Foundation Board of Governors

Cheryl Gossman, Board Chair
Cheryl Gossman is chair of the Swedish Foundation Board of Governors. She has been on the Board since 2005. She serves on the Board Quality Committee, the Campaign Leadership Council and the Women and Children's Advisory Council. She has 15 years experience in physician practice management. Gossman has a master's degree in health-care management from George Washington University. She is also active in the Katy McKay Circle of Association for Catholic Childhood.

Nancy Auer, M.D., Vice Chair
Nancy Auer is vice chair of the Swedish Foundation Board of Governors. Dr. Auer is an emergency medical physician who has served in many roles at Swedish. Dr. Auer has been at Swedish for more than 30 years, serving in various key positions, including chief medical officer, chief of staff, medical director of Emergency Services and vice president of medical affairs. Dr. Auer retired from active practice in 2010 and now serves as a consultant on medical staff and leadership issues.

Lucius Andrew III
Lucius Andrew III is principal of Andrew & Associates, and is a private investor. He has been in the banking, securities and investment business for over 35 years. He is a former trustee of the Seattle Repertory Theatre as well as Brooks School in North Andover, Mass. He served on the board of First American Bank in Elk Grove Village, Ill., and is president of The Highlands, Inc. in Seattle.

Anita Braker
Anita Braker was raised in Twisp, Washington. She graduated from Seattle University, Magna Cum Laude in 1977 with a bachelor's degree in nursing. She was a practicing nurse and nurse practitioner trainee for a number of years in Twisp and in Brewster, Wash., before continuing her education at the University of Puget Sound (now Seattle University School of Law) where she obtained a juris doctorate in 1990. Her legal practice experience includes work as an associate at the Seattle firms of Stanislaw, Ashbaugh, Chism, Jacobson & Johnson, and later at Chism, Jacobson & Johnson. She was general counsel for Sur La Table until retiring from active law practice in 2001. Braker's community volunteer work includes being a past board member and two-time board chair of the Market Foundation, a current member of Washington Women's Foundation and its Impact Assessment Committee (former member of the committee), and active involvement with CARE USA, Islandwood, and Jubilee Women's Center. She and her husband, Dave Olsen, enjoy boating, skiing, cycling, hiking, travel and cooking.

Barbara Buchman
Barbara Buchman joined the Swedish Foundation Board of Governors in May 2008. She currently serves on the Swedish Medical Center Foundation's Cancer and Cardiology Advisory Councils, as well as the Women's Wellness Luncheon Committee. She chaired the 2006 Women's Wellness Luncheon. Buchman also serves on the University of Washington School of Music Advisory Board, the Sunset Club Finance Committee, Reciprocity Committee, and Program Committee. She received the Summit Club's Elmer J. Nordstrom Award in 2007, and is a former member of the Brinnon School Board. Buchman received her bachelor's degree in education from the University of Texas, and her teaching certificate from Western Connecticut University. She and her husband, Dr. Joseph Buchman, reside in Seattle.

Lida Buckner
Lida Buckner joined the Swedish Foundation Board of Governors in May 2008. She also serves on the boards of the O.D. Fisher Investment Companies and the O.D. Fisher Charitable Foundation, and is Secretary of the John L. Locke Jr. Charitable Trust. Her previous civic services supported The Washington Round Table, Jubilee Women's Center, and the Deaf-Blind Service Center of Seattle. Buckner earned her bachelor's degree in administration-marketing from Washington State University. She spent eight years in television sales in Seattle. Lida now resides with her husband, Kyle, and two sons in Issaquah.

Tom Gores
Tom Gores has been on the Swedish Foundation Board of Governors since 2003. He chairs the Foundation's Planned Giving Council. Gores is a partner at Perkins Coie law firm, where he specializes in estate planning. He has also served on the board of the Seattle Foundation.

J. Scott Harrison
J. Scott Harrison has been on the Swedish Foundation Board of Governors since 2000 when Providence Seattle Medical Center merged with Swedish. On the Swedish Board he has served as vice chair. He served on the Providence board for six years in the capacity of board development and as board chair. Harrison is currently chief executive officer of Barclay Dean Inc, and he has 20 years general management experience with Honeywell. He has also served on the executive committee of Junior Achievement, is past chair of the board of governors for the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and is a board member of the Bellevue Chamber of Commerce.

Rodney F. Hochman, M.D.
Rodney Hochman, M.D., is chief executive officer at Swedish.

Lorna Kneeland
Kneeland currently serves as co-chair for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Expansion Advisory Council, a member of the Swedish Medical Center Women's Cancer Center Advisory Council, as well as the Celebrate Swedish Event Committee. She is executive director for Patrons of Northwest Civic, Cultural and Charitable Organizations (PONCHO), a non-profit organization that raises funds for local arts organizations. An active community volunteer, she is involved with Big Brothers Big Sisters of King County and the Junior League of Seattle. She previously was at the Marsha Rivkin Center for Ovarian Cancer Research. Prior to joining the non-profit world, she spent over 12 years in the hospitality industry where she held sales, marketing and event management roles. She and her husband, Jim Kneeland, reside in Seattle.

William W. Krippaehne Jr.
Bill Krippaehne is a past chair of the Foundation Board of Governors, and is also a member of the Swedish Board of Trustees. Krippaehne is the former president and chief executive officer of Fisher Communications, Inc., in Seattle. Prior to that he had held other management positions at Fisher, was a partner and senior vice president at Cushman & Wakefield, and was vice president and general manager of The Gilley Company.

Todd Lee
Lee is originally from Minnesota. His father was from Rochester and his mother was a nurse at The Mayo Clinic. His family moved to Mercer Island in 1976, and Todd spent most of his childhood working on the family house as his parents completely remodeled it over a 20-year period. He thinks that is probably where he got his interest in construction. Todd graduated from Mercer Island High School in 1985 and then went to the University of Washington, where he majored in construction management. Upon graduating, he went right to work at Sellen and has been there ever since. He and his wife, Sue, have two children who were born at Swedish, Lindsey in 1993 and Jake in 1996.

Rae Lembersky
Rae Lembersky joined the Swedish Foundation Board of Governors in May 2008. She has been a member of the Foundation's Summit Club Advisory Board for a number of years. Additionally, she has served on a variety of fund raising committees for other hospitals, medical facilities, and religious organizations. Lembersky received her bachelor's degree in biology from Purdue University, and her master's degree in biophysics from the University of Washington. She spent 10 years working in medical research, which included securing grant support, giving seminars, writing a workbook on genetics, and publishing peer reviewed papers. She and her husband, Mark, have a wide variety of interests, which include volunteering and supporting Iditarod race teams.

Eric Liu
Liu is the author of numerous books including his most recent , co-authored with Nick Hanauer, entitled The True Patriot. He is now at work on a forthcoming book, in partnership with the Lincoln Center Institute, on how to cultivate imagination. Liu served under President Clinton as a speechwriter in the first term and as White House deputy domestic policy adviser in the second. After the White House, he joined the executive team at at the digital media company RealNetworks. He is a frequent commentator on CNN, MSNBC and CNBC. In 2002, the World Economic Forum Liu named Liu one of 100 "Global Leaders of Tomorrow." He teaches at the University of Washington Evans School of Public Affairs and hosts an acclaimed television interview program called Seattle Voices. He serves on the boards of numerous civic organizations, including the Washington State Board of Education, the Seattle Public Library, Demos, and the League of Education Voters.

Chuck Lytle
Chuck Lytle is past chairman of the Swedish Foundation Board of Governors, where he has been a member since 1990. He is also on the Swedish Board of Trustees and the Campaign Leadership Council. Lytle is chairman of the Cancer Advisory Council, and sits on the board of the Marsha Rivkin Center for Ovarian Cancer Research. He is president of Lytle Enterprises, LLC. Lytle's background is in senior housing. He established Lytle Enterprises and Leisure Care in 1976. Lytle has served on the boards of senior housing organizations, community hospitals, health maintenance organizations, and Payless Drugs. He is past president of the Washington State Special Olympics, past vice chairman of the Alexis de Tocqueville Society for United Way, and past vice president of PONCHO. Currently, he serves as a board member and co-chair of the capital and endowment campaign for Performing Arts Center Eastside.

Kirby McDonald
Kirby McDonald has been a member of the Swedish Board of Trustees since 1998. He founded McDonald Industries in 1970. The company was a major distributor of construction and mining machinery in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. In 1979, he founded Peak Oilfield Service Company, a major contractor providing oil field support in Alaska. In 1987, he purchased Universal Services and became chief executive officer and principal shareholder. The company provided remote site logistical support services to multinational oil, gas, exploration, production, mining and military operations worldwide. In 1984 he was a founding partner in Sundance Cruises, which provided cruise ship operations on the West Coast and in Mexico and the Caribbean. In 1989, he became a partner in Pacific Detroit Diesel, a supplier of Detroit diesel engines and related products in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. McDonald is also on the boards of Avail Media and Prepared Response.

Michael J. Peters, M.D.
Michael J. Peters, M.D., joined Seattle Radiologists in 1989 and has been president of Seattle Radiologists for eight years. He received his medical degree from the University of Washington and served as chief resident and clinical assistant professor of radiology. He completed his fellowship in MR/CT at the University of Washington and then completed fellowships in oncological radiology from MD Anderson Medical Center in Houston and the National Institute of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. He is certified by the American Board of Radiology. Peters is certified by both the American Board of Radiology and the American Board of Medical Examiners. His subspecialty areas include MR, CT, Diagnostic Radiology and Oncological Imaging.

Diane Sabey
Sabey is on the Board of Regents for the Fulcrum Foundation, which focuses on ensuring that a catholic education is accessible to all who seek one. She also serves on the Providence Hospital "O' Christmas Trees" gala Executive Leadership Board, and is active in fund raising for Holy Names Academy and Holy Family Parish School in Kirkland. She emphasizes that her most important role is being a mother to her children Brooke and Jack, who were both born at Swedish, and wife to her husband John.

Janet True
Janet True is also a member of the Swedish Board of Trustees. True's background includes working in the U.S. Senate, the U. S. House of Representatives, and the American Enterprise Institute. On a local level, she worked in the Washington State House of Representatives as well as various political campaigns across Washington state. She is currently chair of the Seattle Repertory Theatre Board and will become president of Patrons of Northwest Civic, Cultural and Charitable Organizations (PONCHO) during 2008. She is on the advisory board of Treehouse and the Pacific Northwest Ballet. True is a founding member of the Washington Policy Center, ChangePac, and Wild Entrust International of Botswana; she continues to hold trustee positions in those organizations. She is a former trustee of Woodland Park Zoo, The Bush School, and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, and has chaired the major fundraisers for the Moyer Foundation, Seniors Making Art and the 10-99 Foundation.

Jane Uhlir, M.D.
Jane Uhlir, M.D., is the executive director of the Women & Infants and Pediatric Specialty Care service lines, as well as the executive director of Clinical Process Improvement at Swedish. She has been on staff at Swedish since 1982. Previously, she has served as chief of staff at Swedish and has served on the Foundation Board for Women & Infants. Dr. Uhlir is board-certified in both obstetrics and gynecology, and had a clinical focus on infertility. She was a partner at Pacific Gynecology Specialists, the largest fertility group in the Northwest. Dr. Uhlir is an active member of numerous professional organizations, including the Seattle Gynecologic Society, King County Medical Society, Pacific Coast Fertility Society, Washington State Medical Association and the American Society for Reproductive Medicine.

John Vassall II, M.D.
John Vassall, M.D., is chief medical officer at Swedish.

Jean Viereck
Jean Viereck joined the Swedish Foundation Board of Governors in 1986 and has served continuously since that time. Her participation at Swedish also includes chairing the Summit Club for two years, serving on the Women's Advisory Board for many years, and serving on the Nominating Committee and Cancer Advisory Council. In 2007, she was chair of Swedish's annual Women's Wellness Luncheon. She is a Trustee Emeritus for the Seattle Repertory Theatre, and is active on the boards of the Seattle Chamber Music Society, ARCS (Achievement Rewards for College Scientists), Seattle Art Museum and Hui No'eau Visual Arts Center in Hawaii.

Ex-officio members
Cindy Strauss, chief legal counsel, Swedish
Don Theophilus, executive director, Foundation, and vice president of development, Swedish
Jeff Veilleux, executive vice president and chief financial officer, Swedish