Events
The Culture Cohort is about IMPACT. Period.
Cultures that Define the Future
Organizations that will thrive in the next decade are those that intentionally shape cultures rooted in adaptability, courage, and innovation. The 2026 Culture Cohort series brings together bold executives, industry visionaries, and change-makers to uncover how leaders can transform workplace culture into a true competitive advantage.
Each session will explore a defining cultural trait—courage, resilience, inclusion—and equip leaders with the insights, tools, and real-world examples they need to lead with purpose and impact. Expect candid conversations, tested strategies, and actionable takeaways designed for those steering organizations through complexity and transformation.
If you’re charged with shaping the future of your business, this is where you’ll gain the clarity and courage to lead differently.
February 2026 Culture Cohort | Cultures of Courage
Tuesday, February 10th, 2026 – 3pm – 6pm
Cultures of Courage: Leading with Conviction in Recognition of Complexity
What does it take to lead with courage when the stakes are high, the path forward is unclear, and every decision has lasting impact? In this inaugural session of our 2026 series, senior executives and cultural architects will dive into the critical role courage plays in shaping thriving organizations.
Courage is not just about bold moves—it’s about creating environments where leaders and teams lean into vulnerability, confront hard truths, and take risks that others avoid. It’s about cultivating trust, resilience, and conviction in the face of disruption.
Join us as we explore:
- How courageous leadership transforms culture from the inside out.
- The hidden costs of fear-based decision making—and how to break free.
- Practical ways to empower teams to embrace uncertainty and act decisively.
- Real stories from leaders who have redefined success by choosing courage over comfort.
This conversation will challenge you to reflect on your own leadership, push beyond the safe zone, and equip you with strategies to build a culture where courage is the catalyst for growth.
If you want your organization to thrive—not just survive—in an era of constant change, courage isn’t optional. It’s essential.
Agenda
- 3:00pm – Doors Open, Networking, Drinks Available
- 3:45pm – Moderated Panel Event and Discussion
- 5:15-6:00pm – Networking and Happy Hour
James Hereford
CEO & Pres., Fairview Health Services
Alissa Partee
COO, Restaurant Technologies
Tim Reimann
President, Veit
James Hereford has served as president and chief executive officer of Fairview Health Services since 2017. Based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Fairview provides exceptional care to patients and communities as one of the most comprehensive and geographically accessible systems in Minnesota.
Under James’ leadership, Fairview has grown to one of the most comprehensive and geographically accessible systems in the state, with 10 hospitals—including an academic medical center—serving the greater Twin Cities metro area and north-central Minnesota. Its broad continuum of care also includes specialty clinics, senior living communities, rehabilitation centers, counseling services, medical transportation, a clinically integrated provider network, one of the state’s largest primary care groups, and one of the largest and most respected health system-owned pharmacy programs in the United States.
Prior to joining Fairview, James served as chief operations officer at Stanford Health Care at Stanford University, helping it to become a top 10 ranked hospital nationally. Previous roles included chief operations officer at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation and a series of leadership roles, including leading the care delivery system, with Group Health Cooperative in Seattle, which was one of the best HMOs in the country. He was responsible for leading the creation of one of the first primary care medical home models implemented at scale across the system, integration of technology into care delivery that brought the use of web technology to support patient access to their medical records and connection to their care teams, and the implementation of a lean management and improvement system across an integrated health plan and care delivery system.
James holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mathematics from Montana State University. He has taught courses at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business, University of Washington’s Master of Health Administration program, and The Ohio State University’s Master of Business Operations Excellence program. He is a frequent writer and presenter on the topic of healthcare transformation and leadership in complex environments.
James recently received the Jim Wolford Business Award from the Sanneh Foundation, a key partner in Fairview’s community advancement efforts. The award celebrates leaders who demonstrate outstanding dedication to ethical business practices, community involvement, and driving positive change.
As the Chief Operations Officer at Restaurant Technologies, Alissa Partee leads operations for the organization that includes 41 depots and over 1,200 employees nationwide. In her first year as COO, she helped create and implement an operations excellence team to ensure the company continues to deliver on its brand promise of superior service to customers.
Alissa joined Restaurant Technologies as Chief People Officer in 2020 after nearly 3 years with the Caribou Coffee Company in a similar role. She utilizes her talents and experience in human resources as COO where she develops leaders, optimizes talent, and builds high-performing teams to make sure every part of the organization is in sync and performing with maximum efficiency.
Her previous experience also includes executive and management positions at Marvin Windows and Doors, Buffalo Wild Wings, and a boutique executive compensation & consulting firm, The Delves Group. When it comes to business, Alissa pushes for clarity and focus and can often be heard reminding people: “It’s really easy to over-complicate something, but it’s really difficult to over-simplify it.” Alissa holds a bachelor’s in human resource development from the University of Minnesota, and a dual-concentration MBA in Corporate Finance and Human Resources Management from the DePaul Driehaus College of Business.
Tim Reimann joined Veit as President in 2020. Since that time, Veit has doubled in size and continues to pursue its vision of becoming the premier, full-service, heavy civil construction company in the upper Midwest. Tim and his leadership team are driven to make Veit a leader in safety, employee wellbeing, client experience, operational excellence, and technology innovation.
Tim partners with organizations across the industry, participates in trade associations, and represents Veit at community events. Communication is a priority for him, and he makes sure employees, business partners, and clients stay informed about Veit’s goals, performance, and continuous improvement efforts. Others have described Tim’s leadership style as people-centered, principled, collaborative, results-oriented, and transformational.
After graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy, Tim served for seven years as a submarine officer in the Navy. He later earned his master’s degree from the University of Maryland.
Before joining Veit, Tim served for five years as Executive Vice President of Operations at McGough Construction, a large regional general contractor. Prior to that, he spent 13 years at Andersen Corporation, the largest window manufacturer in the United States, in a range of leadership roles spanning manufacturing, product development, and supply chain. Earlier in his career, he held an operations leadership role at Interelate, an IT startup company, and worked as a consultant with RWD Technologies, an operations management consulting firm.
Outside of work, Tim and his wife, Mary, enjoy spending time with their family, adventuring outdoors, and supporting local community building and veteran-related causes.