Leadership Biographies

Family Health Care, Oncology, Orthopedics, OB Health Services: Caribou, ME

Leadership Biographies

Leading a healthcare organization is a highly demanding responsibility that requires a visionary approach to planning, problem solving, and decision making. At Cary Medical Center, our award-winning administrative team has done an exceptional job at balancing patient needs, employee expectations, and resources. Their leadership, combined with the outstanding efforts of hundreds of employees, has positioned our hospital to be among the best for customer service, patient safety, and health information/medical technologies.

Chair


Doug Plourde
[email protected]

Members


Irene Djuanda, M.D.
[email protected]

Kevin Barnes
[email protected]

Penny Thompson
[email protected]

Neal Griffeth
[email protected]

Chris Bell
[email protected]

Mike Gahagan
[email protected]
[email protected]

Shawn Laferriere, D.O.
[email protected]

Michael Quinlan
[email protected]

Carl Soderberg
[email protected]

Jane McCall
[email protected]

We invite you to learn more about our administrative team:

Kris Doody, RN, CEO

Kris Doody is undoubtedly a leader with global visionary skills and a champion for healthcare accessibility, affordability, and quality. Her unique climb to Cary Medical Center’s top administrative position as Chief Executive Officer actually began as a Certified Nurse’s Aide at the age of 15.

With a flair for nursing and genuine compassion for patients, Kris continued her education to become a registered nurse with a degree from the University of Maine in 1983 and eventually manager of surgical services. In this role, it was evident that Kris was an extraordinary leader; a trait that made her an excellent choice for the Chief Operating Officer position in 1994 and then Chief Executive Officer in 1999. During her time as COO, Kris also earned a Master’s Degree in Business from Husson College.

With her clinical expertise and patient care experiences, Kris brings an insightful leadership style to the CEO position. This, combined with a drive to continuously improve services, tirelessly advocate for patients and the rural healthcare system, and the ability to inspire and empower staff, has garnered Kris numerous state and national leadership awards and appointments.

Kris is a hands-on leader with vision, passion, and high ethical and moral standards. Most importantly, she always leads with a compassionate and caring touch.

Dr. Regen Gallagher, Chief Medical Officer

Dr. Regen Gallagher, DO, MBA, CPE serves as Chief Medical Officer at Cary Medical Center. As an OB/GYN by training, Dr. Gallagher originally joined Pines Health Services in 2006 and practiced Obstetrics and Gynecology until 2010. Following active practice, she joined Executive Health Resources as a Physician Advisor where she performed concurrent case review to ensure Medicare compliance for hospitals throughout the country. In 2012, she assumed the role of Chief Medical Officer at Cary, and in that capacity also serves as Chief Compliance Officer, Physician Advisor, Patient Safety Officer, and Human Protections Administrator.

Dr. Gallagher received her undergraduate and medical degrees from the University of New England in Biddeford, Maine. She interned at Mercy Suburban Hospital in Norristown Pennsylvania, and completed a residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Midwestern University and St James Hospitals and Health Centers in Olympia Fields, Illinois. She earned an MBA in 2010 from the University of Massachusetts Isenberg School of Management. She is board certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology and as a Physician Executive by the Certifying Commission of Medical Management. She holds an academic appointment at the Tufts University School of Medicine as a Clinical Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology. She is currently pursuing a law degree at Mitchell Hamline School of Law in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Over the years, Dr. Gallagher has served in a variety of leadership roles at Cary Medical Center including Chief of Staff, Vice Chief of Staff, and as Physician Director of Maternal Child Services at the institution. She provides leadership and expertise to a number of departments and committees at the hospital including the Antimicrobial Stewardship Committee, the Medical Executive/Credentials Committee, Patient Safety Committee, Medical Review Committee, Quality Management Committee, and the Maternal Child Committee.

Locally, Dr. Gallagher serves on the Professional Advisory Committee of Valley Home Health Services. At the state level, she currently serves as Trustee at the University of New England, and on the Institutional Review Board at the University of Southern Maine. She has also served on the board of directors for the Aroostook Council for Healthy Families, Cary Medical Center, and the Maine Osteopathic Association.

She was inducted into the Psi Sigma Alpha Honor Society in 1996, and named a Fellow of the American College of Osteopathic Obstetricians and Gynecologists in 2007. Dr. Gallagher completed the Health Leadership Development Program at the Daniel Hanley Center and the Institute for Civic Leadership in 2010 and was named a McAfee Fellow at the Daniel Hanley Center Physician Executive Leadership Institute in 2012.

 

 

Chelsea L. Desrosiers, CPA, MBA, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer


Chelsea Reynolds Desrosiers is a native of New Sweden, Maine and a graduate of Caribou High School.  She is a Certified Public Accountant. She has extensive healthcare experience conducting generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) audits of regional hospitals, physician organizations, not-for-profit foundations and a healthcare purchasing coalition.  She served as Audit Senior Manager with Baker Newman Noyes out of the company’s Portland and Boston Offices. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting at Thomas College in Waterville, Maine and earned her Master’s Degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting at Thomas.

Her work involved efficiently and effectively coordinating, monitoring and tracking economics (budget VS actual) of financial statements, 401K benefit plans and Uniform Guidance compliance audits, under strict client time restraints, in a variety of industries (insurance, manufacturing, retail construction management and primarily healthcare) and size (start-ups to $1 Billion revenue generating entities).

She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Healthcare Financial Management Association, the Maine Society of Certified Public Accountants and the Massachusetts Society of Certified Public Accountants.  

 

Paula A. Parent, RN, BSN, MBA, Director of Human Resources

Paula Parent has been with Cary Medical Center for over 30 years. In addition to personnel matters, she oversees Human Resources.

Paula values the strength of a diversified team and encourages employees to advance their careers through training, education, and enrichment opportunities. Her extensive knowledge about the healthcare system, both from a clinical and administrative background, helps Paula to effectively anticipate employees’ and patients’ needs. She is fully dedicated to positioning Cary Medical Center as the employer of choice for those seeking a rewarding healthcare career.

Like the department she leads, Paula herself is a diverse and dynamic individual. Her fun-loving, caring personality often shines through with a reassuring hug, a warm smile, or a friendly hello. She has the reputation of being a fair and open-minded advocate for employees and has nurtured a supportive environment within her department and throughout the organization.

 

Jennifer N. Plant, RN, OCN, Chief Nursing Officer

Jennifer Plant, RN, OCN has been with Cary since 2001, and is the hospital’s Chief Nursing Officer (CNO).

Jennifer has demonstrated excellence in meeting the high clinical and patient satisfaction standards we have made part of our culture, and is an excellent leader for our award-winning nursing staff.

Plant earned her Associate Degree in Nursing from Northern Maine Community College in 2009.  She also has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sociology from the University of Maine and is currently enrolled in a Master of Business Administration Degree program at Husson University. She has held numerous positions at Cary. She began as a Registered Nurse on the Acute Care Unit where she did bed-side nursing and worked as a staff charge nurse. From 2011 – 2015 Plant worked as a Nurse Educator/Informatics Nurse.  In this role she compiled and reported quality management data regarding patient safety and staff compliance.  She also coordinated student clinical rotations, externships and preceptorships as well as other duties. In 2015 she stepped into a management role when she was appointed Nurse Manager of the Jefferson Cary Cancer Center.  She accepted the position at a time of great growth and expansion. She helped lead the center to gain national recognition QOPI Certification.  In August 2019 Plant became Interim Manager of Cary’s Surgical Services Department where she gained beneficial experience working with the surgical team.

Jennifer is building on our culture to support longer retention and increase employee satisfaction. She is also working with individual nurses to get a sense of their long-term goals and create more opportunities for advancement.

Jennifer is an advocate for our patients, the nurses she supports, and is essential to our supportive environment of learning and growth.

Timothy Conroy, Director of Information Systems

Timothy Conroy, Chief Information Officer at Cary Medical Center is a Caribou native and graduate of Caribou High School who joined the Cary administrative team in August of 2020.

Conroy earned his Master’s Degree in Education from Jones International University in Centennial Colorado in 2012 and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Secondary Education at the University of Maine at Presque Isle. After teaching in the Millinocket area for a number of years Conroy took on leadership positions at Eastern Maine Community College where he served as Interim Academic Dean, and Dean of Communications and Information Technology. In his work at the EMCC he served as Senior IT Executive leading strategic planning, development, operations and technology infrastructure for the college.

Conroy, who, with his wife Heidi Griffith Conroy, also a Caribou native, owns a camp at Madawaska Lake, was excited for the opportunity to join the Cary team and return home to the County. They returned to Aroostook County from Levant, Maine where Tim had been very active in the area serving as President of Eastern Maine Girls Hockey, Vice President of the Glenburn/Levant Little League and Executive Board Member at Friends of Maine Hockey.

Bill Flagg, Director of Community Relations and Development

Bill Flagg has the longest tenure on the Cary Medical Center senior management team having been in his current position for over 40 years. There are very few people who can match the energy and passion for promoting healthcare that Bill exhibits day after day.

With exceptional creativity, strong communication skills, and an unending enthusiasm, Bill has successfully put Cary Medical Center on the map as a leading healthcare organization. His participation in countless events, committees, and special projects has paved the way for hospital staff to develop valuable relationships with local and state agencies, groups, and businesses. Additionally, Bill often facilitates opportunities for our patients and the general public to access critical health information and to participate in wellness activities and programs.

From securing grants to volunteering his time and talents, Bill consistently finds creative ways to meet the healthcare needs of our community. He has played a vital role in numerous significant projects including the building of the Maine Veteran’s Home on the Cary Medical Center campus and the formation of the Community Alcohol and Drug Education Team. Bill’s efforts have garnered state, national, and even international attention not only for Cary Medical Center, but also for northern Maine and other rural healthcare organizations.

Bill earned a Bachelor’s Degree in English and a Minor in Political Science from the University of Maine at Presque Isle in 1976.

Benjamin Willey, Chief Facilities & Project Officer

Benjamin Willey is a graduate of Caribou High School, and holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration from the University of Maine at Fort Kent. His past experience includes the management of some 180 dwellings, including Lyndon Heights, a large housing complex in Caribou. He was responsible for all aspects of the business including all regulatory requirements, accounting, personnel management, buildings and grounds maintenance. 

Willey has been involved in a number of community organizations including Junior Achievement, Jobs for Maine Graduates, Leadership Aroostook, and he currently serves on the board of directors for ‘Facilities Inc.’, a property management company. 

Willey resides in Caribou with his wife Ashley, and their two daughters, Natalie and Viviana.