Board of trustees
Board of trustees
Patrick Budke
Chief of Police
Buffalo Police Department
Pat joined the Board of Trustees in April 2018. Pat is a career police officer who has worked in several police departments in several capacities. Currently employed as the Chief of Police at the Buffalo Police Department, an agency with twenty full-time employees and twelve volunteers. He attended Concordia University in St. Paul and earned a BA in Non-profit Management and was Magna Cum Laude. He also attended Alexandria Technical College in Alexandria, MN and earned his AAS in Law Enforcement. He is a member and volunteer of the Knights of Columbus - Maple Lake/Annandale; volunteer and board member of Love, Inc. – Big Woods; a board member of Safe Communities of Wright County; and committee chair for the Beyond the Yellow Ribbon - Buffalo. He resides in Buffalo, MN with his wife and six children.
Annette Bohnsack, BSN
District School Nurse
Dassel-Cokato School District
Annette joined the Board of Trustees in September 2016. She is a District School Nurse at Dassel-Cokato School District since July 2011. She oversees district health services, assesses student health needs and maintains student health and immunization records. She has a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing she received from The College of Scholastica in Duluth and a Bachelor of Science in Biology received from Concordia College, Moorhead. She is also a Certified Public Health Nurse. She is a BLS, Heartsaver CPR and First Aid instructor. She is Chairperson of the Miss Cokato Scholarship Program. She is also a church council member and Sunday school teacher.
Gretchen Frederick
Retired
Gretchen joined the Board of Trustees in January 2022. Gretchen has worked in various capacities in healthcare since 1979. She served as a Nurse Surveyor for MN Department of Health from 2020-2021 prior to retiring. Prior to MN Department of Health, she served as the Chief Nursing Officer at Buffalo Hospital, part of Allina Health from 2005-2020. She received certification as a Parish Nurse in 2003 from the College of St. Benedict’s in St. Joseph, MN. She earned her Master of Arts – Health and Human Service Administration in 1988 from St. Mary’s College, Winona, MN and Bachelor of Arts – Nursing in 1979 from the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth, MN. Gretchen resides in Monticello with her husband and has two sons.
Karla Heeter
Retired
Karla joined the Board of Trustees in September 2019. She served as the Buffalo Hospital Fund Director for 10 years and accepted a new position with Chloe’s Courage Fund in June 2019. Not only does Karla share the same passion for horses that Chloe did, she too has endured and survived a cancer diagnosis. With a long history in philanthropy, Karla has a track record of raising significant money for a number of nonprofit and community organizations. Karla is now enjoying retirement with her husband Ron.
Mark Kraemer, MD, FACC
Cardiologist
Metropolitan Heart & Vascular Institute
Dr. Kraemer joined the Board of Trustees for a second time in 2017. He is originally from Yorba Linda, California. He graduated from the University of California-Irvine, College of Medicine. He completed his internal medicine residency and cardiology fellowship at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Kraemer has been in private practice at Metropolitan Heart & Vascular Institute (FKA Metropolitan Cardiology Consultants) since 1995 and is Board Certified in Cardiovascular Diseases. Dr. Kraemer sees new patients as well as those with chronic cardiovascular conditions. He has a particular interest in heart failure, research, and diagnostic imaging. His professional memberships include the Hennepin County Medical Society, the Ramsey County Medical Society and the American College of Cardiology.
Mark Fluharty
Contractor, Controls Specialist & Project Manager Consultant
NRG Energy Center, Minneapolis, MN and San Juan Station, Farmington, MN
Board Patient Representative
Mark joins the Board of Trustees in September 2016 as the new patient representative. He is currently a Contractor, Controls Specialist and Project Manager. He received his certification from St. Could Technical College and completed the Xcel Energy Leadership Pipeline training. Mark is a past member of the St. Cloud Technical & Community College Energy & Electronics Advisory Board. He is a member of NICET (National Industrial Certified Engineering Technicians). His hobbies include travel, motorcycles, reading and history.
Jason Halvorson, MD
Family Practice Physician
Stellis Health Clinic
Dr. Halvorson joined the Board of Trustees in July 2013. He is board-certified in family medicine. He is a hospitalist who also cares for patients who have been admitted to Buffalo Hospital. He is currently employed at Stellis Health Clinic. He was President, Stellis Health Clinic from 2003 – 2009 and is currently serving in that role. He is also Former Adjunct Clinical Faculty, University of Minnesota School of Medicine. Dr. Halvorson is a member of the American Academy of Family Physicians, Minnesota Academy of Family Physicians, and the American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery. Both Buffalo natives, Dr. Halvorson and his wife Ellen have one daughter and two sons. Dr. Halvorson enjoys sports and school events and having lunch with his dad every Tuesday.
Catherine Main, RN, PHN
Public Health Nurse,
Wright County Human Services
Catherine joined the Board of Trustees in February 2015. She is a Public Health Nurse at Wright County Human Services specializing in Disease Prevention & Control. She attended Bemidji State University in Bemidji, MN earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Public Health Certification. She attended Hibbing Community College in Hibbing, MN from 1995 to 1997 earning an Associate’s degree in Nursing.
Chris McClory
President, Insurance Broker
Milestone Medicare
Chris joined the Board of Trustees in January 2022. Chris is the co-founder and President of Milestone Medicare, LLC. He has over 20 years’ experience in the financial services industry. As an independent insurance agent specializing in Medicare insurance, Chris provides his clients with unbiased expert advice on enrolling in Medicare benefits as well as selecting Medicare insurance coverage based on individual client needs. His passion for working with and helping others is what drives him, which is also reflected in his ten years as a volunteer fire fighter and EMT on the Maple Lake Fire Department. Chris and his wife Natalie live in Maple Lake, and they have three children and two grandchildren.
Michael McNelis, MD
OB/Gyn Physician
Allina Health Clinic-St. Michael
Dr. McNelis is a board-certified physician specializing in obstetrics and gynecology. He has professional interests in pelvic organ prolapse, abnormal menses, infertility, intrauterine insemination, artificial insemination, general and high risk obstetrics, urinary incontinence and vaginal birth and cesarean (VBAC). Dr. McNelis grew up in Excelsior, MN. He loves helping women deliver healthy babies and live healthier lives. He also loves doing surgeries that improve women’s lives. In his free time, he enjoys playing video games with his kids, golfing, swimming, running, rollerblading and biking.
Scott Thielman
Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose School District
Superintendent
Dr. Scott Thielman joined the Board of Trustees in July 2013. He came to the Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose School District in 2010 from Albany, Minn., where he had served as a superintendent for four years. Prior to that, he served four years as superintendent for the Kimball, Minn. school district. He began his career in education after graduating from St. Cloud State University in 1988, as an elementary teacher in Corpus Christi, Texas. After a few short years in the district, Thielman advanced to elementary assistant principal and then to elementary principal. Within his 13-year career, he would advance to elementary, middle and finally high school principal before making his move back to Minnesota. While in his various leadership roles, Thielman has been allowed to successfully implement programs that have benefited students and the community. Dr. Thielman served at Buffalo Hospital’s Board Chair from 2016-2017.
Chad Vitzthum
First National Bank of Elk River, NA
Senior Vice President/Lead Market President
Board of Trustees Chair
Chad joined the Board of Trustees in September 2016. He has been the Senior Vice President/Lead Market President at First National Bank of Elk River, NA since May 2010. He received his Bachelors of Business Administration Degree from Iowa State University where he majored in Finance. He is a member of the Finance Committee for the City of Elk River and the I94 West Chamber of Commerce.
Ex-Officio Members
Kelly Spratt
President
Buffalo Hospital & Cambridge Medical Center
Kelly started as the new president of Buffalo Hospital and Cambridge Medical Center on March 11, 2019. In his role across both campuses, Kelly will lead strategy and operations to optimize care coordination throughout the North Region and integrate patient care delivery for the communities we serve. Kelly comes to Allina Health from Hennepin Healthcare, where he oversaw ambulatory care and Emergency Medical Services as chief ambulatory officer. He has 30 years of leadership experience in health care – including a variety of roles with Hennepin Healthcare and North Memorial Health Care – and began his career as a paramedic. Kelly has also served as board chair for Restart, Inc., a non-profit organization that helps adults with brain injury and related disabilities live independently, since 2010. He holds a bachelor's degree in management from Cardinal Stritch University in Milwaukee, and a master's degree in health and human services administration from Saint Mary's University. Kelly resides in Maple Grove with his wife and children.
Amanda Hoffman, MD
Family Medicine Physician, AHC-Annandale/AHC-Cokato
Vice Chief of Staff, Buffalo Hospital
Dr. Amanda Hoffman joined the board as Vice Chief of Staff in January 2021. She is board-certified in family medicine. She attended University of Minnesota Twin Cities/Duluth and College of St. Benedict/St. John’s University, St. Joseph, MN to receive her medical degree. She completed her residencies through the Grand Rapids Family Medicine Residency Program/Michigan State University, Grand Rapids, MI. She is a member of the American Academy of Family Practice and the Minnesota Academy of Family Practice Dr. Hoffman grew up in Hastings, MN, but now resides in Buffalo, MN with her family. Her practice philosophy is: People Matter. Patients, nurses, family. Everyone is different but everyone deserves the same high quality care & compassion.
Angela Oster, MD
Ophthalmologist, West Metro Ophthalmology, PA
Chief of Staff, Buffalo Hospital
Dr. Angela Oster joined the Buffalo Hospital Board of Trustees in January 2019 as Vice Chief of Staff and moved to the Chief of Staff role in January 2021. She grew up in Apple Valley, Minnesota. She received her undergraduate degree in Biology from the University of Miami, after receiving an academic scholarship. She stayed in Miami and earned her M.D. degree from the University of Miami School of Medicine. She proudly joined the Navy and worked for three years as Senior Medical Officer at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego, California. Dr. Oster then went back to Miami and completed her Ophthalmology residency at the renowned Bascom-Palmer Eye Institute. Dr. Oster decided to move back to San Diego where she worked at the private Scripps Clinic and served as the ophthalmologist for the San Diego Padres baseball team. In 2004, the draw of family and quality of life brought her back to Minnesota, joining West Metro Ophthalmology. She found a practice that matched her goals of providing excellent eye care in a comfortable, patient-oriented setting. She is board certified in Ophthalmology and her interests include comprehensive ophthalmology, advanced cataract surgical techniques and glaucoma treatment.