Who We Are
Sarah Stoesz
has 25+ years experience as an executive, board leader, and entrepreneur.
For 21 years, she was President and CEO of Planned Parenthood North Central States, based in the Twin Cities. Under her leadership, PPNCS grew from two to five states—with 28 clinics and digital health services serving over 100,000 patients annually—and developed extensive education, research (clinical and social), and advocacy programs. Working with partners she created a successful vertical integration strategy, including helping to start multiple companies: Afaxys (the number one provider of oral and emergency contraceptives in US clinics since 2015), Bridge Healthcare Partners (a healthcare technology and revenue management firm), Kaleido Health Solutions (a telehealth platform), and SIF LLC (a real estate holding company).
Her previous roles include VP of External Affairs, and a senior executive team member, at Allina Health System—at the time a $2.2 billion integrated healthcare system encompassing hospitals, clinics, and a managed care business; staff for US Senator Paul Wellstone; and Assistant to the Commissioner for the MN Department of Jobs and Training.
Sarah's board leadership experience includes both the for-profit and non-profit sectors. She currently chairs the board of the Charleston-based Afaxys (Compensation Committee, Capitalization Committee), and sits on the board of Minneapolis-based Milkweed Editions (Finance Committee and Investment Committee).
Sarah is a governance expert and veteran of many other boards, including the Minnesota Council of Non-profits (Chair) the Loft Literary Center (Chair), and Bridge Healthcare Partners (Chair). Awards she's received include Health Care Executive of the Year (2016), Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal's Most Admired CEO (2022) and the Ruth Green Lifetime Achievement Award from PPFA, among many others.
Cindy Kaiser
has been a strategist and financial and operational executive in healthcare and other sectors for three decades.
She was the COO of Planned Parenthood North Central States for ten years, steering its transformation from agency of last resort to competitive healthcare provider for all patients. During this time she lead strategic development—including stakeholder engagement and implementation—and the launch of digital health, service expansion, creation of a foundation, and was a key leader in philanthropic strategy, branding and marketing.
During her tenure she was involved in multiple initiatives both locally and nationally and was a sought-after advisory partner. Her merger and acquisition experience includes the merger of two healthcare organizations and systems across five states, bringing together more than 500 employees and healthcare services for 100,000 patients annually.
In 2017 she was recognized as a leader in innovation focused on consumer empathy by The Trust Forum. As a sixteen-year CFO for the Minnesota Medical Foundation at the University of Minnesota, she supported medical research, philanthropic strategy, operations, and finance and investment, managing over $500M in assets benefiting over 2,500 medical research projects across the Academic Health Center.
She was recognized as a Top Women in Finance in 2002 by Finance and Commerce. Organizations she has helped move from start-up to market viability include the technology and revenue management firm BRIDGE HCP; national telehealth platform Kaleido Health Solutions; real estate holding and development company SIF, LLC, and the Gateway Corporation. For all these organizations she continued to serve in a leadership governance role. She has also served on the Boards of the Center for Victims of Torture, Ten Thousand Things Theatre, and PFund, a LGBQIA+ Community Foundation.
"Both Cindy and Sarah have a collaborative mindset and deep listening skills that create a space where individuals from all backgrounds feel heard and understood. They understand that true progress can only be achieved when everyone's voices are heard and respected. They recognize that our identities intersect and our experiences are multifaceted and use this understanding to approach problems from all angles. ”
-Michelle van Ryn, PhD, MPH, CEO Diversity Science