University of Maryland Shore Regional Health Welcomes Five New Board Members

The University of Maryland Shore Regional Health (UM SRH) Board of Directors recently welcomed five new members: Christine Helfenbein, David Milligan, Milton Nagel, Talli Oxnam and Christopher Runz, DO. The Board's composition includes representatives from the five counties served by UM SRH, the regional physician community and the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS). UM SRH is a member organization of UMMS.

A resident of Chestertown, Maryland, Chrissy Helfenbein enjoyed a 25-year career in pharmaceutical sales serving the medical communities of Delaware and Maryland. During her career, she worked for Sanofi and the Bayer Corporation, both in Wilmington, Delaware, and later as a senior executive sales professional at Amgen, a worldwide biotechnology company based in Annapolis, Maryland, retiring in 2022. During her career and since her retirement, Helfenbein has been very active in a variety of community activities, having served as vice president of the Kent County Schools PTA, and as a board of the Kent County High Schools Boosters. She now teaches yoga at the Kent County YMCA and Slack Tide Yoga Studio in Chestertown, and also serves as president of the Kent County Tennis League, which promotes tennis throughout the county in collaboration with Washington College. Helfenbein earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management from St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

David Milligan, of Easton, Maryland, is a Business Systems Analyst for Qlarant, a consulting organization focused on healthcare quality improvement; waste, fraud, and abuse program integrity; and data science and technology. He has previously served as chairman of the UM SRH Board and chairman of the UM SRH Board Quality, Safety, and Experience Committee, and on the board of the former Dorchester General Hospital. He currently serves on the University of Maryland Medical System Board Patient Quality and Safety Committee. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Information Systems Management from Salisbury University's Perdue School of Business in Salisbury, Maryland, and his Master of Science degree in Health Administration Informatics from the University of Maryland University College. His community service activities have benefited the YMCA, the Dorchester County Public Library Board of Directors (where he served as president) and Talbot Mentors, Inc.

Milton Nagel, a life-long resident of Federalsburg, Maryland, retired from the Caroline County Board of Education in 2021, where he served in various capacities for nearly thirty years, primarily as assistant superintendent for administrative services. During his time with the Board of Education, he was involved in the development of Choptank Community Health's first school-based health center. He is now the executive director for the Maryland Association of Boards of Education where he has been involved in the establishment of Marathon Health's first near-site comprehensive primary health care center on the Eastern Shore, located in Centreville for Queen Anne's county government and school system employees and their dependents. At present, Nagel is treasurer for the Board of Channel Marker, Inc., and vice chair of the board Chesapeake College. He is a CPA and earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from the University of Delaware.

Easton, Maryland, resident Talli Oxnam is executive vice president of Wye Financial Partners, the investment division of Shore United Bank. Prior to joining Wye Financial Partners, she served several years as chief operating officer for Ilex Construction, a residential construction and architectural woodworking firm. She is a former board member of the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, president of the Women & Girls Fund of the Mid-Shore, and chair of Junior Achievement of Talbot County. Presently, she is a member of the UM SRH Investment Committee and a trustee of The Country School. Oxnam earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Broadcast Journalism and English at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington, and is a graduate of both the American Bankers Association Advanced Trust School and Leadership Maryland.

Christopher Runz, DO, of Easton, Maryland, is a board-certified urologist with over 19 years of clinical and surgical expertise, with experience in clinical pathway development, quality improvement and strategic healthcare delivery, robotic surgery, comprehensive men's health and minimally invasive surgery. Affiliated with UM SRH since 2005, Dr. Runz served as a founding member of University of Maryland Shore Medical Group's Regional Council, as well as director of robotic surgery and a member of the UM SRH Quality Committee. Dr. Runz earned his medical degree from A.T. Still University of Health Sciences, Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine and served as chief resident in urological surgery at Michigan State University in Detroit, Michigan.

Three members rotated off the UM SRH board this past July: Thomas Stauch, MD, Wayne Howard, and Art Cecil; Cecil was elected director emeritus and will continue as a board member.