Trellis is pleased to welcome five new members to our board of directors. These directors were elected to their positions in January 2026. They bring a wealth of knowledge, expertise and passion for the most pressing issues facing older adults and caregivers. Get to know them below!
Paurvi Bhatt
Paurvi Bhatt is a globally recognized healthcare executive and access strategist with a proven record of driving measurable impact through innovative partnerships, strategic capital allocation and inclusive leadership. She brings deep expertise in shaping public, private and philanthropic resources to expand access to health and social services.
Paurvi has held C-suite and executive leadership roles at Medtronic, Abbott, Levi Strauss & Co., Medtronic Foundation, The Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers, CARE USA, and USAID, where she pioneered models that redesigned the pathway for health access and equity.
A second-generation Indian American and trained in public health systems and economics, Paurvi is a sought-after thought leader, speaker, and mentor. She serves on multiple boards focused on capital allocation, philanthropy, global health, caregiving, and immigrant communities, and is known for pairing lived experience with professional expertise and training. She is a lived experience advisor and ambassador for the National Alliance for Caregiving, Caring Across Generations, WHO Commission for Social Connection, and The Foundation for Social Connection.
Natalie Halverson
Natalie Halverson is a Public Health Supervisor with Scott County, Minnesota. She has more than 25 years of experience in healthcare leadership and community engagement in southern Minnesota. Her expertise in population health, project management, strategic planning and coalition building enables Natalie to lead teams in addressing complex health challenges.
Natalie has held community engagement and development roles at Allina Health, where she managed public affairs, charitable giving, grantmaking, health equity initiatives and more. Prior to her time with Allina, Natalie was the Statewide Health Improvement Partnership Coordinator with Rice County Public Health. In this role she addressed health disparities among economically disadvantaged and limited-English populations.
Natalie lives in Faribault with her husband, Kurt. They are both proud Rotary members and stay busy giving back whenever they can. She is a mother of two children, and you’ll often find her cheering them on at their many sports and activities. In her free time, Natalie enjoys photography, traveling and playing basketball.
Joanne Hill
Dr. Joanne Hill is a public health nurse and health educator with more than 30 years of experience in healthcare and community-based public health. Her work focuses on aging, dementia education, caregiver support, and advancing health equity, with a strong commitment to culturally responsive services that support older adults and families across diverse communities.
Outside of her professional work, Dr. Hill enjoys medical mission work, traveling with her husband, and spending time with their seven children and eight grandchildren. She is active in her local church as a parish nurse, working to improve access to healthcare resources throughout the Twin Cities. She also enjoys biking and values travel as a way to learn from and connect with different cultures and communities.
Marty McCusker
Dr. Martha (Marty) McCusker is a retired physician certified in internal medicine, geriatrics and hospice/palliative medicine. She spent more than 30 years teaching and providing clinical care in a safety net care setting with substantial involvement in community-based settings.
Marty served as a nursing home medical director as well as the medical director of a hospice program, both for more than 20 years. In addition, she spent a decade on her hospital’s Biomedical Ethics Committee, serving as Chair for four years. Since retiring, she has pursued long-deferred interests in cooking and music, learning to play piano and sing in an adult choir, and dotes on her young grandchildren.
Sreeni Checka
Sreeni Checka joins the Trellis Board of Directors with a unique “pracademic” perspective, blending executive expertise in healthcare strategy with hands-on experience as a Minnesota Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) and family caregiver. Through his independent consulting firm, Diffly Health, Inc., Sreeni currently serves as a Product Delivery Lead for a major managed care payer, focusing on expanding access and advancing coordinated care for seniors and adults with disabilities.
His career is defined by leveraging technology to improve health outcomes. In leadership roles spanning Elevance, Boston Scientific, Target Pharmacy, Centene, Optum, and HHAeXchange, Sreeni has spearheaded initiatives to advance the Quadruple Aim—improving access, quality, and outcomes while reducing costs. Notably, he introduced value-based care programs that saved millions by facilitating safe transitions from nursing facilities to home settings, prioritizing patient independence.
Deeply rooted in the community for over 18 years, Sreeni is a dedicated civic leader. As the 2020 President of the India Association of Minnesota (IAM), he guided the organization through critical COVID-19 relief efforts and racial equity advocacy. He also volunteers with the Rotary Club of Eden Prairie. Sreeni is passionate about Trellis’s vision of extending healthspan, ensuring that all Minnesotans have the support they need to thrive as they age.
