Board of Trustees

Chet Burrell has held numerous CEO level positions and chairmanship roles in the US healthcare system for nearly 40 years in both the public and private sectors covering the for-profit and non-profit arenas. He has led major private payers (three times the President/CEO of different Blue Cross/Blue Shield Plans) providing health care coverage to millions of subscribers as well as start-up and mid-stage health technology companies backed by private equity and venture partners.

Along the way, he has successfully overseen investments in over 40 health care technology and service companies especially in his leadership role as the CEO of the largest private payer and health benefits management company in the mid-Atlantic area (CareFirst Blue Cross Blue Shield).

Through much of his career, Mr. Burrell has led pioneering efforts to reform financing approaches to healthcare involving financial incentives for providers and value-based payment models to reward more cost effective, higher quality care. These efforts have been marked by joint efforts with government policy makers and regulators as public-private initiatives in attempts to find solutions to ever increasingly unaffordable health care costs in the US.

Currently, Mr. Burrell is the Managing Member of Silavon Healthcare Holdings, LLC – an entity he established to pursue targeted areas of interest in the healthcare field. In this capacity, Mr. Burrell is now engaged in finding and overseeing highly selective investments in healthcare companies in the US that are believed to offer both high social impact value and high investment value potential.  These efforts are typically undertaken in concert with other private equity players and family offices that share similar objectives.

Daniel C. Burrell is the Founder and CEO of The Burrell Group, LLC a holding company that manages and operates individual, privately held companies in the education, real estate, natural resources and technology sectors. The Burrell Group seeks to provide high quality products, services, and solutions for its customers. The company has headquarter and regional offices throughout the United States and internationally.

Mr. Burrell received his Bachelor of Arts from Georgetown University, a General Course Degree in International Law from the London School of Economics, and a J.D. from Yale Law School.

Kate Butler joined Rice Management Company in 2017. Ms. Butler provides investment oversight primarily for the endowment’s private equity and venture capital portfolio as well as other asset classes. Previously, she worked in private equity, investing out of a $1.5 billion pool of capital; in real estate, repositioning a $6.6 billion REIT as a result of shareholder activism; and in investment management, refining the strategy of a $775 billion AUM global asset manager. Ms. Butler received her M.B.A. with Honors from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and her B.A. with Distinction from Yale University, graduating in three years.

Joe B. Davidson joined Rice University in 1994.  As Senior Associate General Counsel for Rice Management Company and Rice University, his principal responsibilities are endowment investments, financings, corporate governance and compliance.  In this role, Mr. Davidson advises on and manages outside counsel for private equity, venture capital, real estate, hedge fund, energy, mineral, and timber investments.  His other practice areas include athletics coach, game and sponsorship agreements, intellectual property, and export controls.  Previously, Mr. Davidson worked with the law firms of Dewey Ballantine and Paul Hastings where he focused on mergers and acquisitions, public offerings and private placements, and real estate.  Mr. Davidson received his J.D. from The University of Chicago Law School, and graduated magna cum laude from Rice University with a B.A. in Political Science, Legal Studies, and Managerial Studies.  He is a member of Phi Beta Kappa, the State Bars of Texas and California, the Houston Bar Association, the American Bar Association, and the National Association of College and University Attorneys.  Mr. Davidson serves on the board of the Chance for Hope Foundation.

Dr. Tracy J. Farnsworth was appointed President of the Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine (ICOM) at Idaho State University (ISU) in 2016. He also serves as Associate Professor and Director of the Healthcare Management programs at ISU.

Prior to his work at the University Dr. Farnsworth served in various executive level positions with Intermountain Healthcare, Catholic Healthcare West, and the City of Hope National Medical Center.

Dr. Farnsworth is a graduate of Brigham Young University. He also received Masters Degrees in Business and Health Services Administration from Arizona State University, and a Doctor in Educational Leadership at ISU. In 2014 Farnsworth received the Kole-McGuffey Prize for excellence in education research. In 2016 he received the distinguished author award by the Association of Schools of Allied Health Professions.

Dr. Farnsworth is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE). He also serves as Board Chair-Elect of the Association of University Programs in Health Administration (AUPHA), and as a member of the Portneuf Medical Center Board of Trustees in Pocatello, Idaho.

Farnsworth has been active in his church and community, including the Boy Scouts of America where he received the Silver Beaver award in 2009. Tracy and his wife Michelle are the parents of four children and twelve grandchildren.

Dr. Force is the Vice President for Health Sciences at Idaho State University and Professor of Pharmacy Practice and Family Medicine at Idaho State University. He earned his B.S. in Pharmacy from Oregon State University and his Pharm.D. degree from the University of Texas, after which he completed a research fellowship in infectious diseases at Ohio State University.

Dr. Force has been active in the American College of Clinical Pharmacy, serving on several committees as well as chairing the Board Certification Affairs Committee and the Public and Professional Affairs Committee. He was elected Chair of the Ambulatory Care Practice and Research Network of ACCP in 1999 and to the Board of Regents in 2001. His expertise in collaborative drug therapy and reimbursement for clinical pharmacy services was recognized by his appointment to the ACCP Task Force on Compensation in 1998. He serves on the editorial board of the Annals of Pharmacotherapy and has acted as a referee for the Handbook of Nonprescription Drugs. Dr. Force was the founding column editor of STEPped Care: An Evidence-based Approach to Drug Therapy in the Journal of the American Board of Family Practice. Currently, he co-authors and edits the Prescriber?s Letter Journal Club a monthly publication designed to critically evaluate new information in the field of pharmacotherapy. He has authored over 60 professional and research publications, and speaks regularly at professional meetings. Dr. Force and his collaborators have received grants and contracts in excess of $3.5 million while at ISU. Presently, he is the Site Principal Investigator of a multi-center diabetes trial (ACCORD) funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health. His research interests focus on primary care pharmacotherapy (hypertension, diabetes, congestive heart failure, adult immunizations, etc.), drug utilization review, pharmacoepidemiology, and evidence-based medicine. Dr. Force has been on the faculty at Idaho State University since 1993.

Dr. Rachel Gonzales has served as President/CEO of Madison Memorial Hospital since 2012. She served previously as Chief Nursing Officer. Rachel received her bachelors in nursing degree from Westminster College, Master’s degree in nursing from the University of Phoenix (UOP), and a doctorate in management from UOP.

Dr. Gonzales serves as Chair of the Idaho Hospital Association, and has served as the Idaho Hospital Association delegate to the American Hospital Association.

Ronald E. Long joined Rice University in 2000 as Associate Vice President for Investments and Associate Treasurer, and was also named a Vice President of the Rice Management Company when it was formed in 2009. As Chief Operating Officer, Mr. Long is responsible for overseeing the operations of the RMC, which includes cash management as well as planned giving asset investment and administration, in addition to managing Rice’s fixed income, cash investments, and outstanding tax‐exempt and taxable debt.

Previously, Mr. Long served as Treasurer of Browning‐Ferris Industries, Inc. where he was responsible for BFI’s treasury, tax and insurance functions, and shared responsibility for managing the pension funds and 401(k) plan assets. Prior to joining BFI in 1993, Mr. Long was Treasurer of American Exploration Company where he was employed from 1989 to 1993. Mr. Long has lived in Houston and has been employed in various finance capacities since January 1981. Mr. Long is a graduate of the University of Kansas where he received a B.A. in history and an M.B.A. Mr. Long became a CPA in 1989 but no longer maintains his license.

Dr. Steven Nemerson, MD, MSE, MBA joined Saint Alphonsus Health System as Chief Clinical Officer on January 27, 2020. In this role he provides executive leadership and strategic oversight for the clinical enterprise at Saint Alphonsus and is the executive champion for enhancing quality of care, integrated healthcare delivery, and patient safety. As CCO he also oversees the Saint Alphonsus Medical Group and the Saint Alphonsus Health Alliance Clinically Integrated Network.

Dr. Nemerson served previously as Chief Medical Officer for Aurora Healthcare in Southern Wisconsin and Northern Illinois; Vanguard West Suburban and Westlake Medical Centers in greater Chicago; and Lower Bucks Hospital in suburban Philadelphia.

Dr. Nemerson received his medical degree from Pennsylvania State University, a Master of Business Administration from Temple University, and a Master of Science degree in Biomedical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University. He earned an undergraduate degree in Biomedical Engineering from Brown University. Dr. Nemerson contributes widely to the field of clinical research and education. He is board-certified in pediatric intensive care and one of only 21 diplomates board-certified in administrative medicine.

Dr. David C. Pate, MD, JD, is the former President and Chief Executive Officer of St. Luke’s Health System, based in Boise, ID.

Dr. Pate received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Rice University, his medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine, and his law degree cum laude from the University of Houston Law Center. He completed his residency training at Baylor College of Medicine and is board-certified in internal medicine. He is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives.

During his 10-year tenure at St. Luke’s, Dr. Pate led the health system’s transformation into an integrated healthcare network that includes service partnerships and relationships with other healthcare organizations in the region while ensuring the financial foundation that supports the visionary development of St. Luke’s Health System. In 2013, St. Luke’s became the only healthcare system in Idaho to establish a federally recognized Accountable Care Organization. St. Luke’s is routinely recognized as an emerging health system of note as the transformation of health care in America continues.

Dr. Pate is an author, teacher, lecturer, community volunteer, and active member of community and professional boards and committees.

Kevin Satterlee became Idaho State University’s 13th president in June 2018. Kevin is a native Idahoan from Priest River, Idaho. He has served Idaho’s higher education system for over 20 years. Kevin has a passion for watching students transform their lives through their educational experiences. His favorite day of work for the last 20 years has always been the first day of school. Watching students begin a new year, with fresh hopes and the excitement of new opportunities, has never ceased to move and motivate Kevin.

Upon assuming the presidency, Kevin committed to faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends of the University to always listen, be transparent and lead inclusively. As a natural problem-solver, the challenges facing ISU, and higher education in general, do not phase Kevin. Rather, these challenges give Kevin the motivation and determination he needs to face them head-on.

Idaho State University’s strengths are evident. As Idaho’s leader in health science education, a strong partner of Idaho’s National Laboratory, and a University where faculty and staff always put students first, there is an amazing story to tell. Kevin has been privileged to help share these stories with state leadership, community members and future students. One of his top priorities as president is to continue to build on and celebrate ISU’s strengths, traditions and community culture.

In the next 10 years, Kevin aims to lead the University to greater heights by maximizing the strengths of the institution, building strong and lasting relationships between ISU and its constituents, and helping to remove barriers to success. The future of ISU is bright with the talent and passion of the Bengal family. Kevin could not be more proud to be a Bengal.

Prior to his arrival, Kevin served 17 years at Boise State University in a variety of leadership positions, most recently Chief Operating Officer, Vice President and Special Counsel to the President. Kevin led the Campus Operations Division of the university in addition to serving as a key executive leader responsible for collaboratively steering the overall direction of the university. Prior to his time at Boise State, Kevin was a deputy attorney general in the Idaho Attorney General’s Office for six years. During much of this period he served as chief legal officer to the Idaho State Board of Education.

Kevin received his bachelor’s degree in political science from Boise State University (magna cum laude) and was named a Top Ten Scholar of the University. He received his law degree from the University of Idaho (magna cum laude).

Kevin and his wife Margaret, both multi-generational Idaho natives, have three children. They enjoy jet-skiing, fishing, baking and spending as much time as possible with friends and family.

Jeff Sollis serves as Chief Executive Officer at Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center (EIRMC) in Idaho Falls, ID. Prior to being appointed CEO in January 2018, Sollis served as EIRMC’s Chief Operating Officer for four years.

Sollis has served previously as Chief Operating Officer at Timpanogos Regional Hospital in Orem, Utah; Assistant COO at HCA Wesley Medical Center in Wichita, Kansas; and Assistant Administrator at HCA North Suburban Medical Center in Thornton, Colorado.

Sollis received his Masters of Health Administration degree from Virginia Commonwealth University, and B.A. in Behavioral Science and Health from the University of Utah.