Joining the DMU Board of Trustees this spring were Michael Helak, Market president of U.S. Bank, Des Moines; Michael Hubbell, a leader in several central Iowa businesses; Dave Kapaska, DO.’86, M.B.A., regional president and chief executive officer of Avera McKennan Hospital and University Health Center in Sioux Falls, SD; Mark Menadue, D.O.’83, J.D., FACEP, FCLM, FACOEP, FAAEM, an emergency physician, founder, chairman and president/chief executive officer of Acute Care Inc. in Ankeny, IA; and Shahbaz “Ahmed” Merchant, chairman and chief executive officer of Merchant Investment Trust, Des Moines.
Michael Helak has served in his role at U.S. Bank since 1998. His primary duties include market responsibility for coordinating the primary banking services lines of business to the community: middle market commercial lending, business banking, commercial real estate, retail, private banking and wealth management businesses as well as community relations.
Helak has held leadership roles in numerous charitable and civic organizations, including past chair of DMU’s Business Advisory Council. He is past campaign cabinet member and focus group chair for United Way of Central Iowa and currently serves on its executive calling team. He is finance committee chair and 2017 campaign cabinet member of the Greater Des Moines Partnership, treasurer of the Greater Des Moines Committee and board chair and past treasurer of the Iowa College Foundation. He also served Junior Achievement of Central Iowa as chair and executive committee member and the March of Dimes of Central Iowa as director and chair as well as past Finance Committee and Audit chair as a board member for Prairie Meadows. He also served as the American Heart Association Heart Ball 2017 event chair.
Michael Hubbell has been involved in business development with the construction firm Taylor Ball, Iowa, and served as interim CEO of Blank Park Zoo, Des Moines. Hubbell also has been involved in home building, rental property purchasing and management, and commercial storefront construction and sales. He served as executive vice president of First Realty, Better Homes and Gardens, Des Moines, and worked in commercial sales management with Hubbell Realty Co., Des Moines.
A member of the Hubbell Realty Co. Board, Hubbell is the capital campaign chair and an executive committee member of Blank Park Zoo and treasurer of the Hubbell Family Museum and Library. His past community engagements include serving on the boards of Boys and Girls Club, ChildServe, Youth Homes of Mid-America and Wakonda Club. He also served as senior warden of St. Paul’s Cathedral Vestry and as a member of the Greater Des Moines Board of Realtors.
Dave Kapaska has served in his role since 2010 at Avera McKennan Hospital and University Health Center, the largest of five regional hubs comprising Avera Health. It includes the 540-bed Avera McKennan Hospital, a tertiary teaching hospital; rural hospitals; long-term care facilities and clinics. He joined the organization in 2007 as senior vice president/chief medical officer. Previously, he was senior vice president of medical affairs at Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines after holding that title at Avera McKennan. Avera Health is the largest health system in South Dakota that also provides services in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska and North Dakota.
Kapaska is active in professional societies as well as community organizations. He is the current board president of the Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce. He is a current member and past president of the boards of the Visual Arts Center and McCrossan’s Boys Ranch, both in Sioux Falls. Before earning his medical degree at DMU, Kapaska was a captain in the U.S. Air Force and then district sales manager and sales representative for Mobil Chemical Co. He began his medical career as a family physician in Sac City and Ankeny, IA.
Mark Menadue has more than 27 years of experience in leading health care organizations. He also has founded six companies, including, in 1989, Acute Care Inc., which provides emergency physician practice management, occupational/employee health services, hospitalist services and oversight of information technology services to more than 50 acute care hospitals, 60-plus service sites, 400-plus physicians and numerous employees.
A Fellow in several professional medical societies, Menadue also has served on many committees advocating for health care providers, high-quality patient care and effective practice management. He began his medical career as second brigade surgeon, Fourth Infantry Division, in Fort Carson, CO, and then practiced as an emergency physician at Evans USA Community Hospital in Fort Carson and then at Mary Greeley Medical Center in Ames, IA, and Charter Community Hospital in Des Moines.
Shahbaz “Ahmed” Merchant has more than 30 years’ experience in business management, marketing and service operations. He has served since 1995 in his role at Merchant Investment Trust, which operates Jimmy John’s Sandwiches and Java Lava Inc. and is also a holding company of commercial real estate and a bank investor. Previously he was president of Jimmy John’s Inc., where he was responsible for day-to-day operations and expansions of the Chicago-based restaurant chain.
Merchant has been highly active in civic and community organizations, including the U.S. Congressional Advisory Board, American Committee on Foreign Relations, Greater Des Moines Community Foundation Board and Des Moines Area Community College Foundation Board. He received the National Business Council Leadership Award from Congress and the Passport to Prosperity Award from the Iowa International Center.
