Mercy Health Foundation Northwest Arkansas adds new board members

HealthcareNorthwest Arkansas

by Talk Business & Politics staff ([email protected]) August 25, 2022 7:22 am 1,447 views 

The nonprofit group Mercy Health Foundation Northwest Arkansas announced multiple new members on Wednesday (Aug. 24) to its 24-member board of directors.

Joining the board are:

  • Mike Curtis, vice president, sales – Walmart & Sam’s Club, Anheuser-Busch;
  • Laurice Hachem-Roberts, president, Hachem Investments;
  • Ryan Harrington, vice president, sales – Walmart & Sam’s Club, General Mills;
  • Moneka Krouse, vice president, category insights and strategy, PepsiCo;
  • Nathan Smith, senior vice president, J.B. Hunt Transport Inc.;
  • Stefan Sterns, partner, NewRoad Capital Partners; and
  • Dick Trammel, board member emeritus, retired, Arvest Bank.

Board officers consist of:

  • Chair Susan Peacock, director of strategy, Ingeborg Investments;
  • Vice Chair Kasie Yokley, co-founder, 3W Magazine;
  • Treasurer Pat Curran, former chief operating officer, Walmart; and
  • Secretary Mike Crist, leadership development, TMC Transportation.

The immediate former chair is Karen Parker, retired, Walmart Foundation.

Additional board members are:

  • Kerry Bailey, vice president, Walmart – enterprise business development, WestRock;
  • Sonal Bhakta, vice president, medical affairs, Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas;
  • Ben Blakeman, president, Blakeman’s Fine Jewelry;
  • Bert Kell, trust officer, senior vice president, Arvest Bank;
  • Loriane Pickell, senior counsel, Walmart;
  • Eric Scott, business leader and philanthropist;
  • Latriece Watkins, executive vice president, Walmart; and
  • Reg Yarbrough, president, The Consumer Products Group LLC.

Ex-officio board members are:

  • Christy Blackshear, volunteer, Mercy Hospital Auxiliary;
  • Clark Ellison, vice president, Mercy Health Foundation;
  • Ryan Gehrig, president, Mercy Hospitals Arkansas;
  • Tammi Harmoning, vice president, finance, Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas; and
  • Michele Villines, manager, strategic initiatives, Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas.

Board members are ambassadors to help raise money for Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas in Rogers.

“Our board members serve as an essential bridge to our community and provide us with invaluable leadership and support throughout the year,” Ellison said in a statement. “Their devotion to our Mercy ministry of healing serves as a compass in the good times and during the most challenging moments. As we move into the second phase of our expansion efforts, we couldn’t ask for better stewards of our mission to make high-quality, low-cost health care more accessible to the Northwest Arkansas community.”