Ensuring the best health care
Northern Cochise Community Hospital is built on a foundation of values that the Corporate Board of Directors ensures remains as a guide for all aspects of health care offered at the hospital and clinics.NCCH BylawsBoard of Directors
Chairman
Daniel Wilson
Daniel Wilson joined the NCCH board in 2019 with a goal of ensuring continued health care service in Northern Cochise County. Daniel is a licensed professional engineer and has worked at Sulphur Springs Valley Electric Cooperative since 2005 where he is currently senior vice president of operations responsible for managing the power supply portfolio for most of Cochise County. A lifelong resident of Willcox, Wilson understands the importance of professional health care in a rural environment.
Secretary
Adam Gonzalez
A lifelong resident of Willcox, Adam Gonzalez is a long-term employee of Union Pacific Railroad who serves the community through his various volunteer activities. Gonzalez's interest in serving as a board member stems from his belief in the need to maintain services locally, as he and his family have utilized NCCH many times over the years.
Chief of Staff
Dawn Walker, D.O.
Appointed Member of the Corporate BoardDr. Dawn K. Walker is a residency-trained board-certified family practice physician. She was raised in Tucson. After graduation from Salpointe Caltholic High School she attended Northern Arizona University, where she earned a Bachelors of Science degree in biology with a minor in chemistry. She received her Doctorate of Osteopathic Medicine at Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, California. Dr. Walker returned to Arizona to complete her family practice residency. She has been practicing in Willcox since 1999 and currently practices at Walker Family Medicine.
While raising her children in Willcox, she was involved with numerous boards, including Lighthouse Academy School and Willcox Against Substance Abuse. She was also a co-founding member of the Willcox Meth Task Force. She now enjoys being active with CrossFit, hiking, scuba diving, and traveling to visit her children.Dr. Walker's vision as chief of staff is to strengthen and expand health care services provided by NCCH to our community. Dr. Walker knows that a great hospital, with its excellence of care, is the foundation for a healthy and successful community.
District Board Director
Carol Dunagan
Carol Dunagan is an entrepreneur. As a cosmetologist she owned and operated Carol's Hair Fashion for 23 years. In 1989, she opened Desert Impressions Gifts & Flowers, which she ran until she sold it. She then joined her husband, Ken, in the operation of Dunagan Trucking. They became involved with Power from the Past antique tractor club of Tucson.
Two years later, they started a tractor pull in Willcox during Rex Allen Days. Eventually it went from antiques to modified tractors and trucks and grew into AZ Truck & Tractor Pulling with participants coming from many states. Dunagan has continued to operate Dunagan Trucking following the Ken's death in 2019. "It is a privilege to continue serve the community as a district and corporate board member of NCCH," she said.
Director
Jay Katz, M.D.
Dr. Jay Katz is a retired orthopedic surgeon having practiced in Tucson for more than 40 years. Throughout his career, he spent time at specialty clinics in rural Arizona. He was one of the original founders of Tucson Orthopaedic Institute, performing surgery at Tucson Medical Center for most of that time.
He has been a member of the TMC Health Board of Trustees for more than six years and a member of the Governance Council for TMCOne for more than five years. In 2013, shortly before retirement, he attended University of Southern California Marshall School of Business and earned a master's degree in medical management. He has a passion for being involved in providing high quality medicine both efficiently and economically.
Director
Michelle Minta
Born and raised in Phoenix, Michelle Minta moved to the East Coast for graduate school, studying nurse anesthesiology. She returned to Phoenix and met her husband, Todd. "We bonded over many shared interests, such as food and wine, and traveling the world." In 2010, they decided to invest in the Arizona wine scene, providing grapes to winemakers. They purchased property in Willcox in 2012 and started the Rhumb Line Vineyard and Lavender Farm. They raise grapes, olives and lavender.
Minta retired from anesthesia in 2019 after 20 years to focus on the farm/vineyard. She also started a small natural body care line, based in olive oil and lavender: ALL LUV Natural Products. The couple's goal is to utilize organic farming practices to create the best soil/crops possible while remaining committed to being good stewards of the land. She is excited to be on the governing board.
Director
Julia Strange
Julia Strange is vice president of External Affairs for TMC Health. She holds leadership positions that focus on building coalitions to address critical community health needs, strengthening the nonprofit regional health system and advocating for policy to support access to care. Strange is also a member of the board of directors for the Southern Arizona Hospital Alliance and the Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association. She serves on numerous community boards including the Copper Queen Hospital Foundation, Tucson Festival of Books, the Beyond Foundation, Arizona Chamber of Commerce, HealthOn Tucson and Arizona Bioscience Roadmap Steering Committee.
Director
Jonathan Truschke
Jonathan Truschke has lived in Willcox all his life. He has worked for 25 years in the education systems that serve local communities. Truschke and his wife, Amy, are proud parents of three boys and one girl, who absolutely love to compete. You can often find the family at a Little League field, a football field, a dance competition, the basketball court or a wrestling room. Truschke added, “I am looking forward to contributing to the already growing success of NCCH.”
