Personnel

Vice Chair of Good Samaritan Society Board Elected to Sanford Health Board of Trustees

January 19, 2022

Sanford Health announced that Marnie Herrmann, a business professional and civic leader from Rapid City, has been elected to serve as a member of its Board of Trustees. Herrmann also serves as the vice chair on the Good Samaritan Society Board of Directors where she has been a Board member since 2019.

In addition, Neil Gulsvig, a trustee since 2019, has been elected to serve as chair of the Board.

Sanford Health trustees are elected by the full Board and currently serve up to three three-year terms. The Board of Trustees Nominating and Governance Committee is responsible for identifying, evaluating and recommending potential new members based on their qualifications and experience. Trustees represent a broad range of backgrounds, with extensive experience in business and finance, health care, technology and the nonprofit sector.

The 13-member Board of Trustees oversees governance for the health system, guiding the pursuit of Sanford’s mission and providing oversight of the organization’s strategic direction and financial and operational performance.

Herrmann is an active civic leader in the Black Hills region, including service on the Board of Directors of the Mount Rushmore Society and the Black Hills Area Community Foundation.  She is the chief banking officer for Security First Bank, responsible for strategic communications, facilities and investor relations, and serves on the board of directors for the $1.4 billion-asset community bank with 26 locations in two states. Herrmann has a B.A. from the University of Oregon, is a graduate of the ABA Stonier Graduate School of Banking and has a certificate in business leadership from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

“I have always admired the way Sanford Health plays such a vital role in the communities they serve,” said Herrmann. “I am honored to join the Sanford Health Board of Trustees and help shape the organization’s efforts to become the nation’s leader in rural health care.”

“We are thrilled to welcome Marnie to the Board of Trustees. She brings valuable expertise and perspective to our work as we carry out our commitments to our patients and residents, our people and the communities we serve,” said Bill Gassen, Sanford Health president and CEO. “Sanford Health will benefit tremendously from her experience as the Board of Trustees plays a vital role in guiding the strategic direction of the organization to ensure our permanence for generations to come.”

Herrmann was appointed to replace Barb Everist, who retired from the Board of Trustees after her term expired at the end of 2021. Everist joined the Board in 2002 after 10 years in the South Dakota State Legislature. During her final term in the legislature, she served as the Senate Majority Leader, the first woman to hold that position in South Dakota.

Everist’s tenure on the Board of Trustees coincided with a transformational period for Sanford Health including growth within the upper Midwest, integration with the Good Samaritan Society, as well as nearly $1.5 billion in philanthropic support from Denny Sanford.

“To see Sanford Health become what it is today, I feel like a proud parent – watching something I care so deeply about make such a profound impact on so many people’s lives,” said Everist. “I want to thank my many colleagues on the Board of Trustees over the last 19 years for their leadership and contributions as well.”

The new Board Chair, Neil Gulsvig, is the founder and CEO of Align and ActivLife, leading software firms focused on helping providers improve quality, employee engagement, customer experience and wellbeing in the senior care profession. Gulsvig is a nationally known expert with decades of experience in the post-acute health care sector.

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