Welcoming new board members

February 28th, 2022

Ronald McDonald House Charities of Madison is pleased to announce four new members of the board of directors whose terms began on January 1, 2022. These highly respected leaders offer valuable insight into how we can provide the best possible support for our families now and in the future.

Welcome to the RMHC family Brian Flad, Heidi Kloster, Chris Roth, and Shannon Wendricks!

Brian Flad
Vice President, Management & Leasing Flad Development & Investment Corp.

Brian is a Madison, Wisconsin native with experience in both real estate and marketing. He currently serves as VP of commercial leasing and management at Flad Development and was also recognized as one of PRWeek’s National “40 Under 40” recipients in 2017 while playing key leadership roles within a global marketing communications agency.

“I look forward to supporting RMHC-Madison by working to elevate brand awareness and utilizing personal and professional networks to share the RMHC mission and vision,” said Brian.

Brian’s parents, Coleen and John Flad are among the founders who helped build the original Ronald McDonald House in Madison and were co-chairs of the Building on Hope capital campaign which expanded and renovated the House in 2019. He credits them as role models for his values of philanthropy and servant leadership.

FUN FACT: Brian and his wife, Megan, were on the RMHC-Madison Golf Classic Committee and helped launch the Red Shoe Soiree before joining the board.

 

Heidi Kloster, MD
Associate Professor, UW School of Medicine and Public Health Department of Pediatrics

Heidi is passionate about providing high-quality clinical care and advocating more broadly for children with medical complexity and children with special needs. She is also interested in the mental health and well-being of the healthcare workforce and enjoys exploring ways to infuse resilience building into the culture and curricula of medical training.

“It is a true honor to join the Board of the RMHC-Madison. The Ronald McDonald House provides so much support and comfort for our patients and their families during their times of need. I am humbled to have the opportunity to be a part of this organization, whose mission so closely aligns with my own. I look forward to doing what I can to elevate awareness of all of the wonderful work the staff and volunteers do every day at RMHC,” said Heidi.

FUN FACT: Outside of medicine, Heidi loves spending time with her son and their silly dog, experimenting in the kitchen, and getting out on the hiking trails.

 

Chris Roth
Chief Marketing Officer, UW Health

Chris’ passion for RMHC was founded when he and his family supported close friends who lost their child to brain cancer, witnessing the challenges their friends faced during the extended-healthcare circumstances. Chris is committed to connecting families to resources and care, allowing them to be as comfortable as possible and lead their happiest and most fulfilled lives.
As the Chief Marketing Officer at UW Health, he leads marketing and communication initiatives and is energized by the ability to impact children and their families at American Family Children’s Hospital. As an RMHC-Madison board member, he hopes to help drive greater awareness of the RMHC mission and programs throughout the faculty and staff of UW Health, patients, and the population of the greater Madison area.

FUN FACT: Chris and his wife Kate were married nearly 20 years ago, with their wedding ceremony held at the McDonald’s corporate training headquarters in the Chicago suburbs!

 

Shannon Wendricks
Vice President of Transformation, UnityPoint Health

Shannon was first introduced to the Ronald McDonald House when her niece was born with a diaphragmatic hernia and the family lived an hour away from the hospital. Shannon was moved by the RMHC mission by seeing how the Ronald McDonald House supported her family at such a vulnerable time.

She was drawn further into a career in healthcare following her own experience and took a position within the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at UnityPoint Health-Meriter. While working in the NICU, Shannon had the opportunity to see firsthand the impact of RMHC services.

Shannon has held multiple leadership positions throughout UPH-Meriter and UnityPoint Health in Informatics, Planning & Process Improvement, and Strategy & Innovation.  In her current role as Vice President of Transformation, she plays a leading role in supporting the development, execution, and management of the system’s strategic vision. She looks forward to leveraging her personal experiences as well as her professional experiences in healthcare while serving on the board.

FUN FACT: Shannon, her husband, Paul, and their two children are water skiing enthusiasts and all four are members of the Mad-City Ski Team.