Essentia Health welcomes four new board members

Essentia Health is pleased to announce four additions to our Board of Directors: Marc Adams, Marci Knight, Dr. Josh Honeyman and Sister Jeanne Ann Weber. The new leaders bring a wide range of experience across sectors and a proven track record of innovation.
“The complexity of the current health care environment requires a strong diversity of knowledge, wisdom and experience around the table to meet the needs of the patients and communities we are privileged to serve at Essentia,” said Dr. David Herman, CEO of Essentia Health. “We are grateful to our board members for sharing their time, talents and commitment to advance the health of our region.”
“Essentia’s legacy of best-practice governance, along with an innovative and talented team and industry-leading quality, helped attract a remarkably strong next generation of directors,” said Al Hodnik, chair of Essentia’s board. “We thank retiring directors whose steadying influence helped guide Essentia through both pandemic disruption as well as major campus transformation. We welcome new directors and their fresh perspectives as Essentia navigates and strategically positions for ongoing excellence amidst a rapidly changing industry.”
The Essentia Health Board of Directors is comprised of 20 voting members, made up of people who have a variety of expertise, including medical, political, religious and business backgrounds, among other things that are vital to leading a successful health care organization.
Marc Adams
Marc Adams is the recently retired executive vice president and chief digital officer of Ecolab Inc. With over two decades at Ecolab, Adams drove digital transformation and operational excellence, leading a global team of 700 and managing a $130 million technology portfolio focused on data analytics and service optimization. His leadership in the Catalyst program modernized Ecolab’s infrastructure, while his role as general manager of the Global Retail division achieved sustained double-digit growth across North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America.
Since retiring, Adams has grown his family business, Woodhouse Spa, by over 100% in three years, expanding its team to over 120, and serves on its Corporate Franchise Advisory Board, guiding innovation and performance. A Fargo native, Adams holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of North Dakota and an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. He resides in North Oaks, Minnesota, with his wife, Amy, and their two children.
Marci Knight
Marci Knight is a seasoned chief marketing officer. With over two decades at American Bank of the North, Knight excelled as chief marketing officer and executive vice president of retail banking, driving strategic marketing, brand management and business development. She led a three-bank charter merger, spearheaded a $10 million new client deposit initiative within six months and raised over $66,000 for nonprofit partners through community events while ensuring regulatory compliance through internal audits.
Knight managed marketing, IT and card services, growing the bank’s portfolio by 72% through innovative programs like a merchant credit card initiative and a high-impact social media campaign generating over 200,000 impressions. A graduate of the University of Minnesota Duluth and Capella University, Knight holds leadership roles on multiple boards, including the Iron Mining Association and United Way of NEMN, earning accolades such as the 2023 Outstanding Women in Banking Award.
Dr. Josh Honeyman
Josh Honeyman, D.O., is an emergency medicine physician. Since 2015, Dr. Honeyman has served as an attending emergency physician at Essentia Health in Fargo, and currently holds leadership roles as division chair of inpatient services, medical director of the sepsis program and section chair of emergency medicine. His contributions include advancing patient care through the Essentia Professional Practice Evaluation Committee and serving as an assistant professor of emergency medicine at the University of North Dakota since 2019.
A graduate of A.T. Still University School of Osteopathic Medicine and the University of North Dakota, Dr. Honeyman completed his emergency medicine residency at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, where he served as chief resident. His research on patient-discharge instructions has improved care delivery, and he has delivered numerous academic lectures on topics like pre-hospital pain management and pediatric emergencies. Certified by the American Board of Emergency Medicine and licensed in North Dakota and Minnesota, Dr. Honeyman is an active member of the North Dakota Medical Association and the American College of Emergency Medicine.
Sister Jeanne Ann Weber
Under the Board of Directors’ bylaws, the Prioress at St. Scholastica Monastery serves as a board member as well. Sister Jeanne Ann Weber joined Essentia’s Board after being selected to serve as the next Prioress of the St. Scholastica Monastery.
 
The Monastery describes Sister Jeanne Ann as a faithful member of the Benedictine community who brings deep spiritual wisdom and decades of leadership experience, including 20 years as Director of Liturgy and the past four years as subprioress. Her election reflects the Sisters’ trust in her commitment to Benedictine values and vision for the future.
These four individuals join the following current board members:

• Alan Hodnik, chair
• Mark Ronnei, vice chair
• Michael Watters, treasury/secretary
• Sister Therese Carson, OSB
• Patrick Courneya, MD
• Frank Frederickson
• David C. Herman, MD, Essentia Health CEO
• Sister Kathleen Hofer, OSB
• Lloyd Ketchum, MD
• Laurie Lewandowski
• LeAnn Littlewolf
• David McMillan
• Kevin Moug
• Tim Pawlenty
• Jane Rudd, MD
• Kimberly Stokes
• Sister Clare Marie Trettel, OSB
• Sandeep Wadhwa, MD