Leadership Team

Beth Wrobel has been the CEO of HealthLinc, Inc. since 2002, moving the organization from a free medical clinic serving adults to a Federally Qualified Health Center providing a health care home to all life cycles, prenatal to seniors, with integrated medical, dental, optometry and behavioral health services at 8 locations, a mobile medical/dental van, and approximately 250 employees. She has presented at many conferences, both at the national and state level. She is a Board Member for the Indiana Primary Health Care Association, a member and currently President of the Valparaiso Rotary, and a member of the City of Valparaiso Human Relations Council. She was named the 2013 Not-for-Profit CEO of the Year by the Northwest Indiana Business Quarterly Magazine and the 2014 Outstanding Agency Professional by the Porter County United Way. In 2015, she was inducted into the Northwest Indiana Times Business Hall of Fame. Beth holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Valparaiso University and is a graduate of the Johnson and Johnson UCLA Health Care Executive Program.

Since joining HealthLinc as the Director of Development in February 2014, Brandi Anstine has provided leadership, coordination and development for all fundraising, marketing, public relations, and outreach efforts. As a result of HealthLinc’s growth and expansion, she was promoted to Chief Branding Officer to focus on standardization and protection of HealthLinc’s brand. Prior to joining HealthLinc, Brandi served in various leadership roles in both the corporate and nonprofit sectors and has worked extensively in marketing, event planning, and management. Brandi holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from the University of Missouri-Kansas City, and a Master’s Degree in Sports Administration from Valparaiso University. Brandi was named the “Up and Coming Influential Woman of Northwest Indiana in Marketing” in 2013, inducted into the 2015 Northwest Indiana IN Business 20 Under 40 class, and is very active in the Northwest Indiana Region. She currently serves as the Board Chair of the Board of Directors for the NWI March of Dimes, the Chairman of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Porter County’s PALS group, and as the secretary for the St. Joseph’s Carmelite Guild, while also dedicating time to various volunteer roles for the United Way and serving as a leader for Student Ministries at Calvary Church. Brandi and her dog, Charles reside in Valparaiso.

Paula Armour graduated from Valparaiso University receiving her Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering. She has an extensive background of working in the public sector as well as working with her alma mater in the admissions office. Paula joined our team at HealthLinc in 2017 as the Director of Administrative Support. Her previous experience in management helps make her a great team leader within our organization. Paula helps run our day to day operations and is willing to help anyone, both staff and patients included.

Eleather Baker, Chief Strategy and Corporate Compliance Officer, joined HealthLinc in May 2014 with over 14 years of experience in health care program and project development, implementation, and management experience. She currently is responsible for oversight of the strategic plan and opportunities for HealthLinc and the development and implementation of the corporate compliance plan. A graduate of Indiana University, Eleather achieved a Bachelors in Public Health Administration in 2000 and later earned a Masters in Business Administration – Leadership in 2010 from Walden University. In addition, Eleather is a fellow graduate of the Mid-America Public Health Leadership Institute and is Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certified. Prior to joining the HealthLinc team, Eleather provided financial and organizational technical assistance to community health centers, directed a regional childhood obesity social marketing initiative, and served as the manager of member services for an Aetna company.

Chris joined HealthLinc in July of 2017 as the Chief Human Resources Officer. Prior to joining HealthLinc, he served as the Director of Human Resources for a large hospital in WV, a children’s psychiatric hospital in MT and a Continuum of Care Retirement Community (CCRC) in TX. He is also retired from active duty military service with the U.S. Army. His 20-year career culminated with his assignment to the U.S. Army Medical Center and School where he served as the senior HR manager. Chris holds the Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) and the Society for Human Resource Management Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP) designations. Chris holds a B.S. in Psychology and Administrative Management from Excelsior College. He later earned his MBA in Human Resources Management from Trident University. He furthered his education by earning a Ph.D. in Organization and Management concentrated in Human Resources Management. Chris moved to Valparaiso with his wife Kimberly and their three children.

Joan Bondi is HealthLinc’s Chief Financial Officer responsible for all facets of HealthLinc’s financial operations – monthly financial statements, annual budgets, forecasts, cost accounting, project accounting, balance sheet reconciliations, payroll functions, and cash management. Joan received her Bachelors Degree in Accounting from University of Illinois at Chicago and her MBA at Purdue University. She is also a Certified Public Accountant.

Prior to joining HealthLinc, Joan was the CFO at the Greater Chicago Food Depository, where she was responsible for the direct oversight of the accounting and financial operations of the organization, including accounting, inventory, budget, and tax.

Mimi E. Gardner, is a graduate of the University of Chicago with a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts. Her significant knowledge and experience in the behavioral health field provides her with the ability to be creative and innovative with underserved populations. Gardner is responsible for guiding the behavioral health care initiatives of HealthLinc and its providers. Previously, she served as the Vice President of Accountability and Provider Relations at Behavioral Health Systems of Baltimore, where she focused on addressing access to care and best practices in treatment and recovery. Additionally, she served as the Chief Clinical Officer for Green Door Behavioral Health and as President and CEO of Capital Community Services in Washington D.C., an outpatient community mental health center where she was responsible for the oversight, supervision and quality assurance of all clinical services.

Melissa Mitchell has grown alongside HealthLinc since 2008 as she has assumed roles from Managed Care Specialist to Chief of Information Technology to her current position of Chief Operating Officer. A graduate of Ball State University with a BS in Communications, she began incorporating technology into health care as a manager in her father’s medical practice. Melissa’s current responsibilities include the execution of operational strategies, including oversight of phones, systems, networks, data, facilities, and operational staff at all sites. She was a leader in converting HealthLinc from paper to Electronic Medical Records and integrating data across partners. In 2014, she graduated from the Johnson & Johnson Health Care Executive Program at UCLA. She currently serves as Chair for the (NACHC) National Association of Community Health Centers and Intergy user group.

Ruth Stevens, MD, MPH, has been with HealthLinc since 2013. She initially was a consultant, but now serves as our Chief Quality Officer. She has over 22 years of experience and expertise in clinical systems development, clinical management, and clinical and operational quality performance improvement. In addition, she has served as CEO at one of the nation’s oldest community health centers in Indianapolis and as interim CEO at two community health centers in Georgia and Mississippi. Prior experience in health care includes: Vice President of Health Services at Newark Community Health Centers where Dr. Stevens led the clinical operations management and coordination of services for five health center facilities. Also, while serving in the roles of Associate Medical Director and HIV Program Administrator in New Jersey, Dr. Stevens managed a multi-practice group of 20 physicians and 15 staff funded by Title I and III and the New Jersey Department of Health – Division of AIDS and Division of Addiction Services.

Carl Toren, MD, is a Pediatrician at HealthLinc in East Chicago and HealthLinc’s Chief Medical Officer. He received his A.B. from Hope College, earned his Doctor of Medicine from Northwestern University Medical School and an M.P.H. from the University of Illinois School of Public Health. Dr. Toren has served as the Chief Medical Officer for Chicago Family Health Center, the Director of Medical Services at Chicago Behavioral Hospital, a Medical Consultant with Head Start, Chicago Services Division, the Medical Director and Pediatric Consultant for Columbus/Maryville Clinic and Center for Medically Complex Children, Medical Director for the Infant Welfare Society of Chicago, and Staff Physician and Public Health Supervisor for the Medical Missionary, Reformed Church in America. He is also an Instructor of Clinical Pediatrics at Northwestern University and a Clinical Associate in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Chicago.

Isaac Zeckel, MS, DDS, graduated from Indiana University with a Master’s of Science in Cellular and Integrative Physiology in 2005 and a Doctor of Dental Surgery in 2011. While attending Indiana University, he researched new methods of identifying and classifying caries and developed an electronic training program that is used to teach early caries detection for dental students. Since graduating from Indiana University School of Dentistry, Dr. Zeckel has been caring for the oral health needs of HealthLinc patients as a full-time staff dentist. In May 2014, Dr. Zeckel accepted the Dental Director position at HealthLinc and has since been promoted to Chief Dental Officer due to the growth in his department. He strives to continue expanding and improving the dental care patients at HealthLinc receive.