About Us

Foundation Board of Directors

Chairperson of the Board

John Stanoch

Retired District Court Judge


Judge John Stanoch joined the Medica Foundation Board of Directors in 2019. Judge Stanoch has a long history of involvement with a wide range of charitable organizations and in addition to serving on the Medica Foundation Board, he currently serves on the boards of AchieveMpls (the strategic nonprofit partner of the Minneapolis Public Schools), Creating Healthier Communities, and the Board of Visitors of the University of Wisconsin-Madison College of Letters and Science. He is a past President and CEO of Ronald McDonald Charities of the Upper Midwest and served as Interim President of the Science Museum of Minnesota. In addition to his civic sector executive leadership positions, he also served as President of Qwest Communications in Minnesota and North Dakota, Minnesota’s Chief Deputy Attorney General and as a Hennepin County District Court Judge.

Judge Stanoch has served on the Medica Board of Directors since 2014 and currently serves as Vice Chair of the Medica Board. He also Chairs the Medica Governance Committee and serves on the Medical and Personnel and Compensation Committees. He also has served on the Medica Audit, Community and Public Affairs, and Finance Committees.



Director

John Buck

CEO, Whitefish Ventures
Former President and COO, Fingerhut Companies, Inc.
Former Chair of the Board, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota


John Buck joined the Medica Foundation Board and served as its Chair from 2002 to 2019.In addition to serving on the Medica Foundation Board, Mr. Buck supports several charities in the Minneapolis, MN and Naples, FL areas, including the United Way Foundation, the American Diabetes Association, and the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute. Mr. Buck is a member of the Naples Education Foundation.

Mr. Buck, the Chair of Medica's Board of Directors, joined the Board in 2001, and serves on Medica's Audit, Consumer Experience, Finance, and Governance Committees. Mr. Buck is Chief Executive Officer of Whitefish Ventures, which provides financial services and general business expertise to other companies. Mr. Buck's previous business experience includes serving as President and Chief Operating Officer at Fingerhut Companies; Vice President of Administration at Alliant Techsystems; and Vice President of Administration at Honeywell, Inc. Mr. Buck previously served as Chairman of the Board of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, served on the board of Halo Innovations, and currently serves on the board of Patterson Companies, Inc.



Director

Samuel Leon

Physician, Minnesota Gastroenterology, P.A.

 

Dr. Samuel Leon has served on the Medica Foundation Board of Directors since 2013. He has also served on the Medica Board of Directors since 2001, and is a member of the Consumer Experience, Governance and Medical Committees.

Dr. Leon is board certified in Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology. Dr. Leon has served as President of Minnesota Gastroenterology and as Vice Chief of the Department of Medicine at Methodist Hospital. He also has served as Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Minnesota School of Medicine and has authored several articles in medical journals.



Vice Chairperson of the Board

Mary Twinem

Retired, Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, Buffalo Wild Wings, Inc.


Mary Twinem joined the Medica Foundation Board of Directors in 2019. She has also served on the Medica Board of Directors since 2015 and serves as Chair of the Finance Committee and as a member of the Audit and Consumer Experience Committees.

Prior to her retirement in 2016, Ms. Twinem served as Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of Buffalo Wild Wings, Inc., which was headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Previously, Ms. Twinem served as Controller of Buffalo Wild Wings, Inc. from January 1995 to July 1996, and as a director of the company from June 2002 to September 2003. Prior to that, she served as the Director of Finance/Controller of Dahlberg, Inc., the parent company of Miracle-Ear hearing aids, from 1989 to December 1994.

Ms. Twinem began her career in public accounting and holds an inactive CPA license. She serves on the public company boards of Valvoline, Inc. and Centerspace.