In our Staff Showcase series, we’re highlighting individuals who make Canvas Health an exceptional mental health provider.
Join us in thanking our incredible staff for their contributions to our mission!
Celebrating 20 Years with Canvas Health
Dean Gorall
Dean Gorall is the Supervisor of the Family Treatment Program which is one of the oldest programs within the agency. He first came to the agency and began working in the Family Treatment Program to complete his internship in 1996.
Dean has been a constant calm, smart and articulate presence within the Child Division for the last 20 years. Dean has spent much of his career working with families who are experiencing the most difficult of relational struggles. He has seen many Washington County families when they are at their worst, lowest and most vulnerable. Dean’s collaboration, sensitive style and clinical expertise is seen, heard, and felt by his clients, co-therapists, and colleagues.
In 2018 Dean became the supervisor of the Family Treatment Program. And since our go live date with Profiler in 2010, Dean has put in countless hours of Electronic Health Record training for virtually all employees entering the agency. Hundreds of Canvas Health employees have been touched by his humor, kindness, and teaching.
Dean – Thank you for your 20 years of service to children and their families.
Colleen Pavel-Brown
Colleen started at HSI in 2003 in the Accounts Payable role. She was in that role for a few years and then moved to doing AP role and AR role as a transition into full time AR Specialist. Then after a few years, Colleen’s role was split into part-time AR and part-time purchasing when a colleague retired. Colleen now does a split between Purchasing and AR. Colleen does all purchasing for programs supplies and office supplies. She answers client calls, works on billing questions, sends out county billing and contract billing and does all follow up on our work comp and EAP billing. Colleen also does all client collections.
For everyone that doesn’t know Colleen, she is a kid at heart. She never wants to grow up, and she is always keeping AR on our toes and laughing. Right when you think you have heard everything, Colleen will one-up herself, make your jaw drop, and leave you laughing. AR started a list of funny Colleen stories for her award write up, but we decided to keep all those stories to our “inner jokes” for AR. Colleen has been a great asset to Canvas and AR. She has given Canvas Health 20 years, and we hope to have 20 more years of funny stories. Thank you, Colleen!
Ping An Liu
Ping joined the agency in 2003 as an Accountant and has seen numerous accounting and financial reporting changes during that time, from adding and closing programs to becoming a CCBHC in 2022. Ping participated in 20 annual external audits (which is an accomplishment in itself) and helped Canvas Health pass these audits with minimal or no findings.
Ping has also helped implement and customize our current accounting system to make sure it meets the agency’s needs, and he has trained and mentored our Accounts Payable Specialists over the years to ensure invoices and expenses are entered correctly into our accounting system. In addition, Ping prepares our monthly reports and addresses questions from program leaders to help them understand their financials. Thank you Ping for 20 years of dedicated service to Canvas Health!
Celebrating 25 Years with Canvas Health
Heather Mundis
Heather Mundis has had a tremendous career at Canvas Health. Twenty-five years ago she was hired in HSI’s violence intervention program for adolescents. From there Heather’s leadership was recognized and when HSI was approached to build a mobile crisis team, Heather was up to the challenge. She built and then ran a 24/7/365 mobile crisis team serving Washington County. Her wonderful work over the years poised Canvas Health to take on 7 additional counties providing mobile crisis services.
When Heather reflects back on all her accomplishments over the years, her proudest moments are building the mobile crisis team and saving so many lives through the work. Seven years ago an opportunity opened up in outpatient where Heather would be allotted the ability to be located closer to her home in Forest Lake. She welcomed the shorter drives and ability to take on a new challenge, becoming the supervisor in the outpatient clinic.
Over the years she has been an ambassador to other programs in the Forest Lake office as well as showing willingness to go to external events to help highlight the need for mental health services and promote the great work that is being done at Canvas Health. Heather always prides herself on trying to help her staff and clients through attending to the physical, emotional, sexual, and spiritual health for all those served in Forest Lake. Heather exemplifies the mission of Canvas Health by instilling hope to all those who come in contact with her; provide healing to her clients and coworkers; and by promoting recovery in her daily work with her clients and all the clients who are seen at the Forest Lake clinic. Canvas Health has benefited greatly for Heather’s 25 years of dedication and service.
Nancy Nelson
Canvas Health has had the privilege of having Nancy Nelson part of our staff for well over 20 years. If you know Nancy you know that being the center of attention is not something she enjoys, and you also know that Nancy has always taken pride in her work. She expresses gratitude for being given the opportunity to work with so many amazing people, both staff and clients. She views problems and struggles as opportunities to overcome, and she has always kept clients at the center of her work long before person-centered thinking was a thing.
Nancy began working for Canvas Health in 1997 as a vocational counselor and she can tell you about the many changes and roles she has participated in over the years. In 2010, Nancy decided to take a break from Canvas Health, but about 6 months later John Savereide approached her about a great opportunity at Canvas to make a difference in people’s lives. Nancy returned because of her respect for John and excitement about the work. She has been working with John in Housing Services ever since. They have been the dynamic duo of housing and helping people succeed in their housing.
Nancy always sees the good in people and situations. She is always kind, genuine, and willing to lend a helping hand. Even though she is “retired,” she continues working for Canvas 8 hours a week because she wants to make sure Canvas’s transition out of some housing programs goes well. Again, always thinking about ways she can help. It is with respect and gratitude that we say THANK YOU Nancy for all that you have done to make the world a better place for so many people.