Livingston HealthCare’s Leadership Team
Meet the Leaders of Our Day-to-Day Operations
Livingston HealthCare is managed by a team of highly-trained, experienced
professionals. These leaders answer to a
board of directors populated by community members. Check out their profiles below to get
to know more about who they are and what they do. The managers and board
of directors work together to set the strategic objectives of Livingston
HealthCare and help keep the organization focused on its mission to serve
through quality healthcare.
Deb Anczak, Chief Executive Officer
Deb began her role as Livingston HealthCare's CEO in October 2018,
after having served as Interim CEO since January of the same year. She
has been a pharmacist for 25 years and in administrative roles for the
past 13 years, most recently serving as Livingston HealthCare's Performance
Improvement Director. In this role, Deb was responsible for managing and
coordinating efforts to improve organization-wide performance and quality.
She served as Pharmacy Manager at Livingston HealthCare for seven years.
Prior to her time in Livingston, she was Director of Pharmacy at Billings
Clinic. She has also served in pharmacy and administrative roles at healthcare
institutions in Wisconsin and Idaho.
Scott Coleman, MD, Medical Director
Scott Coleman, MD, is a Board Certified Family Medicine physician who practices
family medicine and obstetrics at Livingston HealthCare. He was selected
to fill the role of Medical Director for Livingston HealthCare in October
2013, at which time he joined the Livingston HealthCare Board of Directors.
Dr. Coleman received a degree in Microbiology from the University of Tennessee,
followed by his MD from the University of South Dakota. After the completion
of his MD, Dr. Coleman served as a Lieutenant Commander in the US Navy
for six years, receiving the Navy Achievement Medal for Outstanding Performance
as a Resident. In 2005, he moved to Park County to be closer to family.
Dr. Coleman is presently a Lieutenant Colonel in the Medical Corp of the
Montana Air National Guard.
Chris Darnell, Vice President of Operations
Chris serves as Vice President of Operations for Livingston Healthcare.
With more than 20 years of healthcare experience, he has held leadership
positions at a major academic medical center, a community for-profit hospital,
and most recently Bozeman Health where he was the Hospital Administrator
for Big Sky Medical Center. He also has a bachelor’s degree in Economics,
a master’s degree in Health Sciences, and a doctorate in Health
Administration.
Additionally, Chris is married and has two children, a golden retriever
and a cat. While he stays active in the community as a volunteer coach
and serving on various local Boards, he also enjoys skiing and many of
the other outside activities associated with the area.
Vicki Axtell, Vice President of HR and People
Vicki Axtell began her career in the summer of 2015 at Livingston HealthCare
as the Director of Human Resources, in 2019 she became Vice President
of HR and People. As Vice President of HR and People, Vicki leads LHC’s
talent acquisition, organizational development, benefits administration,
employee health, and human resources information system initiatives.
Vicki is an accomplished transformational leader with more than 15 years
of human resources experience. She has led initiatives that have successfully
improved employee satisfaction, organizational development, retention,
and staff engagement. Vicki has provided Human Resources services to tourism,
retail, city municipality, and health care agencies.
Vicki came to Livingston from the University of Vermont Medical Center
in Burlington, Vermont. Prior to that Vicki was the Director of Human
Resources at the Vermont League of Cities and Towns in Montpelier, Vermont
and Director of Human Resources at the Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, Vermont.
Vicki earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Massachusetts
in Amherst, Massachusetts.
Kris Kester, Chief Financial Officer
Kris Kester became the Finance Director at Livingston Healthcare in July
of 2019, after serving as the Controller since January of 2018. Prior
to coming to LHC, Kris was a Medicare Auditor for Noridian and most recently
was the Controller and Director of Human Resources for the University
of Providence – a ministry of Providence Health and Services in
Great Falls, MT. Kris has a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from
Montana State University - Bozeman as well as a Master’s degree
in Business Administration with a focus in Healthcare Administration from
Grantham University in Lenexa, Kansas, and is a Certified Grants Management
Accountant. As Finance Director, Kris oversees finance, payroll, accounting,
patient financial services, medical records, coding and transcription
departments.
Outside of LHC, Kris is active in the community as a member of the Bozeman
Symphonic Choir, serves on the board for CASA of Park and Sweet Grass
Counties, previously served on the Board of Regents for Pacific Lutheran
University in Tacoma, WA, for 6 years, and enjoys time with family and
the many outdoor activities that the area has to offer.
Stacy Kohler, RN, Director of Nursing