in order to improve on our ability to deliver services in a comprehensive and integrated way, never losing sight of the individual for whom we care.

Julie Sjordal

CEO | St. David’s Center for Child & Family Development

Influence: The writings of Margaret Wheatley take complex ideas and illustrate beautiful solutions, leading with humanity and sustainability. Jean Hammink and Scott Harman are also mentors. Jean helped me utilize emotional intelligence, and Scott introduced me to emerging research on brain development, infant mental health and the importance of the parent-child relationship. 

Leadership: The heart of excellent leadership is just that: heart. That means truly believing in your work and having the courage to make bold, and sometimes difficult, decisions. It means truly valuing every team member as a human being and respected colleague. It means manifesting humility by creating space for staff to share their strengths, vision and shared ownership of success. It also involves transparency in communicating a strategic plan for sustainability and growth. 

Hsieng Su, MD

Chief Medical Executive | Allina Health

Influence: I watched a physician in my neighborhood give stitches to my friend who had fallen down a flight of stairs. We could not afford to pay, but he helped her out of compassion. That’s when I knew. My grandmother questioned my ambitions, women in her times did not pursue medicine. I told her I wanted to help people and make our communities healthier. It has been my honor to make that my guiding principle ever since.

Leadership: It is about listening, serving and empowering — about understanding the perspectives and needs of others. I practice servant leadership, to support, inspire and appreciate my team members. It’s about empowering a team to find partnerships and co-create solutions to problems. Those are the key elements that make a leader effective and ethical.

Kip Sullivan, JD

Member | Policy Committee Health Care for All Minnesota

Influence: My career turned out not to match my education. I majored in economics in college and then obtained a law degree. When I fell in love with organizing for universal health insurance, no one taught me health policy; I had to teach myself. That was a blessing. I didn’t have to unlearn the managed-care ideology taught in most graduate schools for the last 40 years.

Leadership: Leadership that improves the world is done by those who enjoy collaborating. They engage in thorough discussions with others, including those they disagree with. They base their decisions on what’s best for society, not just for themselves, and on rigorous research (if it’s available). And they speak out clearly and persuasively against trendy groupthink and dangerous nonsense.