Presented annually at the TRUST Forum, the 21st Century Pinnacle Leader Award recognizes individuals who are “trailblazers” in leadership, transformation and innovation in health care.
This award is given at the Forum each year to recognize a great health care woman who has made a difference in our state in health care. This Pinnacle Award shows what a great woman can accomplish in health care!
2025 – Dr. Rachel Hardeman
Dr. Rachel R. Hardeman is a tenured Professor in the Division of Health Policy & Management at the University of Minnesota’s School of Public Health, the Blue Cross Endowed Professor in Health and Racial Equity, and the Founding Director of the Center for Antiracism Research for Health Equity (CARHE, pronounced “care”). She serves as a member of the Advisory Committee to the Director of the CDC, and she was named one of TIME’s 2024 TIME100 most influential people in the world. A racial health equity researcher, she studies a critical and complex determinant of health inequity—racism. Her work contributes to a body of knowledge that links structural racism to health in tangible ways, identifies opportunities for intervention, and dismantles the systems, structures, and institutions that allow inequities to persist.
Dr. Hardeman built her career working with Black birthing people and their babies, including a long-term and impactful partnership with Roots Community Birth Center in North Minneapolis, which is one of only five Black-owned freestanding birth centers in the United States. Her work also examines the potential mental health impacts for Black birthing people when living in a community that has experienced the killing of an unarmed Black person by police. Published in journals such as the New England Journal of Medicine and the American Journal of Public Health, Dr. Hardeman’s research has elicited important conversations on the topics of culturally-centered care, police brutality and structural racism as a fundamental cause of health inequities. Her overarching goal is to contribute to a body of knowledge that links structural racism to health in a tangible way, identifies opportunities for intervention, and dismantles the systems, structures, and institutions that allow inequities to persist.
Since founding CARHE in 2021, Dr. Hardeman has built upon the foundation of these community and academic partnerships, deepening her work with Reproductive Justice and expanding into new areas. CARHE’s research projects encompass maternal and infant health, adolescent and child health, older adult health, innovative measurements of structural racism, economy and labor, and criminal justice. Narrative change is also a core mission at CARHE, and the team actively engages in serving as trusted resources for journalists, policy makers, and community members in Minnesota and across the U.S.
Dr. Hardeman is the recipient of several award for her work as an early career investigator including the Dr. Josie R. Johnson Human Rights and Social Justice Award from the University of Minnesota (2019) the 2020 recipient of the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASSPH) Early Career Public Health Research Award. She was recently named a McKnight Presidential Fellow awarded for her excellence in research and scholarship, leadership and recently received the AcademyHealth Alice S. Hersh Emerging Leader Award for the impact her research has had on health policy. She is also active locally and nationally with organizations that seek to achieve health equity such as the Minnesota Maternal Mortality Review Committee and the Board of Directors for Planned Parenthood of the North Central States. Dr. Hardeman has a growing media presence, with national media highlights include being featured in the New York Times and profiled in STAT, appearing on NBCLX and CBS News, and giving extensive interviews for MPR News and podcasts like The Dose. She also has a substantial social media following, with over 17,000 followers on Twitter. Dr. Hardeman earned an undergraduate degree in chemistry and Spanish from Xavier University of Louisiana, an MPH in Public Health Administration and Policy and a PhD in Health Services Research and Policy from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health.
2024 – Jennifer DeCubellis
Jennifer DeCubellis is the Chief Executive Officer of Hennepin Healthcare System (Hennepin Healthcare).
Hennepin Healthcare is an integrated system of care that includes a nationally recognized Level l Adult and Pediatric Trauma Center, a 484-bed academic acute care hospital, as well as a clinic and specialty care system located in Minneapolis and across Hennepin County. Hennepin Healthcare includes a large psychiatric program, home care, hospice, and Emergency Medical Services, operating a large fleet of ambulances serving 14 cities in Hennepin County. Hennepin Healthcare has two subsidiaries: Hennepin Research Institute and Hennepin Healthcare Foundation. Hennepin Healthcare is a subsidiary corporation of Hennepin County.
Jennifer has a master’s degree in Clinical Psychology from the Illinois School of Clinical Psychology and a bachelor’s degree in Special Education (emotional and behavioral disorders) from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Jennifer has more than 25 years in public program administration working across all areas of health and human services with an emphasis on program redesign, system transformations, and quality improvements to ensure positive resident outcomes alongside prudent financial management.
2023 – Jodi Hubler
Jodi Hubler is an impassioned board director and advisor at the forefront of innovation in healthcare and entrepreneurship. With a diverse portfolio of more than 20 board appointments, she is engaged with a variety of privately held companies, including Minnesota-based About, Marani Health, and Omcare. She lends her expertise and advocacy to a variety of advisory and nonprofit organizations, including Minnesota-based CaringBridge, Medical Alley, and LaunchMN, frequently serving as Board Chair. And she recently served as a member of Minnesota Governor Tim Walz’s Economic Expansion Council, which was charged with recommending policies and strategies for the public, private, and nonprofit sectors for the deployment of $1.5B in funding through the American Rescue Plan Act.
Whether in for-profit, non-profit, or public organizations, Jodi brings a rare combination of deep governance and investor expertise and operational credibility, making her uniquely qualified to bring clarity to strategy, align strategy and execution, and cultivate a strong board and organizational culture. She has a particular passion for women-led enterprises.
Jodi’s impact on Minnesota healthcare has deep roots. As CEO and Managing Director of Minnesota-based Lemhi Ventures (Funds I & II with $385M in assets under management), she led a seasoned executive team investing in companies innovating across the healthcare services ecosystem. Lemhi Ventures completed over 50 rounds of financing, achieved total value creation in the billions, and funded companies that were acquired by some of the largest healthcare sector leaders. One-third of the fund portfolio companies and almost half of the fund’s investable capital was directed to companies with Minnesota roots. In her career, Jodi held executive positions in public and private companies, from health insurance startups to multi-billion-dollar corporations. Her unique experiences, thought leadership, and track record have been widely recognized. She was named one of the 500 Most Powerful Minnesota Business Leaders, a Women in Business honoree, a TCB Top 100 to Know, and, most recently, a Twin Cities Business 2022 Outstanding Director.
Past Winners
2024: Jennifer DeCubellis
2023: Jodi Hubler
2022: Amy Ronneberg
2021: Allison O’Toole
2020: Andrea Walsh
2019: Jan Malcolm
2018: Patsy Riley
2017: Dee Thibodeau
2016: Jeannine Rivet, MPH, BSN, RN, FAAN
2015: Nancy Feldman