Leadership Team

Melody West - Executive Director

Melody West came to SCHC in the fall of 2010 working in the accounting department. Ms. West has 30 plus years’ experience in business and business management. She has completed three years of biology pre-med curriculum and is currently enrolled in Alaska Pacific University to complete her degree in Business. Her knowledge and work experience quickly promoted her within SCHC. In 2013, she became Operations Manager, rising quickly to Chief Operations Officer due to her excellent problem-solving skills and her ability to organize and motivate staff. Ms. West quickly demonstrated her leadership ability at SCHC through her knowledge of the clinic, community and business. Being both well-liked and respected by the staff of SCHC, Ms. West was promoted to Executive Director. She has significantly improved the quality of SCHC’s patient support activities and was key in the necessary upgrading of the IT infrastructure.Ms. West has lived in the Talkeetna area since 2008. Her dedication and leadership abilities are beneficial for providing support and stability to the clinic. Ms. West’s focus is to continually enhance the accessibility, quality and delivery of patient-centered care to our communities.

Valera Brickel - Finance Director

Ms. Brickel was born and raised in Alaska. She came to the Matanuska Susitna Valley as a teen and graduated from Palmer High School. In 1984 she began work in purchasing at Valley Hospital in Palmer a small nonprofit hospital. She continued with the hospital moving to a staff accountant position in 1989 experiencing the growth and merger with a for-profit corporation and construction of MatSu Regional Medical Center. After 23 years of employment at the hospital, Ms. Brickel moved north to Talkeetna and joined the staff of Sunshine Community Health Center as an accountant in November 2007.

As chief staff accountant for SCI-IC she quickly became the “go to” person when questions arose during the implementation of the new Practice Management System/ Centricity EMR Program. Valera’s attention to detail, tenacity in solving problems and keen knowledge of the fiscal operation made her the prime candidate for advancement when the CFO left in April 2009. In filling the role as Finance Director with payroll, accounting, and patient billing under her direction she has expanded her knowledge with both online and conference training.

She received a Hospital Accounting Certificate from Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana. She has completed NWRPCA’s CFO Skills series.

William Frantz, DDM - Dental Director

Raised in a small town south of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Dr. Frantz attended Washington and Jefferson College, graduating in 1993 with a Bachelor’s of Science in Biology. At the University of Pittsburgh, he attended the School of Dental Hygiene, receiving his R.D.H. in 1996, then continued his education to graduate with his Doctorate of Dental Medicine in 2000. He completed a post-graduate program in Esthetic Dentistry at the University of Buffalo in 2002. Dr. Frantz has maintained a fellowship status from the highly accredited International Congress of Oral Implantologists (ICOI) and Misch International Implant Institute since 2008. Dr. Frantz’s previous experience as a general dental practice owner and associate is a tremendous asset to SCHC in providing dental health education and care for the families in the community and surrounding areas.

Stephanie Stanley-Harrell - Human Resources Manager

Ms. Stanley-Harrell began working at Sunshine Community Health Center in July 2014 as the Human Resources Manager. She has been working in human resources roles since 1998 and received her Professional Human Resources Certification in February of 2014. She resides in Talkeetna, Alaska with her husband and their son, who currently attends Talkeetna Elementary. Stephanie enjoys the wonderful community and outdoor activities the location has to offer. She loves helping others and feels the health care setting is a great fit between her experience and the joy she receives from helping.