Foundation Board of Directors
Livingston HealthCare Foundation’s Board of Directors represent leaders
and long-time residents from all corners of Park County. Their efforts
and commitment to raise philanthropic gifts to provide quality medical
service are why our facility continues to attract skilled medical professionals
and add and maintain state-of-the-art technology and health programming.
With a vested interest in the health and wellness of our community, all
of the people listed below do their part to contribute to the growth of
Livingston HealthCare.
Livingston HealthCare Foundation Officers
Board Chair: Mary Ann Bearden
Mary Ann Bearden graduated high school in Dallas, Texas, in 1969, finished
her B.A. in English Literature at Colorado State University in 1972, spent
three years as a lineman for Chesapeake & Potomac Bell in the Appalachian
Mountains, before starting law school at the University of Oregon in 1975.
She graduated law school in 1978, passed the Bar Exam and went into private
practice in Eugene, Oregon. After 20 years practicing law, she was appointed
to the bench as a Circuit Court Judge in 1998, where she served until
her retirement. The last ten years on the bench she served as the presiding
judge for the second largest judicial district in Oregon. After retirement
she moved to Park County full time in early 2017. She had been fishing
here since 1969 and spent vacations here every year since 1990, building
a home here in 2005.
Vice Chair: Melissa Potter Atkinson
Melissa Potter Atkinson is a retired librarian. She holds a BA in American
Studies from the University of Kansas and a MLS from the University of
Oklahoma. Her professional experience includes cataloging for private,
museum and university library collections. Melissa served on the board
of directors for Undercroft Montessori School, the Magic Empire Council
of Girls Scouts and the Gilcrease Museum of Western Art—all in Tulsa,
Oklahoma. She has been a literacy tutor for adults and children. Melissa
and her husband, Mike Atkinson, divide their time between their home of
17 years in the Shields River Valley and Tulsa, Oklahoma. They have 2
grown children living in Brooklyn, New York.
Secretary/Treasurer: Steve Woodruff
Steve Woodruff has been an attorney since 1999, practicing with the Huppert,
Swindlehurst & Woodruff law firm. He attended Middlebury College for
his undergraduate degree and University of Montana for law school. Mr.
Woodruff is vice president of the Livingston Depot Foundation Board, and
has been active with other non-profit groups during his years in Livingston.
He looks forward to assisting Livingston HealthCare with maintaining and
enhancing its new medical center by his involvement with the Livingston
HealthCare Foundation.
Foundation Board Members
Deb Anczak, Livingston HealthCare Chief Executive Officer
Deb Anczak began her role as Livingston HealthCare's CEO in October
2018 after having served as Interim CEO since March 2018. 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.
Michelle Becker, Livingston HealthCare Board Vice-Chair
Michelle Becker, broker/owner of Maverick Realty in Livingston, has been
a board member since 2001. She is a lifelong resident of Park County,
and has been an active Realtor since 1987. Becker also serves on the Livingston
HealthCare Board of Directors as the Chair and played a key role in the
New Hospital Campaign as a fundraiser and as a facilitator in the sale
of the old facility. Ms. Becker was President of the Livingston Chamber
of Commerce and was appointed to the Upper Yellowstone River Task Force
by the Governors Raciot and Martz. She was President of the Montana Association
of Realtors in 2000, and has served on multiple boards, task forces, working
groups, and committees.
Deborah (“Debbie”) Erdman, MD
Deborah Erdman, MD, is a respected physician, philanthropist, and friend
in the Livingston community. During her seventeen years at Livingston
Memorial Hospital and what would later be known as Livingston HealthCare,
Dr. Erdman welcomed many lives into this world as an OB/GYN Physician.
She has a keen interest in medical ethics and chaired the ethics committee
while at Livingston HealthCare’s Park Clinic. Most recently she
has been involved with philanthropic issues that confront our community,
serving as a Co-Chair of the Capital Campaign Cabinet in the Livingston
HealthCare Foundation’s New Hospital Campaign, and was personally
responsible for attaining large contributions from local individuals.
Scott Coleman, MD
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 Major in the Medical
Corp of the Montana Air National Guard.
Bob Gersack, Public Director
Bob Gersack graduated from Great Falls Central High School in 1962 and
received degrees in history and english from the University of Great Falls
in 1966. Shortly after graduation, he began his career in banking in Great
Falls and transferred to Miles City in 1970 to work for First Bank System,
now US Bank. In 1985, Bob transferred to Livingston as president of First
Bank System and has maintained a home here ever since. In 1987, Bob led
a group of investors to purchase the Livingston branch of First Bank System
and operate it as First National Park Bank. The branch sold to First Interstate
Bank in 1997 and Bob stayed on as president for several years before transferring
to the First Interstate Holding Company in Billings for the remaining
five years of his career. Throughout his career, Bob has served as president
of the Montana Bankers Association and chairman of the Montana Banking
Commission. Now retired, Bob and his wife Jane split their time between
Arizona and their home in Livingston. They have four children and 11 grandchildren.
Bob serves on the board because he believes Livingston HealthCare's
high-quality medical care is essential to ensuring that Livingston remains
a viable community, where people want to live and raise their families.
Pat Gilligan
Pat Gilligan is a retired real-estate developer having developed and owned
over five million square feet of commercial property, mostly concentrated
in California.
Throughout his career, Pat also devoted his time to social leadership roles
including having served as Past President of The Burlingame Country Club,
Hillsborough CA, The Pacific-Union Club and Villa Taverna Club, both of
San Francisco. In addition, Pat has been active with a number of conservation
organizations and has in the past, held the following offices,
- California State Chair for Ducks Unlimited
- Board Chair, California Waterfowl Association
- Board Chair, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation
- Chair, The Torstenson Wildlife Center in New Mexico
- Trustee, Filoli Historical Trust Woodside CA
- Member, Boone and Cricket Club
Pat and his wife Shelley have lived part-time in Paradise Valley for 35
years. They have two children, Sara Hildenbrandt who resides in Amsterdam,
Holland with her husband and two daughters, and Patrick, Jr who lives
with his wife in Portland, OR. In addition to being an avid hunter and
fisherman, Pat is a Master Gardener and Certified Bread Maker.
Joe Phelps
Joe Phelps is considered to be one of the pioneering innovators of truly
integrated marketing communications. Since 1981, The Phelps Group—now
in Playa Vista, California—has delivered paid, owned and earned
campaigns for category-leading brands such as Panasonic, Public Storage,
Tahiti Tourism, Petco, DirecTV and City of Hope. The agency worked only
for clients whose products helped make the world a better place. Joe’s book,
Pyramids Are Tombs, outlines a new organizational model for aligning associates and clients
for success. He is chairman and founder of the Getting Better Foundation,
whose mission is to build trust through the empirical truth about the
positive evolution of human behavior. An alum of the University of Arkansas,
Joe was a musician and recording engineer before moving to Los Angeles,
where he worked for multi-national ad agencies prior to founding The Phelps
Group. In 2005 he built his “Rancho Relaxo” in Paradise Valley.
When he’s not doing his part to help out the community, he fishes,
plays drums, plants trees and entertains a cavalcade of guests.
Joey Lane
Joey Lane teaches history and economics at Park High School in Livingston
with a BA from Colorado State University. She is a member of the National
Council of Social Studies and the Montana Council for Economic Education.
As a longtime community member, Mrs. Lane has been involved with many
local charities and fundraising groups. Joey and her husband Tom own and
manage the Lane Ranch and Legacy Land & Cattle, cattle ranching operations
located in Park, Meagher and Gallatin counties.
Denis Prager, PhD, Livingston HealthCare Board Chair
Denis Prager is president of Strategic Consulting Services. From 1983
to 1994, he was director of the health program at the John D. and Catherine
T. MacArthur Foundation. From 1978 to 1983, Dr. Prager was associate director
of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. He began his
career in 1960 as a research scientist at the National Institutes of Health
and has also served as a U.S. Public Health Service Fellow at Stanford
University, where he received his PhD in physiology.
Livingston HealthCare Foundation Staff
Babs Brandfass, Livingston HealthCare Foundation President
Ms. Brandfass brings more than 20 years of experience in business development
and project management, focused primarily in the financial markets. Most
recently, she served as Senior Vice President of Business Development
for The Receivables Exchange, a start-up funded by Bain Capital. She also
served as Principal at Bank of America in Strategic Development for Global
Structured Products. Babs received her MBA from Cornell University. She
is co-founder and CEO of Incunable Productions, a screen development company.
Lauren Chaisson, Livingston HealthCare Foundation Development Officer
Lauren is a native of New Hampshire and has resided in the Livingston area
since 2013. Prior to joining the Livingston HealthCare Foundation, Lauren
spent almost six years at Mountain Sky Guest Ranch (MSGR) in Paradise
Valley, most recently as the Director of Sales and Marketing. During her
time at MSGR, Lauren served on the AMB West Community Fund Committee and
was involved with the community giving program. She holds a degree in
International Relations from the University of South Carolina.
Livingston HealthCare Foundation Annual Report 2017-2018
Livingston HealthCare Foundation Annual Report 2014-2016
Livingston HealthCare Foundation 990 Report