Lifeworks is excited to announce Caryn Addante, Director of Human Resources for the North America Supply Chain at Ecolab; Nimo Ahmed, Founder and Executive Director of MN Community of African People with Disabilities; and Mark Traynor, President and Chief Executive Officer at UCare have been appointed to the Lifeworks Board of Directors.
“We are grateful that Caryn, Nimo, and Mark chose to bring their wealth of knowledge to Lifeworks. Their distinct areas of expertise in leadership, disability rights, and healthcare are crucial as we lean into the future and continue to hold ourselves to the highest standards,” said Jeffrey Brown, President and CEO.
Caryn is the Director of Human Resources for the North America Supply Chain at Ecolab, where she has been a part of their team since 2008. Her past leadership experience includes roles at Brady Corporation and The Toro Company. Caryn has served as a director on the boards of Courage for Service Dogs and Down Syndrome Association. She was a recipient of the Lifeworks Advocate of the Year Award in 2010. Caryn has a bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Spanish from Indiana University and earned a master’s degree in Labor and Employee relations from the University of Illinois along with her continued education work in leadership studies.
Nimo is the one of the founders and the Executive Director of MN Community of African People with Disabilities (MNCAPD), a nonprofit created in 2014 to serve the disabled Somali community in Minneapolis. After breaking her back in a car accident as a teenager, Nimo was confined to wheelchair for months of surgery, treatment, and rehabilitation. This experience changed Nimo and inspired her future work of breaking down barriers to support services. When she realized that the Somali community was not aware of the disability resources available to them, Nimo started MNCAPD – an organization that would put them first.
Mark is the President and Chief Executive Officer at UCare. Prior to assuming this role in 2017, he served in a variety of executive and legal roles helping lead UCare through significant growth and diversification since 1999. Before joining UCare, Mark was an attorney at the Minnesota Department of Human Services and worked as Assistant Attorney General for the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office. Mark serves on the boards of the Minnesota Council of Health Plans, Alliance of Community Health Plans, and Keystone Community Services. In 2020, he was named among the 100 Most Influential Health Care Leaders by Minnesota Physician and a Twin Cities Visionary by Twin Cities Magazine.