About Us

Executive Bios

James Burgess
President and Chief Executive Officer

James F. Burgess was appointed president and chief executive officer of Healthland (formerly Dairyland Healthcare Solutions) in September 2007. With James’ leadership, Healthland has grown into the leading national provider of comprehensive information systems for small community hospitals. He brings more than 22 years of experience in healthcare information technology to his role at Healthland. Previously, he was president and CEO of Mediware Information Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: MEDW), where he grew revenues YOY by 9% and improved customer satisfaction by 10%. Prior to Mediware, James was vice president and general manager for 3M Health Information Systems. During his tenure at 3M, sales more than doubled, operating income increased five-fold and customer satisfaction improved from 88% to 96%. He also served as vice president of information technology, a business unit he and his team created from the ground up, at VHA, Inc. in Irving, TX. James launched his healthcare technology career at IBM, serving 14 years building IT programs to improve the health care industry.

Kevin Fahey
Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Kevin Fahey joined Healthland in December 2007. As CFO, he is responsible for the finance and administration of the company. Kevin came to Healthland from Premise Corporation, a healthcare solutions company that facilitates patient flow for hospitals in the U.S. and Asia, where he was CFO and COO. Prior to that, he worked at Open Solutions Inc., recently named 18th on the Forbes list of fastest growing publicly-traded technology companies in the United States. He brings to Healthland a decade of solid financial and management experience at fast-growth start-up companies and at a number of large public accounting firms, including KPMG Peat Marwick. During his career he has successfully raised over $80 million in venture capital financing and managed more than a dozen international and domestic acquisitions. He received his Bachelors of Business Administration in Accounting at St. Bonaventure University in southwestern New York State.

Wanda Fischer
Senior Vice President of Human Resources

Wanda Fischer has served as senior vice president of human resources since April 2008. Her primary objective is to lead talent management strategies that attract, develop, and retain the most experienced employees in the industry. Wanda has an impressive HR background with over 15 years of human resources experience including 14 years in the high technology industry. Most notably, Wanda spent 13 years with Lawson Software and, as vice president of human resources for the entire company, provided leadership and expertise as the company grew in employee size by 1000%, expanded internationally, acquired multiple companies, and transitioned from private to publicly-traded. After starting her own human resources consulting business which included Healthland as a client, Wanda was attracted to joining the Healthland team after experiencing the company’s high commitment to employee and client satisfaction. She obtained her B.A. from St. Cloud State University in St. Cloud, MN.

Angie Franks
Senior Vice President of Sales and Market Development

Angie Franks is the senior vice president of sales and market development for Healthland. In her role, she focuses on driving growth by ensuring we have the right solutions to meet the needs of small community hospitals. Developing sales and distribution channels, communicating our value proposition to multiple audiences and building the Healthland sales pipeline are key responsibilities. In this capacity, Angie leads the  business development and sales and marketing functions for Healthland. Prior to joining Healthland, she spent seven years at Lawson Software where she led market development for Lawson’s healthcare business and ultimately for the entire company. Angie also had primary responsibility for marketing integration during Lawson’s $450 million acquisition of Intentia. She spent 19 years in the healthcare industry working in provider organizations and healthcare IT companies. Angie graduated from the College of Saint Catherine in St. Paul, Minnesota with a degree in Education.

Paul O’Toole
Senior Vice President of Operations

Paul O’Toole joined Healthland in September 2007 and is responsible for service delivery and client care and technical support operations, as well as the integration and operations of Healthland’s newly acquired facility in Waco, Texas. The Healthland operations organization is comprised of approximately 150 employees located in separate locations through the United States. Paul joined the company from Mediware Information Systems, where he was general manager of the surgery management software division. He brings 20 years of management experience to his new role, including leadership positions in healthcare technology and with 3M where he was a certified Six Sigma Black Belt and IBM where he managed business intelligence system deployments for the company’s Fortune 500 customers. He earned his B.S. in Engineering from Northeastern University in Boston, MA.

Stan Opstad 
Senior Vice President of Development and Product Management

Stan Opstad is the senior vice president of product for Healthland. Stan's focus will contribute to Healthland’s strong market and financial growth by developing innovative new products and solutions that allow hospitals to provide the best possible patient care and safety. These efforts also help our customers fully capitalize on the ARRA funding set aside by the federal government. In this capacity, Stan leads the product management, product development, business development, program management and quality assurance functions for Healthland. Stan joined the company from Ingenix, where he was the product management director; he brings nearly 20 years of experience to his new role. He earned his MBA from the University of Minnesota - Curtis L. Carlson School of Management in Minneapolis, MN.