Cordell Passey
Hospital Board Chair
Cordell, son of Roy and Phyllis Passey, was raised in the Bear Lake Valley. He graduated from Bear Lake High School where he was active in sports and student government. Upon graduation, he attended then Ricks College after which served as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Hawaiian Islands. Following his mission, he married LynAnn Hunter of Bennington and they have four children. Cordell graduated with a degree in Business Administration from Brigham Young University. It was while working toward his degree, he discovered an interest and aptitude for computers. He used to work for the State of Utah until moving back to the valley in 1998. He began working for the school district as well as running his own home business. In 2002, Cordell started working for Ireland Bank as their network administrator. He now serves as their Chief Information Officer and Senior Vice-president.
Cordell’s favorite hobby is bow hunting in the Fall with his brothers and sons. He also enjoys working outdoors on a small piece of family land he owns in Lanark. His idea of a “fun” day would involve doing some fencing, branding a few calves, and spending time on a tractor.
He is looking forward to the opportunity to serve on the Hospital Board and appreciates all that the hospital, as a team, does to help individuals and the community as a whole.
Cheryl Beck
Hospital Board Member
Cheryl was born in SLC, grew up in Oregon and California but eventually made her way back to Utah. While attending Utah State she met her husband, Wayne Beck, son of Kay and Marvin Beck of Ovid. After college Wayne and Cheryl moved to Idaho City, Idaho to work for the Forest Service. They spent ten years there starting their family of three children (a daughter and two sons). They never thought they would be able to return to Bear Lake and live close to family, but miracles happen. Wayne was offered a job with the Forest Service in Montpelier in 2002. It wasn’t a difficult choice to come back “home”. She and her husband currently live in Ovid, what she affectionately refers to as the “Beck Stretch”. Bear Lake has been a great place to raise a family!
Cheryl has continued working for the Forest Service along with her husband for almost 30 years. Both Cheryl and her husband have a passion for the outdoors and getting kids outside to learn about the natural world around them. Over the years, the two of them have participated in numerous school field trips, 4-H, scouting and other church activities revolving around nature and our place in it.
While their kids were in high school, Cheryl spent countless hours on the sidelines taking sports photos and sharing online. She felt it was a way to capture the moments so kids could look back and remember the fun and hard work they put into their sport. It was a small way to give back to all the parents that spent countless hours following their kids from sporting event to sporting event.
With all three of their children moved out of the house, married and each having a child of their own, she felt it was time to invest in the community. From wellness visits to trips to the ER, Bear Lake Memorial has been there for her and her family many, many times. When Cheryl was having some unknown health issues years ago, it was such a comfort coming into the ER and having folks call her by name with true concern in their voices. That brought her such comfort to know that she was with family and everything was going to be ok. This valley has been blessed with such a great group of dedicated, caring, and helpful folks at Bear Lake Memorial! Cheryl hopes that being a part of the Hospital Board will help that legacy to continue.
Mark Harris
Hospital Board Member
Mark is a life-long resident of Bear Lake County. He was born at Bear Lake Memorial Hospital. He has always called Eight-Mile his home. Mark served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Argentina. He attended Utah State University and graduated with a Bachelors of Arts in Political Science. While attending college, he met the girl of his dreams, Cheryl. They now have three boys, Justin, Seth and Lane. Mark, along with his dad and brothers, run a cattle ranch. During the summer Mark teaches people what it is like to be a cowboy.
Mark enjoys being outdoors. He enjoys hunting, trap shooting, and gathering cattle on the back of a horse. He likes to read and is very involved in many different organizations. According to Mark, the Hospital Board is “a great board to be a part of. Everyone has the hospital’s best interest in mind, and there are no personal agendas.”
Craig Culver
Hospital Board Member
Craig was raised and graduated high school in Laramie, Wyoming. He then attended and played baseball at the University of Wyoming. In 1995, Craig took his first and only teaching job filling the Art position at Bear Lake High School. He was also hired at that time as the Head Baseball coach and Assistant Football coach. Craig built the part time high school art position into one that remains full time. He has taught over two thousand students in his tenure.
He has two children; Cason and Caylee who were born at Bear Lake Memorial Hospital. Cason is attending Idaho State University in the Engineering program. Caylee is currently a Junior at Bear Lake High School.
Craig started the American Legion Baseball program in 1997. He has coached baseball for 28 years. In that time, they have had ten District Championships and two State Championships. The Legion program won State and Northwest Regionals in Alaska in 2007. They are only one of two teams in the State of Idaho to accomplish that feat. Craig also served as an assistant football coach for 25 years for seven different head coaches before stepping down in 2021.
Craig’s hobbies include fishing, hunting, camping, hiking, and anything else that gets him outdoors.
Craig is extremely honored to be asked to be on the Board of Directors for Bear Lake Memorial Hospital. He loves serving his community and has gained a better appreciation of the hospital. “We have great facilities and truly incredible employees. We are blessed to have Bear Lake Memorial Hospital!”
Emily Transtrum
Hospital Board Member
Emily Transtrum was born and raised in St. Charles, Idaho, where she grew up working on her family’s cattle ranch. She graduated from Bear Lake High School in 2009 and went on to attend Utah State University, earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education in 2013.
Emily began her teaching career at Harold B. Lee Elementary in West Side, where she taught 2nd grade for one year. She then returned to the Bear Lake Valley, where she has continued her passion for education, teaching second and third grade at AJ Winters Elementary for the past eleven years. Two years ago she became the principal at AJ Winters. She loves her school, staff, and students.
Outside of teaching, Emily enjoys spending time with her family, working alongside them, gardening, traveling, and spending time outside.
Emily is honored to serve as a member of the Bear Lake Memorial Hospital Board. She is grateful for the opportunity to support and learn more about the hospital and the dedicated staff. She believes Bear Lake Memorial Hospital is a vital asset to the community and takes pride in contributing to the well-being of the valley she calls home.
Merri Johnson
Hospital Board Member
Bio coming soon!
Vaughn Rasmussen
Hospital Board Member
Bio coming soon!
Robert Boman
Hospital Ex-Officio Board Member
Bio coming soon!
Wynn Olson
County Commissioner Hospital Board Representative
Bio coming soon!
Arel Hunt
Hospital CEO
Arel Hunt grew up in Afton, Wyoming and graduated from Star Valley High School. He joined the National Guard between his Junior and Senior year of High School. After high school he went to basic training in Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri. Upon returning from basic training, he served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Moscow South Russia. He was called off of his mission to deploy with the Wyoming Army National Guard (WYARNG) to Camp Spiker, Iraq for a 16-monthdeployment. Between his mission and deployment to Iraq, Arel got married to Marcie (Suloff) and they have been married for the last 16 years. In his spare time, Arel enjoys spending time with his family golfing, hunting, motor biking, boating, and snowboarding. He has three boys, Arel Jay (AJ) (13), Trelynn (11), and Markus (8).
Prior to coming to Bear Lake Memorial Hospital Arel served the WYARNG as an Active Guard and Reserve (AGR) Soldier and still serves as a traditional guardsmantoday. For the last five years, Arel has served as the Commander and Officer in Charge of the WYARNG Medical unit. In this role, he has been overseeing and managing the clinical operations that ensure the overall medical health and assessments of the Soldiers of the WYARNG. In his tenure as the commander, he has also provided resources and coordination in training the country of Tunisia (which is a state partner to Wyoming). Arel has served as the Medical Readiness Officer, Human Resource Officer, Logistics Officer, and State Training Officer for the WYARNG. Arel’s hobby job (as he calls it) in the National Guard is flying the UH-60 Blackhawk. He attended Army Flight school in 2011 in Ft Rucker, Alabama.
Arel joined the Bear Lake Memorial Hospital team as the Director of Human Resources in June 2021. Due to changes in the hospital, Arel has also been filling in as the Clinic Manager since January 2022. He has been focused on enhancing our policies, value-based care, and helping build leadership internally to BLMH. He is excited to serve all of you in this new capacity, and look for ways that the team can improve and progress in serving our community. Arel and Marcie find great value in rural communities and the environments they create for raising children.
Arel has a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a Master’s degree in Healthcare Administration with an emphasis in Finance. He has a Lean Six Sigma (green) certificate, as well as Fundamentals of Global Health Engagement (FOGHE).
Dr. Khristina Meissner
Chief of Staff
Dr. Meissner studied at the University of Pikeville, Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine & earned her undergraduate degree in Biology with a minor in Chemistry from Midway College in Kentucky. She is from Waynesville, North Carolina & with a lifelong desire to live in the West, moved to Idaho for her Residency. Dr. Meissner enjoys spending time with her family, hiking, skiing, outdoor activities & horseback riding. She is looking forward to practicing full-spectrum family medicine in Montpelier, Idaho.
