Leadership Team
Daniel S. Zomchek | 708-492-3900
Network Director
Dr. Zomchek was appointed Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) 12 Director on September 25, 2022. In this role, he oversees 8 medical centers, 40 outpatient clinics, 8 nursing homes, and 7 domiciliaries, offering health care services to almost 800,000 Veterans who reside in its 4-state (Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and Northwest Indiana) area. Prior to assuming the Network Director role, Dr. Zomchek served as Acting Network Director from May through September of 2022. Prior to that, he served as Director of the Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he oversaw the delivery of health care to more than 107K Veterans and was responsible for an operating budget of $730M and a workforce of approximately 4,100 personnel. Previously, Dr. Zomchek also served as the Associate Director of the Edward Hines Jr. VA Medical Center and the Associate Director at the Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial VA Medical Center in Bedford, Massachusetts. Additionally, he served as a Health Systems Specialist for the Veterans Integrated Service Network of Ohio (VISN 10), where he managed various programs and initiatives across a network of five medical centers. While in his position at VISN 10, Dr. Zomchek served as Acting Associate Director of the Iron Mountain VA Medical Center in Iron Mountain, Michigan and as Acting Sub-Initiative Lead for one of the Secretary’s Major Transformation Initiatives. Dr. Zomchek is a Certified Mentor and is board certified in Healthcare Management as a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives.
Ike Lusk | 708-492-3900
Deputy Network Director
Mr. Ike Lusk was appointed Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) 12 Deputy Network Director on March 12, 2023. In this role, he assists in providing oversight of eight VA medical centers, 40 outpatient clinics, eight nursing homes, seven domiciliaries, and health care services to Veterans in Illinois, Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Wisconsin, and Northwest Indiana. Mr. Lusk began his federal career with the Department of Defense in 1990 in Human Resources and later transferred to the Department of Veterans Affairs in 1993. He previously served as the VISN 12 Chief Human Resources Officer, in which he was responsible for providing leadership and guidance for a regional human resources system and implementing HR Modernization within VISN 12. Mr. Lusk has worked in VISN 12 for more than 30 years in progressive roles and has served in multiple VA health care leadership positions. In 2013, he served as Acting Associate Director, Edward Hines, Jr. VA Hospital. In 2018, he served as Acting Deputy Medical Center Director, Jesse Brown VA Medical Center. From 2016 to 2018 and from 2019 to 2020, he served multiple appointments as VISN 12 Acting Deputy Network Director. Mr. Lusk holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Management from Jackson State University, Jackson, Mississippi.
Gregg Meekins | 708-492-3900
Chief Medical Officer
Gregg Meekins, MD, was appointed Chief Medical Officer for Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) 12 on April 24, 2022. In this role, he leads clinical care delivery coordination the Network. Dr. Meekins had a wide range of VA experience, including Chief of Staff at the Tomah VA Medical Center in Tomah, Wisconsin, and Section Chief of Neurology at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center. He is a diplomat of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN) with added subspecialty qualifications in Epilepsy, Clinical Neurophysiology and Neuromuscular Diseases. Dr. Meekins earned his B.S. from Seattle University and his M.D. from Tulane University, and performed his residency in Neurology at the University of Washington and fellowship in Clinical Neurophysiology/Neuromuscular Diseases at the University of Utah. He completed a Senior Executive Fellowship with Harvard University, Kennedy School of Government and has held academic appointments as an Associate Professor of Neurology with the University of Minnesota and University of Washington Schools of Medicine.
Marilyn Algire | 708-492-3900
Acting Chief Nursing Officer
Ms. Marilyn Algire began a detail as Acting Chief Nursing Officer on June 17, 2024. In her regular role, she has been the VISN 12 Deputy Chief Nursing Officer since 2020. She has 24 years of nursing experience in clinical and administrative roles in both the VA and private sector. Ms. Algire began her career at the District of Columbia VA Medical Center in 2010 and transitioned to the Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center in VISN 12 in 2013. She has held a host of clinical and administrative roles at the local and regional level including Magnet Coordinator, Associate Director for Inpatient Services, Quality RN, Risk Management, and Deputy Chief Nursing Officer. As the Deputy Chief Nursing Officer, she has been instrumental in establishing the Chief Nursing Office in V12. Ms. Algire has served in the Acting Chief Nursing Officer role numerous times and is well qualified to lead nursing and clinical services as the Acting Chief Nursing Officer. Ms. Algire holds a Master of Science in Nursing degree, a Master of Science in Public Health, and a Bachelor’s degree in Nursing. Ms. Algire is also a graduate of the Health Care Leadership Development Program (HCLDP) and selected for the Leadership for a Democratic Society (LDS) Program.
Barbara Kelly | 708-492-3900
Quality Management Officer
Ms. Barbara Kelly was appointed Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) 12 Quality Management Officer on October 11, 2020. In this role, she oversees the Quality Management and Performance Improvement Program for the VA Great Lakes Health Care System, which consists of eight medical centers, 41 outpatient clinics, eight nursing homes, and seven domiciliaries. VISN 12 offers health care services to almost 800,000 Veterans who reside within its four-state (Illinois, Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Wisconsin, and Northwest Indiana) area. Facilities in VISN 12 operate 851 medical, surgical, and psychiatric hospital beds, as well as 938 community living center beds and 442 domiciliary beds. Varying in size and complexity, VISN 12 facilities play a fundamental role in training thousands of physicians and allied health care personnel each year. Kelly has been a dedicated VA employee for more than 30 years. She began her nursing career as a Student Nurse Technician before being hired as a Registered Nurse for VA Northern Indiana Healthcare System (VANIHCS). She has served in a variety of clinical and administrative roles over the years at the VA, including staff nurse of Geriatric and Extended Care, Nurse Manager of the Acute Mental Health and Substance Abuse Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program, Clinical Practice Guidelines Coordinator, Chief of Quality Management, and most recently Quality Management Officer. Kelly has a strong background in Quality Management and Mental Health Nursing. She received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Master of Science in Business Management from Indiana Wesleyan University. Kelly has spent over a decade working as an adjunct clinical nursing professor at Indiana Wesleyan University. Kelly is a Fellow of the VISN 11 Leadership Development Program. She is a certified mentor and has served as a Mentor at the VISN and local levels.
