News Release: 12/19/2024

Essentia Health announces seven new members for board of directors
Essentia Health is pleased to announce seven new additions to our Board of Directors. The following members will join us at the beginning of 2025.
Sister Therese Carson
Growing up in Michigan, Sister Therese Carson earned a bachelor’s degree in medical technology from Mercy College of Detroit and a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from the University of Michigan, Dearborn. Sister Therese worked in hospital laboratories, including managing a microbiology lab, in the Detroit area and in northern Michigan for 38 years. She now serves as an administrative assistant for the development and vocations offices and as the director of transportation for the St. Scholastica Monastery. Sister Therese has been active on a variety of committees and boards with Essentia Health since 2015. She is the volunteer Eucharistic minister at St. Mary’s Medical Center in Duluth.
Dr. Patrick Courneya
Dr. Patrick Courneya was most recently the chief medical officer for Health Partners Health Plan, before retiring in 2023. He has an extensive medical background, serving in various leadership roles at Health Partners and Virtuwell along with 23 years of clinical experience as a family medicine physician. Dr. Courneya has served on numerous committees and commissions that focus on health and community building. He received his medical degree from the University of Minnesota and graduated summa cum laude from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in biology.
Frank Frederickson
Frank Frederickson is vice president of customer experience and engineering services at Duluth-based Minnesota Power. Prior to joining Minnesota Power in 2007, he was employed by 3M Company as a senior process development engineer and has held various leadership and project-development positions with other renewable energy providers and programs. Originally from International Falls, Minnesota, Frederickson has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering from the University of Minnesota. He is involved at the board level with a variety of community organizations, including currently serving as board chair for the Area Partnership for Economic Expansion in Duluth. He and his wife, Mary, live in Duluth with their six children.
LeAnn Littlewolf
LeAnn Littlewolf is the executive director of the American Indian Community Housing Organization (AICHO), a Duluth-based nonprofit that provides housing and support services for Native American people. She has dedicated much of her time and energy to supporting the homeless population, working in women’s health and as a community organizer. She has 30 years of experience working for nonprofits and has served on the board of directors for several organizations, including TakeAction Minnesota, Native Sun and the Lake Superior College Foundation Board. A Duluth resident, Littlewolf received her master’s degree in education, as well as a bachelor’s degree in education and history, from the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth. She also earned a master’s in advocacy and political leadership from the University of Minnesota Duluth.
David McMillan
David McMillan was interim chancellor at the University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD) from 2022 to 2024, and on the University of Minnesota’s Board of Regents from 2011 to 2022. He held a variety of positions at Minnesota Power and Allete from 1989 to 2018, including Allete’s senior vice president of external affairs and Minnesota Power’s executive vice president. McMillan received a bachelor’s degree in economics and history from UMD and a law degree from the University of Minnesota. He is the chair of the Great Lakes Seaway Advisory Board. Previous board experience includes the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, UMD’s Natural Resources Research Institute, the Area Partnership for Economic Expansion and Goodwill Industrial Vocational Enterprises. McMillian also is a University of Minnesota Foundation trustee.
Tim Pawlenty
Tim Pawlenty, a former two-term governor of Minnesota, joins Essentia’s board of directors with a deep and diverse background in law and governance. Prior to his time as governor, Pawlenty served two terms in the Minnesota House of Representatives, where he was Majority Leader for both terms. As governor, he was responsible for a $50 billion biennial budget, 30,000 employees and more than 20 agencies and departments. His work as governor included promoting international business opportunities through trade missions to nine countries. Pawlenty has served as a board member for publicly traded and privately held companies, such as Digital River, JDA, Smart Sand, ConvergeOne, Miromatrix, Inmar and Tiburon. He also has served as a member of New Mountain Capital’s Executive Advisory Council. Pawlenty practiced law for 14 years, in the areas of criminal prosecution, civil litigation and appeals. He received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Minnesota, with Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Kappa Phi honors, and his Juris Doctor from the University of Minnesota Law School.
Dr. Sandeep Wadhwa
Dr. Sandeep Wadhwa has been immersed in health care, most recently as global chief medical officer for 3M Health Information Systems in Denver, Colorado, where he resides. He also has held chief medical officer roles at Solera Health, Noridian Healthcare Solutions and the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing. Dr. Wadhwa has been an associate clinical professor of medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine since 1999 and has been engaged in his community via diverse board-service opportunities. He earned a doctorate of medicine from the Cornell University Medical College in New York, where he delivered the commencement address, as well as a master’s degree in business administration from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and bachelor’s degrees in mathematics and biology from Wesleyan University in Connecticut.
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About Essentia Health
 
Essentia Health’s mission is to make a healthy difference in people’s lives. We relentlessly pursue that mission at our 14 hospitals, 78 clinics, 24 retail pharmacies, six long-term care facilities, three assisted living facilities, three independent living facilities, seven ambulance services and one research institute. Essentia has about 15,500 employees, including 2,350 physicians and advanced practitioners who provide expert, compassionate care. We’re privileged to serve patients in Minnesota, North Dakota and Wisconsin.