Staff & Board Members
STAFF
Mary Steele
Mary has more than 20 years experience in nonprofit and volunteer management. Prior to coming to the Free Clinic of Pierce and St. Croix Counties in early 2007, Mary worked for the American Red Cross in St. Paul, where she spent nine years as volunteer resources director and seven years as youth programs manager. When the St. Paul and Minneapolis chapters merged, Mary’s job moved to Minneapolis – and Mary decided she was done commuting. Mary is a graduate of UW-Oshkosh and lives in River Falls with her husband and their two daughters. She has served on several boards, including Jacob’s Ladder, and has volunteered in numerous capacities with the schools and her church.
Jena Most
Jena is a graduate of the College of St. Catherine and has worked as an RN for nearly 20 years. She came to the Free Clinic after nine years with the Pierce County Public Health Department, primarily in reproductive health. Jena was born and raised in River Falls and lives here with her husband, Josh Cudd, and their four children – Cole, Sawyer and twins Hannah and Maggie. In her free time, Jena enjoys gardening, reading, kayaking and spending time at her family’s cabin on Lake Wapogasset.
Samantha Bluhm
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Samantha is a master certified life and corporate coach and the owner of the Navigator Group, an organization that helps leaders better understand themselves and their teams to find their way forward with purpose and passion. She has a BS in Journalism and Marketing Communications from the University of Wisconsin – River Falls. Her professional background includes 20+ years of marketing and communications, most recently as a marketing manager for M Health Fairview and as the Director of Marketing for Vibrant Health. She is the proud mother of 1 son and 3 bonus boys and a rescue mutt named Grover. Her hobbies include blogging, hiking, travel, geo-caching and disc golf. She is also a recovering self help and journal junkie.
Clinic Directors
Robert Johnson, MD
Dr. Johnson graduated from the University of Minnesota Medical School and has been board certified for over 30 years. He completed his residency at Bethesda Lutheran Hospital and is a member of the American Academy of Family Physicians and Western Wisconsin Medical Association. He practiced at the Vibrant Health River Falls Medical Clinic (previously the River Falls Medical Clinic) in addition to the countless volunteer hours donated to the Free Clinic of Pierce & St. Croix Counties as the Medical Director and a practitioner providing care to patients of the Free Clinic on a regular weekly basis.
Leah Gavin, RPh
Leah Gavin is the owner of Freeman Drug, where she grew up working with her dad. She is a graduate of the University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy and has been a pharmacist for more than 40 years. Leah and her husband, Ron, have two sons, Ben and Tim. Three grandchildren Davis, Eloise and Sylvia. Busy with Covid shots. Working 3/4 time, on my way slowly to retirement.
Christopher H. Tashjian
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Dr. Tashjian has a passion for practicing measurable improvement in the practice of medical care. He currently is chairman of the board of Metastar, Wisconsin’s QIO (Quality Improvement Organization). While practicing in western Wisconsin since 1992 his clinic has won numerous quality awards.
He also is mission driven in his practice to provide care to people in need. He has provided care at the Free Clinic of Pierce and St. Croix Counties since its inception. He also has done numerous medical missions to Armenia through the Armenian Missionary Association of America and is a board member of Matter (www.matter.ngo) where he participates in and advises in missions to Africa and around the world.
Dr. Tashjian is married to Barbara, his wife of 42 years, and has 4 adult children.
Board Members
Sharlene Lopez
Sharlene (Shar) is the behavioral health Administrator at St. Croix County Health and Human Services. She has a Master of Science in Education and is a licensed Professional Counselor. Her professional background includes county level social work, community mental health, school based mental health, higher education, and correctional mental health programming. Shar has a blended family with six children and two grandchildren and currently lives in Amery. Her passion is travel and lives by the family motto, “The Journey is the Destination”.
Max Neuhaus
Max Neuhaus is an attorney specializing in estate planning, business, and real estate. Aside from his private practice, Max serves as a Wisconsin Supreme Court appointed Special Investigator, as well as a Judge appointed trustee and guardian ad litem in cases where children have been injured. Max has appeared in multiple editions of Super Lawyers Magazine and has been inducted into the Wisconsin Pro Bono Honor Society every year since 2015. In recent years, Max was named a Pierce County Public Health Hero and in 2021 Max was nominated as the River Falls Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year. Max is the attorney to numerous local charities and has served as President of the St. Croix Valley Bar Association, President of the River Falls Economic Development Corporation, President of the Pierce County Economic Development Corporation, and President of the St. Croix Valley Restorative Justice Program.
Eunice Adegoke
Eunice is a Continuous Improvement Manager at Solventum (formerly 3M Health Care Business), where she oversees process improvement and project management within the Negative Pressure Wound Care organization. She brings over 15 years of experience in leading and implementing continuous improvement, operational excellence, and project management initiatives to enhance operational efficiency, reduce costs, and drive improvements in healthcare. She holds a Master’s degree in Public Health Administration and Policy, as well as a Bachelor’s degree in Business Marketing Education, both from the University of Minnesota. In her personal time, Eunice enjoys traveling, cooking, and spending time with her husband and two daughters.
Kate Ihus
Kate recently retired after nearly 30 years in the field of mental health and substance abuse rehabilitation. She has a Master’s degree in psychology and a Bachelor’s degree in Human Services. She also holds three different licenses in her field. She acted as the Executive Director at a men’s 52 bed residential treatment facility in River Falls, WI. In her personal life, she enjoys her two adult children and five grandchildren. Her dog Izzy makes her smile and laugh every day.
Mary Conroy-Johnson
Julie Ducklow (Board Chair)
Julie is recently retired from MHealth Fairview – River Falls Clinic as the Clinic Manager. Julie previously worked for Vibrant Health Family Clinics of River Falls and the River Falls Area Hospital Clinic as the laboratory supervisor. Julie is a native of the Spring Valley area where she currently makes her home. She and her husband Dave combined have four adult sons and 2 grandchildren. Julie enjoys gardening, bicycling, and golf.
Julie Freeborn
Julie retired from Bremer Bank in 2021 where she served as the Wisconsin Senior Business Banking Manager. Prior to Bremer Bank, Julie was the CFO for Preco, Inc. and a CPA at Simma Flottemesch & Orenstein, Ltd. Julie and her husband, Mark, live in River Falls and have four children and eight grandchildren. Julie enjoys spending time at the lake cabin and with family.
Miranda Thorsen
Miranda and her husband, Mark live in Hudson. They are a blended family with six children and one grandson. Miranda is the Executive Assistant and Volunteer Program Coordinator at River Falls Area Hospital. She has found great joy in volunteering since a teenager and strives to provide more time and energy to volunteering as their children are moving into adulthood. She and her husband enjoy the outdoors and spend many hours fishing, golfing, and riding their motorcycle.
Victoria Losinski
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Victoria is a pharmacist and health plan administrator overseeing quality at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota. Victoria has lived in River Falls for the last 10 years with her husband, Adam. She is a graduate of the College of St. Benedict, University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy, and University of St. Thomas’s Opus College of Business. She enjoysreading,cooking, running and cross country skiing.
AZ Snyder
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Amanda Nelson
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