Lynn M. Starkovich
President/CEO
As President/CEO for Walker Methodist, Lynn is responsible for the overall planning and operations of the organization’s nonprofit housing and health care properties.
Lynn was a shareholder with the law firm of Larkin Hoffman Ltd., where she practiced in the areas of Employment, Labor, and Health Law working with providers on state and federal regulatory issues, facility and professional licensure, Medicare/Medicaid reimbursement, fraud, and abuse. Lynn has extensive background in health care administration, management, and workout. She first became affiliated with Walker in 1990 and served as general counsel from 1998 to 2003.
Lynn received a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Minnesota, dual Master’s degrees from the University of St. Thomas, and her Juris Doctorate from William Mitchell College of Law.
Lynn is a member of the American, Minnesota State, and Hennepin County Bar Associations, National Health Lawyers, American Association of Homes & Services for the Aging (AAHSA), Care Providers of Minnesota, and Minnesota Health and Housing Alliance. She is a Director of Wingspan Life Resources, Inc., a nonprofit organization serving Hmong Elders and the developmentally disabled. She also sits on the AAHSA legal committee as Minnesota’s representative.
John L. Huhn
COO
As Chief Operations Officer, John is responsible for the oversight of the four properties that make up the Walker Campus and is instrumental in the strategic transformation of the organization. The Walker Campus provides an array of services including skilled nursing care, transitional care services, housing with services, subsidized housing, adult day care, and dental services. The campus serves over 1,200 seniors annually. John is responsible for the repositioning of the Walker Campus to a model that serves seniors today and into the future. This includes the development of new models of care delivery and services.
In addition to the current services, John has lead the development of the partnership with the University of Minnesota Academic Health Center; a partnership that has brought faculty and students from the School of Medicine, School of Pharmacy, School of Nursing, and School of Dentistry to the Campus to learn how to provide interdisciplinary care to seniors. Through this partnership, Walker has been recognized in multiple research projects and was awarded the 2006 Minnesota Health and Housing Alliance (MHHA) Innovation of the Year award for the Walker Dental Clinic.
Prior to joining Walker Methodist, John was the Project Manager for Evergreen Retirement Community in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. There he was responsible for the development, design, and construction of various living options including a Household/Neighborhood skilled nursing home addition that was awarded multiple state and national awards for the innovative design and programming.
John is very active in the long-term care profession having been chair of multiple committees. He is currently on the MHHA Board and is the Co-Chair of Fairview Partners.
John is a licensed Nursing Home Administrator. He received his Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. John furthered his education at the University of Minnesota - Center for Long Term Care Administration Education.
David Brenne
Chief Financial Officer
David Brenne is a recognized expert in combining operations and finance for senior living organizations. Most recently he worked with Wipfli, LLP, the national accounting firm, where his practice focused on developing financial stability and strength of senior living organizations. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire, Brenne is a certified public accountant in both Wisconsin and Minnesota. He is a member of Care Providers of Minnesota, Aging Services of Minnesota, and the Minnesota Rural Health Association.
Beth Deneau
Vice President Quality and Compliance
As the Vice President of Quality and Compliance, Beth oversees and supervises the Quality Improvement, Education, and Human Resource departments for Walker Senior Services.
She has over 30 years of nursing experience, primarily in the field of senior care and geriatrics. Prior to joining Walker in May of 2001, Beth worked for the Wilder Foundation as a staff nurse, for HealthEast as a Director of Education, as Director of Nursing in both a hospital-based TCU and nursing home as well as the Q.I. Director for their Senior Care Division, and for an ambulance company. She also worked as a Director of Nursing for the State of Minnesota.
Beth’s primary goal has been the standardization of clinical processes and assisting managers and their teams in complying with State and Federal regulations.
Beth is a member of MHHA’s Regulatory Compliance Committee and Empira’s Operations Committe.
Denny O'Donnell
Vice President, Walker ElderCare Services Inc.
Denny oversees the operations of Walker’s senior housing and assisted living communities and is instrumental in the efforts of Walker ElderCare Services, Walker’s for-profit subsidiary that provides a complete continuum of consulting services.
He has extensive experience in the senior housing field and multi-property supervision. Denny supervised thirty senior properties in fifteen states and was involved in all areas of operations, including food service and marketing. For several properties, he developed and implemented comprehensive assisted living programs that enhanced revenue and reduced turnover. Denny is experienced with workers’ compensation and unemployment claims and has worked with managers to effectively manage claims to reduce costs. He is proficient in the development of pro-forma financials for new developments and retirement community property purchases.
Denny served on a development team that opened three new properties within one year, working closely with the general contractor, architect, and project manager. He has also worked with sellers, buyers, lending institutions, and government agencies through the due diligence process for acquisitions, refinancing, management contracts, and the selling of properties. In addition, he has produced budgets for potential acquisitions.
In addition to his vast and innovative senior housing experience, Denny has also worked with several national hotel management companies, gaining a broad range of experience in the areas of food and beverage management, operations, staffing, and safety programs.
Denny currently sits on the Care Providers Board of Directors representing Residential Senior Housing. In addition, he is the Chairman of the Housing and Community based Services Cabinet for Care Providers of Minnesota and the co-chair of the Assisted Living Committee for Minnesota Health and Housing Alliance.
Denny graduated cum laude from the University of Wisconsin-Stout with a Bachelor of Science degree in Hospitality Management.
Shawn Mai
Director of Spiritual Care
Shawn has been Director of Spiritual Care Walker Methodist since 1999. He coordinates and supervises spiritual care in Walker’s communities and is part of the pastoral leadership in Walker Chapel’s worshiping community on Sunday mornings. In the last several years, he has guided Walker into chaplaincy training programs through relationships with the City of Lakes Clinical Pastoral Education program, Archdiocese of Minneapolis/St. Paul’s diaconate training program, and United Seminary’s pastoral care program.
Shawn’s has extensive professional experience in pastoral care. As an associate pastor in charge of pastoral care at Central Lutheran Church in downtown Minneapolis, he coordinated care for its 4,000-member congregation. He was also part of the Fairview Health system as a hospice chaplain.
He has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Gustavus Adolphus College in religion and sociology, a Master of Divinity from Luther Seminary in St. Paul, and he completed his advanced Clinical Pastoral Education at Presbyterian/St. Luke’s Medical Center in Denver, Colorado. Currently, Shawn is seeking certification as a supervisor in Clinical Pastoral Education.
Greg Oppegard
Executive Director of Development
Greg is a member of the Walker senior management and development team and directs work related to the technical review and construction administration for senior communities. Greg’s responsibilities include request for services proposals, program development coordination, development scheduling, contract development and administration, contract document management, construction project management, on-site management and project close-out/building turnover coordination. His career experience encompasses numerous residential and commercial senior housing projects in the Twin Cities and throughout the United States. Greg joined Walker Methodist in 1988, and his experience in the construction industry extends back to 1982.
At Walker Methodist, Greg has provided development leadership and construction management for a 99-unit senior congregate living facility for the city of Plymouth. In addition, he has taken the lead role in owner representation for two nonprofit church organizations in the development and construction of independent and assisted living communities in the greater Chicago area. Greg has provided both development and construction project management to all of Walker Methodist’s senior housing projects, including the addition of “The Village at Walker” Alzheimer’s unit on the Walker Campus.
Greg graduated from the St. Paul Technical Vocational School in 1985 and the Associated General Contractors Superintendent Program in 1989.