Board of Directors

Dr. Hager practices at Essentia Health in Fargo, North Dakota and has been active in the chiropractic industry since 1993. He is currently working on a team that is developing the region’s first spine center that will involve collaboration of multi-disciplinary staff in delivering patient-centered care. In addition to his work at Essentia Health, Dr. Hager has his own consulting business where he advises independent chiropractors, third-party payors, and industry associations.

Dr. Hager served as the director of chiropractic services at Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota for 15 years and currently sits on the Board for Logan University.

Dr. Hager holds degrees from North Dakota State University and Palmer College of Chiropractic, and received advanced leadership training from the Chiropractic Leadership Institute at the University of St. Thomas.

Ms. Finch is the CEO of Logistics Health Inc (OptumServe Health Services), a wholly owned business of Optum (owned by UnitedHealth Group) focused on providing health services to the Department of Defense, Veterans administration, government and commercial entities. 

Ms. Finch has 35 years of experience in Information Technology and has worked at USBank, St. Jude Medical, Assurant, Fortis, HealthPartners, Arthur Andersen, MedVision, MedPower, and MidWest Federal.  Her roles within these organizations have included: IT Governance, Portfolio, Program and Project Management (EPMO), Development Mgmt, IT Operations, Security, Compliance, and Strategic Planning, among others.

Ms. Finch has a Doctorate in Organization Development, a Master’s degree in Software Engineering from St. Thomas University, Bachelor’s degree in Business Science from the University of Minnesota, and degrees in Computer Operations/Computer Programming from Century College.

Ms. Finch is a previous board member of the Minnesota High Tech Association (Promoting Science, Technology, Engineering and Math careers) and BestPrep (Promoting K-12 Finance/Business Education).  She has served as a mentor for Menttium 100 for seven years as well as an adjunct professor at the University of St. Thomas teaching eLearning/Knowledge Management/Performance Improvement for eight years.

Dan is a progressive leader, advisor, mentor and board member who excels at developing strategy, driving execution and stewarding financial stability.  Dan helps key stakeholders develop visionary solutions that improve productivity and profit, build strong teams, achieve superior quality standards, and attain a high level of customer satisfaction.

Dan currently serves as Chief Financial Officer at North Memorial Health. In this role, Dan is responsible for developing financial strategies, overseeing revenue cycle, managing payor relationships, supply chain, treasury and leading population health initiatives. He also plays a key role in the organization’s strategic planning process and is responsible for the development and implementation of financial strategies, financial planning, business development and system of financial reporting and controls to drive change and help navigate to successful results through creativity and innovation.

Prior to joining North Memorial Health, Dan served as the Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Fairview Health Services, responsible for system-wide financial performance of a $6B multi-segment health care delivery and financing organization.

Dan holds a Master of Public Health Administration from the University of Minnesota and a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from Bethel University.

Rene’ Coult-Calendine is an accomplished executive and future-forward thought leader best known for the development and advancement of enterprise strategies and innovative solutions that improve the healthcare experience. In her many leadership roles, most recently as Vice President of Business Development at MHealth Fairview, she contributed significantly to the economic viability of those organizations for which she worked, through the advancement of new products, new partnerships and new sales.  She brings a unique perspective having worked in both care delivery and health insurance and is known for being an energetic and engaging leader. Rene’ has worked her whole career in health care and although she is currently retired, stays engaged in health care through consulting, board and committee involvement.  She holds a B.S. in Education and an M.B.A. in Marketing.

Dr. Cunniff is an interventional physiatrist with over 35 years of healthcare experience. He is affiliated with the Courage Kenny Spine Clinical Service Line at Allina Health and has offices in Minneapolis, Edina, Plymouth and Buffalo, MN. Prior to relocating to Minnesota in 2016 he was an Assistant Professor at the University of Utah School of Medicine. Dr. Cunniff is a Diplomate of the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners, the National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners, the National Board of Medical Examiners, the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, and the American Board of Pain Medicine.

After graduating from Western States Chiropractic College in 1987 Dr. Cunniff worked in the chiropractic field for 10 years before returning to school for advanced medical training. In 2002 he graduated from Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine. Following a one-year internship in Internal Medicine at St. Vincent Hospital in Worcester, MA he completed a three-year Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation residency at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. He returned to Worcester to complete a one-year fellowship in Interventional Spine procedures at UMass Memorial Medical Center.

Dr. Cunniff is a member of the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and the Spine Intervention Society.

Dr. Mark Dehen, a graduate of Northwestern College of Chiropractic and Creighton University, has been in practice at the Back to Wellness Clinic in North Mankato since 1987, and has been its President since 2002. Dr. Dehen has been the Mayor of North Mankato since 2011, and has served in several community organizations, including Mankato’s Chamber of Commerce, the United Way, Loyola Catholic High School as a school board member and chair. Dr. Dehen has authored several articles in the scientific literature and has certificates in whiplash, industrial consultation, and back pain recognition. Among other awards, Dr. Dehen has received the MCA Chiropractor of the Year and John Allenburg Meritorious Award , NWHSU Distinguished Alumnus, as well as voted Best Chiropractor by Mankato Magazine in 2012 and 2013. Dr. Dehen is a Fellow in the International College of Chiropractors.

As chief executive officer, Patricia Dennis provides strategic leadership and establishes long-ranging goals, strategies, and policies. Working in concert with the Board and Leadership Team, she guides Fulcrum in delivering high-quality, evidence-based physical medicine services.

Prior to joining Fulcrum, Ms. Dennis served as Senior Vice President for Health and Care Engagement at HealthPartners. In this role, she was responsible for the vision, strategic direction, and operational leadership to improve health and care for patients and members by delivering an integrated and personalized experience.  Her areas of responsibility included behavioral health; case and disease management; health and well-being; quality improvement; utilization management; regulatory compliance; accreditation; worksite health; employer clinics; business development and integration; and health engagement solutions. In addition to her work at HealthPartners, Ms. Dennis has also served in leadership roles at Healthways/Tivity and Medica, and has held management positions in banking, commercial construction, and government service industries.

Ms. Dennis graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from Minot State University, with additional specialized executive education from St. Thomas University, the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, and the Harvard School of Business. Ms. Dennis is a recent graduate of the Leadership Program in Integrative Healthcare at Duke University.

In 2009, Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal honored Ms. Dennis as one of its “Women to Watch.”

Dr. Gebhardt-Fitzgerald is originally from Oakes, North Dakota. She graduated with honors from the University of Jamestown with a BA in Biology in 2001. This prepared her to attend Northwestern Health Sciences University and receive her Doctor of Chiropractic degree in 2005.

After working as an associate chiropractor in Plymouth, MN, she began working for Northwestern as an assistant professor and faculty clinician. She provided patient care and integrated intern education into her practice. Shortly after moving to their Woodwinds clinic in 2007, she took on the additional role as Chief of Staff, allowing her to manage some of the day-to-day tasks and business activities of the clinic. In 2015, Northwestern Health Sciences University decided to divest themselves of the Woodwinds clinic, and Dr. Fitzgerald, along with Dr. Smith, purchased the facility, making the Natural Care Center of Woodbury an independent and solely provider owned clinic starting in September 2015.

Dr. Fitzgerald has a general family practice, and enjoys treating all ages, from newborns to elderly individuals. She is also certified in chiropractic acupuncture and has participated in continuing education that focused on nutrition and rehabilitation.

Samantha Hanson brings a unique leadership perspective earned from her experience in diverse and dynamic organizations across health care, technology, HR services and retail industries.  She was most recently the Chief Administrative Officer for North Memorial Health where she led HR, IT, Strategy, Marketing, Outreach & Communications, Provider Services, Quality, DE&I, and Customer Experience.  Her vision is to provide unified shared services that enable nimble organizational shifts in customer experience, workforce readiness, empowered analytics, quality outcomes, and profitable growth for the health system.  She is committed to driving differentiated service and experience in health care.

Prior to joining North Memorial Health, Samantha was Chief Human Resources Office for Children’s Minnesota.  While at Children’s, she drove dramatic improvements to workforce engagement and enabling a culture where the system delivered improved clinical and financial outcomes.  Preparing her for executive roles in health care systems, Samantha’s earlier experience included SVP of OptumInsight Human Capital where she helped shape the provider business segment – now a cornerstone business unit for United Health Group.  She also held leadership positions in industry-transformative companies in HR technology (Vurv/Taleo) and retail (Best Buy). 

Samantha believes in service to community and holds governance roles with Fulcrum Health https://www.fulcrumhealthinc.org/ , BanQu https://banqu.co/ and St. Catherine University https://www.stkate.edu/ .

When not working to transform health care systems to deliver unmatched customer experience for its patients and employees, Samantha loves outdoor adventures including hiking and remote camping with her family.  She holds a bachelor of arts degree in psychology from the University of Minnesota, and masters coursework in Public Administration from the University of North Florida.

Dr. Magnani earned her Doctor of Chiropractic degree from National University of Health Sciences in Lombard, IL. She is currently part of the Integrated Provider Group of Minnesota that formed in 2023. It is a group of 12 chiropractors across 8 clinic sites within the Allina Health System, focusing on integration and collaboration with all medical professionals. Dr, Magnani has been a speaker at several chiropractic conferences and continues to collaborate with Northwestern Health Sciences University to improve the student experience.

Dr. Elena Pekurovsky is a chiropractor, licensed acupuncturist, and Chinese Medicine practitioner in Golden Valley, MN with more than two decades of clinical work in private practice in Twin Cities. Originally from Russia and born into a family of a pediatric surgeon, she was exposed to medicine and conversations about optimal health and solutions from an early age.

In addition to her Doctor of Chiropractic degree from NWHSU in Bloomington, MN, she is a licensed acupuncturist and has a Bachelor of Science in Human Biology.  Dr. Pekurovsky was also awarded Summa Cum Laude from NWHSU/CAOM when she obtained her Masters of Oriental Medicine. Currently, she is working on a doctorate degree in Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine from the Pacific University of Health and Science (former PCOM) and has a passion for helping her patients to feel better physically and emotionally. 

Dr. Carson Muth, a graduate of Palmer College of Chiropractic and Concordia University. He has also received advanced leadership training from the Chiropractic Leadership Institute at the University of St. Thomas. He has been in practice in Grand Forks, ND since 2009. He is a past president of the North Dakota Chiropractic Association (NDCA) and continues to serve the NDCA Board of Directors as the State Affiliation Representative for the American Chiropractic Association (ACA). He was awarded the NDCA Chiropractor of the Year in 2020. Dr. Muth is also the current District 4 Clinical Compass Representative for ChiroCongress.