Mary Maertens
Mary Maertens6 Years of Service
While Mary is deeply engaged in Marshall as a community leader, she has brought a regional perspective to Southwest Initiative Foundation. Her leadership as the regional President/CEO of Avera Health in Marshall and Tyler has translated to key insights and connections that impacted our work.
The foundation has a vested interest in the overall well-being of our residents, and Mary’s healthcare expertise informed the board’s strategic thinking. We partnered with Avera for a community health assessment, which was a great opportunity to learn together as Grow Our Own was unfolding.
Mary’s role leading a nonprofit organization and her strong governance background has made her an ideal person for the Governance/Nominating Committee chair, implementing sound nonprofit structure in our policies and procedures at the highest level of the organization. She also served on the Finance and Audit Committee.
There’s daily rigor when you run a hospital, and mission comes first. That’s an approach Mary brought to the foundation, too. She is courageous in saying what needs to be said and asking hard questions. Her feedback is always intended to bring out the best in the foundation and has been especially important as the board led the shift in strategic direction.
Mary sets a tone in the room with a wonderful balance of candor, empathy, thoughtful conversation and timely sense of humor.
Southwest Initiative Foundation is grateful for her service. We know Mary will continue to be a positive force for southwest Minnesota.
