Saint Paul -- Governor Tim Pawlenty today announced the appointment of State Senator Jim Vickerman (DFL-Tracy), State Representative Mary Ellen Otremba (DFL-Long Prairie), State Representative Brad Finstad (R-New Ulm), Raymond Christensen, Maddy Forsberg, Steve Hansberry, Paul Iverson, Michael Mulder, and Rhonda Wiering to the Rural Health Advisory Committee (RHAC).

Jim Vickerman, of Tracy, is State Senator for District 22, which includes Pipestone, Rock, Murray, Nobles, Cottonwood, and Jackson Counties. A farmer and former county commissioner, Sen. Vickerman is currently serving in his sixth term in the Minnesota Senate. He serves as DFL Majority Whip and is Chair of the State and Local Government Operations Committee. He was involved in the development of the Prairie Health Purchasing Alliance in Southwestern Minnesota. Sen. Vickerman is appointed to a four-year term ending January 1, 2007. He will serve as the RHAC member who is in the majority party in the Senate. He is reappointed to his third term on the Committee.

Mary Ellen Otremba, of Long Prairie, is State Representative for District 11B, which includes all of Todd County and part of Douglas County. A substitute teacher and farmer, Rep. Otremba is currently serving in her fourth term in the Minnesota House of Representatives. She is a member of the both the Finance and Policy Committees for Health and Human Services. Rep. Otremba received a B.A. in Home and Community Service from the College of St. Benedict in St. Joseph, Minnesota. She recently completed a yearlong National Rural Health Leadership Fellowship from the National Rural Health Association. Rep. Otremba is appointed to a four-year term ending January 1, 2007. She will serve as the RHAC member who is in the minority party in the House of Representatives. She replaces Rep. Bernie Leider on the Committee.

Brad Finstad, of New Ulm, is State Representative for District 21B, which includes all of Brown County and portions of Redwood and Watonwan Counties. A business development director for an agricultural cooperative, Rep. Finstad is currently serving in his first term in the Minnesota House of Representatives. He is a member of both the Finance and Policy Committees for Health and Human Services. He received a B.S. in Agricultural Education from the University of Minnesota. Rep. Finstad is appointed to a four-year term ending January 1, 2007. He will serve as the RHAC member who is in the majority party in the House of Representatives. He replaces Rep. Torrey Westrom on the Committee.

Raymond Christensen, of Duluth, is Assistant Dean for Rural Health for the University of Minnesota Medical Schools. He is also a family practice physician and co-founder of the Gateway Family Health Clinic in Moose Lake. Dr. Christensen is board certified by the American Board of Family Practice and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians. He received a B.S. in Agriculture from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. He received his M.D. degree from the University of Wisconsin Medical School. Dr. Christensen is appointed to a vacant term which ends January 5, 2004. He will serve as the RHAC member who is a representative of a higher education institution that provides training for rural health care practitioners. He replaces Dr. Ronald Swanson on the Committee.

Maddy Forsberg, of Slayton, is Director of the Southwest Area Agency on Aging in Slayton. The Agency is a program of the Southwest Regional Development Commission and serves nine counties in southwest Minnesota. Forsberg is President-elect of the Minnesota Rural Health Association. She previously served on the board of the Murray County Hospice. She is a past board member of the State Regional Service Center for the Hearing Impaired. Forsberg attended the San Antonio School of Business and Worthington Community College. She is appointed to a four-year term ending January 1, 2007. She will serve as a RHAC member who is a consumer of rural health care. Forsberg is reappointed to a second term on the Committee.

Steve Hansberry, of Sandstone, is Facilities Manager with the Federal Bureau of Prisons in Sandstone. He has served as a member of the Pine County Health Department Youth Smoking Initiative. Hansberry also served as a member of the South Dakota Governor's Family Support Council and on the School Expansion Committee for the East Central School District in Sandstone. He served as a Youth Violence Prevention Grant Application Reviewer for the Minnesota Department of Education. Hansberry received a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Missouri-Rolla. He is appointed to a four-year term ending January 1, 2007. He will serve as a RHAC member who is a consumer of rural health care. Hansberry replaces Angel Normandin on the Committee.

Paul Iverson, of Bemidji, is President of Iverson Corner Drug, Inc., in Bemidji. He is also President of Progressive Health Care in Bemidji. A registered pharmacist, he is Past President of the Minnesota Pharmacist's Association. Iverson is also a faculty member of the University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy. He serves as Chairman of the Pharmacy Network of Minnesota and as Chairman of the Northwest Minnesota Asthma Coalition. Iverson received a B.S. in Pharmacy from North Dakota State University in Fargo. He is appointed to a four-year term ending January 1, 2007. He will serve as a RHAC member who is a licensed health care professional not otherwise represented on the Committee. Iverson replaces Michael Nagel on the Committee.

Michael Mulder, of New Ulm, is Senior Vice President of the Farmers State Bank in Trimont. He is also an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT-Basic), and a member of the Trimont Volunteer Fire and Ambulance Service. Mulder currently serves on the Loan Committee of the Economic Development Authority for the City of Trimont. He also founded and serves on the Trimont Area Youth Foundation. Mulder received a B.S. in Agricultural Education from the University of Minnesota. He is appointed to a four-year term ending January 1, 2007. He will serve as the RHAC member who is a volunteer member in an ambulance service. Mulder is reappointed to a second term on the Committee.

Rhonda Wiering, of Tyler, is Patient Care Administrator and Sunrise Manor Administrator at Tyler Healthcare Center. A registered nurse, she is also certified as a Gerontological Nurse by the American Nurses Credentialing Center. Wiering currently serves on the Lincoln, Lyon, Pipestone, and Murray County Community Health Board. She previously served as Regional Representative for the Avera McKennan Home Care Partners Board. Wiering received a B.S. in Nursing from South Dakota State University in Brookings. She is appointed to a four-year term ending January 1, 2007. She will serve as the RHAC member who is a nurse. Wiering is reappointed to a second term on the Committee.

The Rural Health Advisory Committee advises the Commissioner of Health and other state agencies on rural health issues. It consists of 15 members appointed by the Governor.