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Leadership
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Company Information
Leadership

Kirk J. Zimmer, Chief Executive Officer


Kirk provides the executive leadership for DAKOTACARE and its subsidiary companies. Having been involved with the company since its inception, Kirk has held the positions of Chief Financial Officers, Chief Operating Officer and Senior Vice President before being promoted to his role as Chief Executive Officer in June, 2005.

In his years with DAKOTACARE, Kirk has been active in every area of the company. His current activities involve strategic planning, corporate structure and direction, physician and shareholder relations, legislative affairs and organizational effectiveness.

Kirk is a magna cum laude graduate of St. Cloud State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting and is a Certified Public Accountant. He is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives, the Healthcare Financial Management Association, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the South Dakota CPA Society. He serves on the Managed Care Advisory Council for a national pharmacy benefit management company and is a former member of the Governor’s Healthcare Benefits Committee for the State of South Dakota.

Kirk and his wife, Trisha, reside in Sioux Falls with their five children.

Rich Jones, Vice President of Medical Management

Rich leads the Medical Management division for DAKOTACARE, which includes Medical Services, Provider Services, Pharmacy Services, and Health and Wellness Programs. He joined DAKOTACARE in 2006 and has been charged with implementing a cadre of medical services that take a proactive approach to enhancing the health and wellness of DAKOTACARE'S membership.


A graduate of South Dakota State University, Rich holds both Bachelor and Masters’ degrees in nursing. He has held various clinical, teaching and administrative positions since entering the healthcare industry. During his administrative tenure with a large tertiary care hospital, he was an instrumental member of a team that designed and implemented one of the first acute care nursing case management programs in the country. He now lends his experiences and expertise to implementing similar programming at DAKOTACARE.


Rich and his wife, Christine, live in Sioux Falls and have eight children.


Brian Meyer, Vice President of Operation & Chief Information Officer


Brian heads up both the Operations and Information Services departments for DAKOTACARE. He specializes in information technology solutions and claims administration.

A graduate of Augustana College, he holds bachelors degrees in Business Administration and Computer Science with a minor in Accounting.

Brian has been with DAKOTACARE since 1997. He has successfully matched the critical business needs of the organization with sound automation planning and delivery, through proven development methodologies and practices. Brian also has over 20 years of experience with building high performance teams within the property and casualty and healthcare insurance arenas.

Brian has a strong acumen, strong leadership and the ability to create a desired and cultured work environment. He is able to establish clear roles and responsibilities, while gaining the trust and compliance of employees. He sets measurable goals and keeps them aligned with the organizational objectives of DAKOTACARE.

Brian and his wife, Sheila, have four children and reside in Sioux Falls.

Thomas Nicholson, Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer, DAKOTACARE & DAS, Inc.

Tom leads the Sales and Marketing teams for both DAKOTACARE and its third party administrative subsidiary for DAKOTACARE. He has been involved with DAKOTACARE since the company was founded in 1985. He specializes in consulting with self-insured clients in all areas of benefits, as well as building substantial blocks of premium with key reinsurance partners.

A graduate of Black Hills State University, he holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration. He also serves on the advisory boards of two prominent reinsurance carriers, as well as a prominent national PPO network.

Tom has been in the healthcare industry since 1981. He has been very active in industry affairs, legislative affairs and is licensed in 14 states. He also takes an active role in the Sioux Falls community, having both served and chaired many local non-profit boards and stays involved in the statewide fund-raising activities for numerous organizations.

Tom and his wife, Lori, reside in Sioux Falls and have two sons, Adam and David.

Mike North, Vice President, Chief Financial Officer


Mike North has been with DAKOTACARE since January 2002, serving as Vice President of Underwriting and Risk Management for two and a half years prior to his appointment as Chief Financial Officer of DAKOTACARE in June 2007.

As CFO, he is responsible for all financial reporting, as well as financial planning & analysis, accounting & flex, underwriting, and enrollment. Mike is charged with applying extensive experience in risk analysis, systems designs, and diversification to ensure the company is positioned for continued excellence in the increasingly complex world of health insurance.  Before joining DAKOTACARE, Mike managed the regional underwriting activities for Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Wisconsin. Mike also spent several years with Humana, and Security Health Plan.

Mike received his bachelor of business administration degree in finance from the University Wisconsin-Whitewater.  Mike, his wife Jill, and his children Noah and Emma reside in Sioux Falls.  Mike also sits on several advisory boards of various consulting firms and insurers dealing with modern-day health insurance issues.

Teresa Gevens, Director of Human Resources

 

Teresa is in charge of the Human Resource functions with DAKOTACARE.  She oversees all areas of DAKOTACARE’s Human Resource department including benefits, compensation, training, recruiting, employee relations, employee and organizational development.  Teresa has been with DAKOTACARE since 2003 and has been involved with the growth and structural changes that have occurred during the past 5 years. 

 

A graduate of Mount Marty College she holds a Bachelor of Science degree with an emphasis in Health Care Administration and a Master of Science degree with an emphasis in Human Resources from the University of South Dakota.

 

Teresa is a member of both the local and National Society of Human Resource Management.  She also is involved with nonprofit organizations as a volunteer or committee member. 

 

Teresa and her husband Ryan reside in Sioux Falls with their two daughters.



 
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