Visionary Committee

Bryan S. Judge, MD, FACMT, FACEP, is an emergency medicine physician and medical toxicologist and practices in Grand Rapids, MI, and Laurium, MI. He graduated from Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit, MI and completed his residency in emergency medicine in Grand Rapids at the Grand Rapids Medical Education & Research Center | Michigan State University, and his medical toxicology fellowship at Indiana University | Indiana Poison Center in Indianapolis, IN.

 He is currently a Professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine | Division of Medical Toxicology, Michigan State University College of Human Medicine. Academic interests include a broad array of topics within the disciplines of emergency medicine, medical toxicology, and medical education. His most fascinating scientific achievement is helping ‘discover’ a new poisonous mushroom species, Cortinarius orellanosus.

Rae Kaare is Vice President-Chief Operating Officer for Aspirus Iron River and Aspirus Ontonagon which are two critical access hospitals located in the western end of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

She is originally from the western end of the Upper Peninsula and actually began her career in the one of the Aspirus UP sites 37 years ago before it was Aspirus.

Rae began her career as a medical technologist and through the years progressed into a number of different leadership roles before moving into her current role five years ago.

Rae loves her job and works very hard to ensure that rural patients have access to excellent healthcare and services.  She describes her role as challenging and rewarding!

James has been employed at Pocahontas Community Hospital since 1992.  He worked as a Radiologic Technologist in the Radiology Department from 1992 until 2004, serving as Director starting in 1996. In 2004 he was hired as CEO of the hospital and has been in that position for the past 20 years.  In April of 2019, James also started serving as Rural Hospital Liaison for the managed hospitals of UnityPoint Health – Fort Dodge.  

 With 31 plus years of rural healthcare experience in both clinical and administrative settings, James has been able to successfully lead Pocahontas Community Hospital and is also well respected by his rural hospital CEO peers across the state and has served on many committees and boards. He is currently serving on the Iowa Hospital Association Board of Directors as well as the Rural EMS Legislative Subcommittee and the Rural Healthcare Innovation Taskforce.   James is also active on many rural hospital and EMS subcommittees of UnityPoint Health.

 James and his wife Julie, reside in Pocahontas and have two grown children Nicole and Austin.  

Greg Ruberg is the president/CEO of Lake View Hospital in Two Harbors and vice president of St. Luke’s Hospital in Duluth, MN.  Greg also provides administrative support to the North Shore Health hospital in Grand Marais, MN and to the executive director of Wilderness Health, a nine-hospital collaborative serving northeastern Minnesota.  He has a Master of Business Administration and a Master of Arts in Physical Therapy from The College of Saint Scholastica. He is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives.  Greg is a current regional board member and past Region 2 chair of the Minnesota Hospital Association, and also serves on the MHA executive committee.  He is also the board chair of the Two Harbors Federal Credit Union, board chair of Wilderness Health, and a board member of The Victory Fund in Duluth, MN.  He is a graduate of the Blandin Community Leadership Program in 2012 and Leadership Duluth program in 2018.  Greg lives in Two Harbors with his wife and three children, and the family enjoys traveling, boating and other outdoor activities.

Margaret Sumption's roots are deeply entrenched in the rural landscapes of Northern South Dakota. Born as the youngest of seven children to parents who were lifelong farmers and had not pursued education beyond the eighth grade, Margaret embodies the spirit of resilience and innovation. Her journey from a farm to becoming a first-generation college graduate is a testament to her determination and commitment to personal and professional growth.

Margaret initially embarked on a career in special and elementary education but soon realized her passion did not lie in working with children. This realization steered her towards a path where she could make a profound impact on adults facing developmental, mental health, and substance abuse challenges. The first 15 years of her career saw Margaret advancing in the disability services sector, where she played a crucial role in developing community-based services and resources.

With a Master's degree in Guidance and Counseling and Personnel Services, Margaret's expertise expanded into counseling and mental health, laying the groundwork for her subsequent ventures into consultancy and strategic planning. Alongside her then-partner, now husband, she co-founded a consultancy firm specializing in grant writing, administration, and management, with a significant focus on the healthcare sector. Her work predominantly revolves around strategic planning and organizational development for hospitals and health systems, specializing in governance excellence and education programs for large non-profit organizations.

Approximately 12 years ago, Margaret ventured into career coaching, establishing a coaching practice dedicated to assisting individuals in crafting strategic career development plans. Her approach, deeply influenced by her background in education and counseling, focuses on helping clients set and achieve their career goals through personalized strategic planning. Her workforce and organizational planning expertise underpin her work in career coaching, skills she has honed throughout her 33 years in consultancy. 

Dr. Ameen Taleb serves as Medical Director of the Emergency Department at Gundersen Boscobel Area Hospital and Clinics. His primary practice is at SSM Health in Monroe, WI as an ED Physician and ED Fellowship Program Director. Dr. Taleb is board-certified in Emergency Medicine by the American Board of Physician Specialists (ABPS) and in Family Medicine by the American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM). He is a graduate of National Medical University in Kyiv, Ukraine and completed residency at the University of Iowa in Mason City.   Dr. Taleb has a passion for  making an impact by improving healthcare in rural communities.