and existing freestanding emergency departments in the Houston metropolitan area. From August 2015 to July 2017, she was the Regional Facility Director at Neighbors Emergency Center (Free Standing Emergency Departments). Ms. Grenas served in the United States Navy for 20 years, achieved the rank of Lieutenant Commander, and is a veteran of two deployments in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (2005) and Operation Enduring Freedom (2011). She was awarded two Navy Commendation Medals and four Navy Achievement Medals during her service. Ms. Grenas, holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and a Master of Science in nursing from Prairie View A&M University. The Company believes that Ms. Grenas’ background and experience in healthcare management roles make her well qualified to serve as a director.
Michael L. Reed, MPH. Director, Governance Committee Chairman
Michael L. Reed, MPH has been a director of the Company since April 1, 2022. Mr. Reed has been an independent consultant providing advisory services in the areas of emergency medicine, hospitalist medicine, hospital operations, risk-based payor contracts, value-based care, and physician practice operations and development since January of 2018. From January 2019 to January 2020, Mr. Reed was Senior Vice President of Business Development and Strategic Partnerships of the Oncology Institute, a value-based oncology care company. From April 2018 to December 2018, Mr. Reed served as the Chief Executive Officer of Turtle Peak Customer Service, LLC, a Las Vegas, Nevada-based privately-held customer service company. Since August 2017, Mr. Reed has served as Senior Advisor to NueHealth, LLC, based in Leawood, Kansas, a privately-held developer and investor in lower-cost healthcare centers. From July 2009 to October 2013, Mr. Reed was President and Chief Executive Officer of Team Health Hospital Medicine, a division of TeamHealth, a once publicly-traded company that was acquired by Blackstone in 2017. In addition, from December 2001 to November 2004, he served as the Chief Operating Officer of Pinnacle Health System, a health care solutions company providing outpatient, inpatient, claims, billing, and medical management. Mr. Reed holds a Bachelor of Science in Health Services Management from California State University and received his Master of Public Health from UCLA. The Company believes that Mr. Reed’s long-standing career as a professional healthcare executive within the emergency medicine system and value-based care make him well qualified to serve as a director.
Scott J. Saunders, MPPM, Director
Scott J. Saunders has been an independent director of the Company since April 11, 2024.. Mr. Saunders is head of health care advisory services and has been Managing Director of Farlie Turner Gilbert & Co., LLC, a boutique middle market investment bank in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, since 2006. Since 1992, he has served as a financial and strategic advisor to middle market companies across a variety of industries, including companies primarily in the healthcare industry as well as those in financial distress. In addition, he advised companies in the media and communications, business services, industrial, and consumer products industries. The majority of transactions consummated during this period have been corporate divestitures but have also included debt and equity private placements and buy-side advisory work. He has been a guest lecturer at the University of Florida and Florida International University. In addition, he co-taught a class in management consulting to undergraduates and graduate students in the Management Department at the University of Miami. He is a frequent panelist at industry conferences on topics in healthcare M&A and financing. Throughout his career, he has developed relationships with key representatives of leading middle market private equity and private credit firms, as well as mezzanine capital firms, BDCs, and selected hedge funds. Mr. Saunders received his B.A. degree from Wesleyan University and his MPPM degree from the Yale University School of Management. The Company believes that Mr. Saunders’s background and experience in healthcare advisory roles make him well qualified to serve as a director.
General
Director Independence
Rule 5605 of the Nasdaq Listing Rules requires a majority of a listed company’s board of directors to be comprised of independent directors. In addition, the Nasdaq Listing Rules require that, subject to specified exceptions, each member of a listed company’s audit, compensation and nominations committees be independent and that audit committee members also satisfy independence criteria set forth in Rule 10A-3, under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”).
Under Rule 5605(a)(2) of the Nasdaq Listing Rules, a director will only qualify as an “independent director” if, in the opinion of our Board, that person does not have a relationship that would interfere with the exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of a director. In order to be considered independent for purposes of Rule 10A-3 of the Exchange Act, a member of an audit committee of a listed company may not, other than in his or her capacity as a member of the audit committee, the board of directors, or any other board committee, accept, directly or indirectly, any consulting, advisory, or other compensatory fee from the listed company or any of its subsidiaries or otherwise be an affiliated person of the listed company or any of its subsidiaries.