Public invited to meet CEO candidates

Three final candidates for the Melissa Memorial Hospital CEO position have been named and will be meeting the public over a series of three breakfast meet-and-greet events at Phillips County Event Center next week. 

Community members are invited to meet Michael Hassell on Monday, Oct. 10, Trevor Collins on Wednesday, Oct. 12, and Lamont Cook on Friday, Oct. 14. Breakfast will be held from 8:30-9:30 a.m. on each candidate’s assigned date.

Lamont Cook

My wife and I are the parents of seven children. Our oldest five children are married, three of whom got married within seven months of each other! We still have two daughters at home, with the youngest being a junior in high school. We currently have five grandchildren, with number six on the way. When possible, we enjoy taking family vacations together that include hikes in the mountains or relaxation on a family-style beach.

I enjoy outdoor activities and participating in sports. I have a love for wrestling and also coaching the sport. Despite my enthusiasm for wrestling, none of my own boys developed much of an interest in the sport, so I can hope it skips to the next generation.

I grew up in a very industrious home with five brothers and one sister. We were always working on one project or another from construction to working on vehicles, to growing a garden. I still find great satisfaction in working on all these projects. I have remodeled three of our homes, I work on my own vehicles, and enjoy landscaping with my wife. I am a hobbyist book collector. I dream of having a multistory library with a sliding ladder. I consume a lot of literature, and I am a lifelong learner.

I started my healthcare career when I was a young adult, volunteering in an emergency room and getting my EMT certification. While I worked towards earning my bachelor’s in healthcare administration, I worked as a Certified Nursing Assistant. I went on to earn my MBA. Over the last 25 years, I have worked in healthcare administration as a CEO and management consultant. My specialty has been working in rural healthcare. I have served in Scouting and with church youth groups over the course of my life and even spent two years in missionary service for my church. I am grateful for the experiences I have been given and enjoy being part of a rural community.

Trevor Collins

My name is Trevor Collins, and I was born and raised in northeastern Colorado. I was born in Sterling and moved to Wray when I was in middle school. I graduated from high school in Wray and then attended my freshman year of college at Northeastern Junior College. Eventually, I ended up moving to Greeley and earned my Bachelor of Science (applied social science/organizational leadership) from Colorado State University. I obtained an MBA from Western Governors University several years later.

My wife and I have five children — two sons by birth and three daughters by adoption. We are fortunate to have all of our children living in the Fort Collins area. Our oldest son works as a programmer for the U.S. Department of Transportation. Our youngest son is the Chief Technology Officer for a company that provides county assessor offices throughout the Midwest with their tax and property software. Our oldest daughter is working towards her bachelor’s degree in computer science, while our middle daughter is working towards a law degree. Finally, our youngest daughter is a competitive gymnast.

Both my wife and I are lifelong residents of Colorado and have put down deep roots in the state. I have approximately seven years of healthcare leadership experience and a total of over 15 years of operations experience.

My hobbies include cooking, learning new cuisines and traveling. During a trip to India, I made the mistake of not paying attention to what I was eating and ended up biting into a ghost pepper. At that time, the ghost pepper was the hottest on earth. Needless to say, it was one of the more “interesting” experiences of my life. Lesson learned? My travel group had a good laugh, and I learned to talk less and watch more when trying new dishes!

Michael Hassell

I was born in Orlando, Florida, the same year Walt Disney World opened. I grew up in a semi-rural area surrounded by orange groves. Much of my family and extended family made their living through the cultivation of citrus. I grew up the son of devout Southern Baptist parents (Dad was an ordained preacher).

I was called to public service early and have worked for the police department, fire departments (volunteer EMS captain) and hospitals for most of my professional life. 

My healthcare-specific career path really began in 2007 when I went back to school to become a paramedic — that’s some 14 years, 11 of which were expanding on my leadership abilities and opportunities. Coming from the EMS side of healthcare, I have been blessed to develop disaster management policies, open and manage healthcare facilities, lead organizations, and work with many gifted and talented people.

My work has impacted both of my daughters who have followed me into emergency management. Both are on federal teams that deploy to disasters or prepare for possible catastrophic events. My youngest was recently in New York in support of the U.S. Secret Service and the United Nations General Assembly.

Recently, I have (again) caught the aviation bug. I’ve purchased a light sport aircraft to rebuild and restarted training to earn my private pilot’s license; it will fulfill a lifelong dream, and this aircraft will certainly be able to land at the Holyoke airfield.

The more I learn about Melissa Memorial Hospital and the city of Holyoke, the more I want to find my place among them. I am convinced that our very best days are ahead of us.