Mary Alice Noel, RN, MS, Board Chair
Health Education Program Manager, Medica
Mary Alice has over 25 years of experience in the health care field. Mary Alice has a diverse health care background with a Bachelor’s Degree in Community Health Education, an Associate RN degree and a MS in Health Care Administration. Mary Alice currently is the Health Education Program Manager for Medica’s Commercial Sales Department and has held various positions with her 20 years of employment at Medica. Prior to Medica, she worked at Veteran’s Hospital in Minneapolis as well as In Home Health Care. She joined the Well Within Board in 2007.
Steven J. Karel, Treasurer
Chief Operating Officer, Biothera, the immune health company
Steve began his career as a CPA with KPMG (formerly Peat, Marwick Mitchell & Co) then served as CFO and COO at several established and development stage service and technology companies in the Twin Cities. Steve is currently responsible for all research and technology operations at Biothera, a Minnesota biotechnology company, focused on the development of pharmaceutical immune based therapies to treat disease as well as the development of non-pharmaceutical products to enhance immune health. Steve has also served on the Boards of several non profit organizations including the Cretin-Derham Hall Board of Trustees, Risen Christ Catholic School Board of Trustees, St. Joseph’s of West St. Paul School board, Cretin High School Board of Trustees and on the Board of the Maryhill Retreat Center. He joined the Well Within Board in 2007.
J. Alex Acker
Author, Speaker, Marketing Consultant, Community Volunteer, Well Within Facilitator
J. Alex Acker has her master’s degree in writing and is a communications and writing specialist. In her career, she has worked in the health care, financial and retail fields. Alex has published two novels and is currently working on a non-fiction book. She volunteers at Well Within, a nonprofit holistic wellness resource center, and is currently on their board of directors. Alex is a certified facilitator for the Renewing Life™ program and facilitates classes at Regions Hospital Cancer Care Center, MOHPA clinics and at Well Within. She also does public speaking on a variety of topics, including health and wellness; and surviving illness, loss and trauma.
Paul Berry, PhD
Licensed Clinical Psychologist in private practice, Well Within volunteer
Dr. Paul Berry has a Master’s and Doctorate Degree in clinical psychology from the University of Maine and is a licensed psychologist in Minnesota. He has been in clinical practice for 38 years, has served as chief psychologist for the MN Disability Service of Social Security for 38 years. His private practice has involved psychotherapy and consultative work in sleep, pain, weight loss, and cardiac disorders programs. He has an expanding interest in health psychology, mind/body/spirit integrative healing, and psycho-neuro-immunology. He currently is a consultant for the SOAR Disability Homeless Project in Minnesota and a volunteer practioner at Well Within. He is a church musician and has been the organist of the Presbyterian Church of the Apostles in Burnsville for 40 years. Paul joined the Well Within board in 2010.
Tammy Hilliard
Retired CPA and Controller, Well Within participant
Tammy has a BS degree in Accounting from the University of St. Thomas. She has worked in both public accounting as a CPA for RSM McGladrey for five years and in private accounting as Controller for Presbyterian Homes and Services for nine years. In 2003 she retired from full-time employment. Currently, she performs seasonal tax work and volunteers at various charitable organizations. Tammy has been a participant in Well Within programs and has experienced life-changing results. She is passionate about complementary medicine and energy work for the healing of pain and disease. She is excited to see participants who have run out of options with traditional/western medicine get amazing results through programming at Well Within. She joined the board in 2010.
Therese H. McCloughan
Partner, Stapleton & McCloughan, PLLC
Teri began her legal career with the law firm of Stapleton, Nolan & McCall, P.A. in St. Paul. She is currently a partner with the firm of Stapleton & McCloughan, PLLC. Her practice is focused on the areas of real estate, landlord - tenant and general business law. Teri has also served on the Boards of several non-profit organizations including Cretin-Derham Hall Board of Directors, Nativity School Board and St. Paul Basketball Association. She has been active on various building and development committees for her parish and children’s schools. Teri is a member of the Ramsey County and Minnesota State Bar Associations. She joined the Well Within Board in 2012.
Mary Treacy O’Keefe, MA
Co-Founder and President of Well Within
Mary co-founded Well Within in 2004 and has served as its President since its inception. Mary has nearly twenty years of sales and marketing experience, most recently as Marketing Manager for Ideas to Go, Inc., a nationally known creative process facilitation firm. In 2001, Mary obtained a Master’s Degree in Theology/Spirituality from the St. Catherine University.
She is a certified spiritual director and healing touch practitioner, has been trained as a hospice volunteer and as a Cancer Guide and Mind-Body Skills facilitator from the Center for Mind Body Medicine in Washington, D.C. Mary has published several articles and released her first book, Thin Places: Where Faith is Affirmed and Hope Dwells, in 2005. She loves to give presentations and retreats on topics related to spirituality, creativity and integrative healing.
A breast cancer survivor, she is a popular national speaker for cancer survivor groups, hospice and other conferences, plus for churches, medical clinics, other organizations and the general public. In March 2010, she began hosting the Hope, Healing and WellBeing internet radio show. She currently is completing her second book.
