Kenneth Paulus

President and chief executive officer

Kenneth H. Paulus is the president and chief executive officer of Allina Health. Prior to his appointment as CEO, he served as the president and chief operating officer of Allina Health, responsible for the operations of Allina Health hospitals, specialty operations and clinic groups. In his time at Allina Health he has led numerous growth initiatives; including joint ventures, strategic partnerships and acquisitions that have positioned Allina Health as the market share leader in the region.

Before joining Allina Health in 2005, Mr. Paulus was president and chief executive officer of Massachusetts-based HealthOne Care System, one of the nation's largest integrated physician organizations and a teaching and research affiliate of Harvard Medical School. Before his time at HealthOne, he served as the chief operating officer of Boston-based Partners Community HealthCare/Partners HealthCare System. Partners HealthCare System is a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School that includes two of the nation's leading hospitals - Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women's Hospital.

Mr. Paulus serves on the Board of Overseers for the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Business, is a trustee with Hamline University, and serves on the executive committee and board of directors for the Minnesota Hospital Association.

Mr. Paulus is a Wisconsin native, was raised in Chicago, and is a 1983 graduate of the University of Minnesota Masters Program in Healthcare Administration. He earned his bachelors degree in biological sciences with a concentration in chemistry from Augustana College in Illinois.

Penny Ann Wheeler, MD

Chief clinical officer

Penny Wheeler, MD, chief clinical officer (CCO) of Allina Health, leads the organization's clinical quality and improvement agenda by collaborating with medical staffs, the Allina Health Board of Directors' Physician Governance Council and medical directors. She is responsible for ensuring best-of-practice approaches, ongoing innovation and excellence in care, and supporting the development and retention of effective clinicians.

A board-certified obstetrician/gynecologist, Dr. Wheeler has served patients at Women's Health Consultants in Minneapolis and taught as an associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Minnesota. She has served as president of Abbott Northwestern Hospital's medical staff, as chairperson and vice-chairperson of the hospital's obstetrics and gynecology department and on numerous committees.

Prior to assuming the position of CCO in June 2006, Dr. Wheeler served on the Allina Health Board of Directors, where she led the Quality Committee. Her educational background includes an undergraduate degree with honors from the University of Minnesota, and a doctorate of medicine degree from the University of Minnesota Medical School.

Duncan P. Gallagher

Executive vice president of administration
Chief financial officer

Duncan P. Gallagher, chief financial officer of Allina Health, is responsible for ensuring that Allina Health resources are deployed properly to enhance the quality, safety and effectiveness of the care Allina Health provides to patients and communities.

Prior to joining the Allina Health Executive Leadership Team in August 2009, Mr. Gallagher was the executive vice president and chief operating and financial officer of Iowa Health System based in Des Moines, Iowa. Mr. Gallagher spent 10 years in that role overseeing all of the finance functions as well as administrative functions including legal services, human resources, information technology, strategy, supply chain management and payer contracting.

Prior to his time at Iowa Health System, Mr. Gallagher was a partner with KPMG Peat Marwick based in Minneapolis, Kansas City, and Dallas. He spent 10 years with KPMG leading client engagements with large hospital systems. Prior to his time with KPMG he was a director of finance at Health East Care System in the late '80s and was a senior auditor with Peat Marwick Mitchell and Company in the early to mid '80s.

Mr. Gallagher completed his master's degree in business administration from the University of Minnesota in 1989. He earned a bachelor's degree in 1983 from the University of South Dakota.

Ben Bache-Wiig, MD

System vice president
President, Abbott Northwestern Hospital

Ben Bache-Wiig, MD, is president of Abbott Northwestern Hospital, the largest Allina Health hospital. Prior to this role, Dr. Bache-Wiig served as vice president of medical affairs for Abbott Northwestern from 2009 to 2011.

Dr. Bache-Wiig is board-certified in internal medicine. As an accomplished medical executive, he supports values-based leadership and advocates for high-quality patient care. He completed his undergraduate studies at Michigan State University. He attended medical school at the University of Wisconsin and completed a residency in internal medicine at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.

Dr. Bache-Wiig has 20 years of experience as part of the North Clinic, PA, a multi-specialty clinic with more than 50 physicians, serving both as a medical director and physician president. He has been recognized several times by Minneapolis/St. Paul magazine as one of the area's top physicians.

Sara Criger

System vice president
President, Mercy Hospital

Sara Criger has been president of Mercy Hospital since July 1, 2012. Ms. Criger held several executive level positions in the twin cities market prior to joining Allina Health. She held various positions during fifteen years of service with Fairview Health Services, including Vice President, Ambulatory Services, University of Minnesota Medical Center, Fairview, and President, Fairview Ridges Hospital and Clinics. More recently she held the position of vice president, HealthEast Care System and CEO, St. Joseph's Hospital, a 258 bed tertiary hospital. Ms. Criger also led HealthEast system responsibilities for cardiovascular, neurosciences, and mental health service lines, as well as, the HealthEast Medical Laboratories and HealthEast Hospice Care.

Ms. Criger holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from Western Connecticut State University and a master's of science degree in health services administration from the University of St. Francis.

Ms. Criger is active in the community, serving as the 2012 Chair of the St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce Board, and a member of the American Hospital Association Regional Policy Board, Minnesota Hospital Association Policy and Advocacy Committee, Twin Cities American Heart and Stroke Association Board, and Life Source Organ and Tissue Donation Board.

Thomas O'Connor

System vice president
President, United Hospital

Tom O'Connor is president of United Hospital. This role includes leadership of Allina Health Emergency Medical Services, Allina Health Pharmacy, and River Falls Area Hospital.

Mr. O'Connor began his career with Allina Health in 1997, managing five owned and eight managed rural hospitals as vice president of operations for Allina Regional Health Services until 2001. As corporate vice president of operations for Allina Health, he led the administrative redesign and system-wide financial improvement necessitated by the Allina Health split with Medica Health Plan in 2002. He then served as president of St. Francis Regional Medical Center until 2007, when he became president of Mercy Hospital in Coon Rapids.

Mr. O'Connor began his career in health care management in Georgia and Florida, including serving as chief operating officer of Capital Regional Medical Center in Tallahassee.

A Minnesota native, Mr. O'Connor has master's degrees in health services administration and in business administration from the University of Minnesota and a bachelor's degree in economics/finance from St. Olaf College in Northfield.

Elizabeth Truesdell Smith, JD, MPH

System vice president, General Counsel

Elizabeth Truesdell Smith is Senior Vice President and General Counsel for Allina Health. Ms. Truesdell Smith has served as in-house counsel for Allina Health since December 2000. Prior to her appointment as General Counsel, she held the position of Vice President of the Allina Health Law Department medical-legal team. During her tenure at Allina Health, Ms. Truesdell Smith has served as a lead counsel representing providers, hospitals and business leaders in health law areas including patient safety, enterprise risk management, professional liability litigation, medical staff, patient care and corporate regulatory matters.

Before joining Allina Health, Ms. Truesdell Smith practiced as a trial lawyer for eight years with a focus on hospital and health law, medical professional liability and medical products liability litigation defense.

Ms. Truesdell Smith received her JD from the University of Minnesota Law School, and earned a Master’s of Public Health with a health law and bioethics concentration from Boston University School of Public Health. She has worked in biomedical laboratory research at Harvard Medical School and in biomedical ethics at Boston City Hospital, Boston University School of Public Health and the Center for Bioethics at the University of Minnesota.

Robert Wieland, MD

Executive vice president, Clinic and Community Division

Robert Wieland, MD, has been employed by Allina Health since 1994. His role includes leadership of 56 clinic sites, which employ 863 physicians and advanced care practitioners. He also provides oversight of Home & Community Services (hospice and palliative care, homecare, senior care transitions, care navigation and contact center), the Allina Integrated Medical Network and Allina Strategy & Business Development.

Prior to this role, Dr. Wieland served as the vice president of medical affairs at Abbott Northwestern Hospital from 2006 to 2009. Dr. Wieland serves on the quality and finance committees of the Allina Health Board of Directors, as well as several community boards.

Earlier in his career, Dr. Wieland was a district medical director for Allina Medical Clinic. He also co-founded the Hospitalist Service at Abbott Northwestern Hospital and practiced as a hospitalist there for 12 years before turning his focus to healthcare leadership.

Dr. Wieland earned his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering at the University of Minnesota, his medical degree at the University of Minnesota Medical School and completed internal medicine training at Abbott Northwestern Hospital.

Lori Wightman

System vice president
President, Unity Hospital

Lori Wightman is the president of Unity Hospital in Fridley. Prior to that she was the president at New Ulm Medical Center in New Ulm, Minnesota for more than eight years.

Lori Wightman is a registered nurse with a master's in health care administration from the University of Colorado. Active in the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE), Wightman has served as regent for Minnesota and currently is a governor on the Board of Governors for the College.

Wightman has a varied background that includes having held positions as a health care consultant, building project coordinator, political campaign manager and general manager of a professional basketball team.