Alluma CFO To Retire

CROOKSTON, MN—Alluma’s Chief Financial Officer, Tammy Hickel Zola, has announced that she will retire at the end of this year.

Tammy joined the agency, formerly Northwestern Mental Health Center, as CFO in May 2015. Before joining Alluma, Tammy worked for Ecolab in various financial capacities for 15 years and spent the early part of her career in public accounting. Tammy earned her BSBA in Accounting from the University of North Dakota and became a Certified Public Accountant in 1987.

Alluma Chief Executive Officer, Shauna Reitmeier, said, “Tammy has built the framework of financial wellbeing for Alluma so we can continue to provide quality care and support to our region.”

Tammy was instrumental in Alluma’s successful implementation of the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic model in 2017. In 2018, she and her team helped establish a new clinic in East Grand Forks. Under Hickel Zola’s leadership, the finance team was critical in the agency’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The team also implemented a new financial platform, established reporting and financial analysis, and operationalized process standardization.

“It has been an honor and privilege to serve as Alluma’s first Chief Financial Officer, working alongside our talented finance team to establish an aligned purpose and to create an environment of quality relationships, financial literacy, and sustainability,” says Tammy.

“I am blessed to have led the Alluma Finance team for the last eight years building a solid foundation by hiring experienced people who have an Alluma-aligned purpose. This team of people driven by purpose delivered many projects and process improvements to support Alluma into the future. It has been a tremendous experience and rewarding journey for which I am forever grateful.”

Tammy and her husband reside in Grand Forks, North Dakota. She plans to continue embracing her personal purpose of leading compassionately within her community and her family through volunteering, supporting, and staying active.

The agency has chosen Tammy’s replacement, Rachael Kangesier, who currently serves as Alluma’s Controller. Rachael’s appointment will begin on October 1, 2023.