Board of Commissioners

The Skagit Regional Health Board of Commissioners can be reached by calling 360-428-2293 or emailing PIO@skagitregionalhealth.org.

Commissioners

Seven publicly elected commissioners serve on the board of Public Hospital District No. 1. The Board of Commissioners make strategic decisions to ensure that Skagit Regional Health is meeting the healthcare needs of the communities we serve. Click here for 2023 Board Meeting and Work Session dates.

Your commissioners are:

Julie Blazek joined the board in March 2017. A longtime resident of Skagit County, Blazek is a partner in HKP Architects based in Mount Vernon. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Architecture from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee School of Architecture and Urban Planning and earned a Design Firm Leadership and Management Certificate from the University of Washington. Blazek is a board member and a past president of the Economic Development Alliance of Skagit County and has served with many local organizations including Skagitonians to Preserve Farmland, Skagit Women’s Alliance Network and the City of Mount Vernon Mainstreet design committee. 

Peter Browning joined the board in January 2016. He has been involved in health care and public health for much of his career, serving as the Skagit County Director of Public Health for 18 years. For several years, he was the Chief Executive Officer for the Burlington Chamber of Commerce. In 2020, he was elected to the Skagit County Board of Commissioners representing District 2. Browning holds a Masters in Cultural Anthropology. He has served as past chair of the Washington State Association of Public Health Officials, has been on the YMCA, United Way and Arthritis Foundation boards and is a member of the Skagit Mount Vernon Rotary Club. 

Frei Burton, Board Secretary, was appointed to the Board in January 2019 and elected by the voters to a six-year term in 2021. Burton, a longtime resident of Mount Vernon, is a graduate of Arizona State University with a Bachelor of Science degree. She previously served as a member of the Skagit Valley Hospital Foundation Board of Trustees and has a background in healthcare. Burton and her husband, Ben, are owners of Arrow Insulation, Arrow Conservation and Arrow Electric. 

Bruce Lisser of Mount Vernon was appointed to the Board in April 2008. Lisser previously served on the Board of Commissioners from 1996 to 1999. He is the owner and manager of Lisser & Associates, PLLC in Mount Vernon. He is a member of the Skagit-Mount Vernon Rotary Club, is past president of the Mount Vernon Rotary Club and a past board member with the Skagit Valley Hospital Foundation. Lisser is also active with the Washington State University and Skagit Valley College scholarship programs.

Jeffrey Miller, PhD, JD, has served as an elected member of Skagit Regional Health’s Board of Commissioners since early 2011. Jeff has been a resident of Mount Vernon since 2006 and has enjoyed a career spanning more than 41 years in business and law with extensive experience in Biotechnology and Internet Commerce. He served as an Executive Officer with three Seattle based publicly traded companies and as Chief Executive Officer for two private companies. Jeff was Senior Counsel with Perkins Coie, a multinational law firm headquartered in Seattle until 2014 and since has become in-house counsel for a local Skagit County development firm. He is a member of the Board of Directors of Aminex Therapeutics, Inc., a research firm specializing in developing novel cancer therapeutics. His volunteer services include emergency radio operations for the Skagit County Department of Emergency Management. Jeff has been married to Jean Miller for 41 years. They have three sons.

Dale Ragan joined the board in January 2020. Ragan is a longtime resident of Mount Vernon and owned Karl’s Paints in Mount Vernon for almost three decades. He has a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and a Master of Business Administration. Ragan has served in a variety of elected offices including the Mount Vernon City Council, from 2002 to 2017 and as a Dike District 17 Commissioner from 2015 to current. He is a longtime member of the Skagit-Mount Vernon Rotary Club, is a member of the Skagit Regional Health Foundation Board of Trustees and has served on the board of the Mount Vernon Chamber of Commerce.

Gary Shand, Board Chair, was elected to serve on the board in November 2017 and took office in January 2018. A longtime resident of Skagit County, Shand was a community member serving on the Skagit Regional Health Strategic Planning and Transformation Committee for two years before his election to the board. Shand served in the U.S. Air Force and spent 29 years with the Washington State Patrol, followed by nine years with the Skagit County Sheriff’s office. He works part time as the Secretary/Chief Examiner for the Skagit County Civil Service Commission. He is a member of the Skagit-Mount Vernon Rotary Club.