Mercy Health Foundation appoints 3 new NWA board members

Mercy Health Foundation Northwest Arkansas announced Thursday (Aug. 31) three new members to its 24-member board of directors.

Joining the board are:

• Charan Dhaliwal, managing member, IPH Operational Enterprises;
• Ryan Faust, founding partner and managing principal, BUF Studio;
• Jennifer Necessary, community leader.

New board officers include:

• Chair Kasie Yokley, co-founder, 3W Magazine;
• Vice Chair Nathan Smith, senior vice president of operations, J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc.;
• Treasurer Stefan Sterns, partner, NewRoad Capital Partners;
• Secretary Moneka Krouse, vice president of category insights and strategy, Walmart Inc. team, PepsiCo.

The immediate former chair is Susan Peacock, vice president, strategy and external relations, Ingeborg Investments.

According to a news release, board members serve as ambassadors for Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas in Rogers and guide Mercy Health Foundation Northwest Arkansas in its pursuit of collaborative partnerships to enhance quality of life in Northwest Arkansas and strive toward making health care accessible for all.

“Our board members serve as a crucial link to our community, providing the foundation with the guidance and backing we need to be successful in our mission,” said Clark Ellison, vice president, Mercy Health Foundation. “The commitment of their time and effort to advancing Mercy’s vision for health care in Northwest Arkansas is critical to our healing ministry, especially during the second phase of our ongoing $500 million expansion. We couldn’t ask for a better group of leaders to help us achieve our goal of improving our region’s accessibility to high-quality, low-cost health care.”

Additional board members include Kerry Bailey, vice president, Walmart global business development, WestRock; Dr. Sonal Bhakta, chief medical officer, Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas; Ben Blakeman, president, Blakeman’s Fine Jewelry; Michael Curtis, vice president, sales – Walmart & Sam’s Club, Anheuser-Busch; Laurice Hachem-Roberts, president, Hachem Investments; Bert Kell, trust officer and senior vice president, Arvest Bank; Eric Scott, special limited partner, Solamere Capital LLC; Dick Trammel, board member emeritus, retired, Arvest Bank; and Reg Yarbrough, president, The Consumer Products Group LLC.

Ex-officio members of the board are Ellison; Christy Blackshear, volunteer, Mercy Hospital Auxiliary; Ryan Gehrig, president, Mercy Arkansas Communities; Tammi Harmoning, chief financial officer, Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas; and Michele Villines, manager of strategic initiatives, Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas.