Norman Wright, PhD, President and CEO
Ex Officio Board Member, President & Chief Executive OfficerDr. Norman Wright was appointed as the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Noorda College of Osteopathic Medicine effective February 1, 2022 following a national search. Prior to his position at the Noorda College of Osteopathic Medicine, he served as the Dean of the Woodbury School of Business at Utah Valley University for eleven years, leading that institution through the introduction of several new undergraduate and graduate programs, two accreditation renewals, significant fundraising, a doubling of the student body and faculty team, creation of a world-class advisory board, and building a new 200,000 square foot business building.
Dr. Wright holds a Ph.D. in Management from Wharton as well as an M.A. degree in Management from the University of Pennsylvania, a Master of Public Administration degree and a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Brigham Young University. Prior to joining the Woodbury School of Business, Dr. Wright served in academic administration for nine years in the United Arab Emirates, Nigeria, and Hawaii.
In addition to his academic work, Dr. Wright maintains close connection with industry through consulting and board service including with organizations such as Kahuku Community Hospital, the Noorda College of Osteopathic Medicine, Academy for Creating Enterprise, and Provo City Power.
Lynsey Drew, DO, FAAFP, MBA
Dean and Chief Academic Officer / Faculty of Family MedicineDr. Drew was appointed Dean and Chief Academic Officer in August 2024 after serving as Acting Dean at Noorda-COM. Previously, she served as Assistant Dean for Clinical Education. A graduate of Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, California and a family medicine physician, Dr. Drew is a native Utahn. She completed a Faculty Development Fellowship and previously served as residency program faculty for the Family Practice residency at Utah Valley Regional Medical Center in Provo. Dr. Drew has been a member of the Osteopathic Medicine Board for the Utah Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing for eight years. She currently serves as President Elect for the Utah Academy of Family Physicians Board of Directors.
Ralph House, CPA, CGMA
Chief Financial OfficerRalph joined the Noorda-COM team in February 2022 as Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Prior to joining Noorda, Ralph had several interim CFO roles in Oregon and Washington working with private equity backed medical businesses. The bulk of Mr. House’s professional career was as the controller and CFO for a large group ophthalmology practice in the Portland, Oregon metro area. Earlier in his career Ralph worked in change management consulting and did two separate stints in public accounting with KPMG and PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Mr. House earned a Bachelor’s and Master of Accountancy degrees from the School of Accountancy in the Marriott School of Management at Brigham Young University. Ralph is a licensed Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and maintains the Certified Global Management Accountant (CGMA) designation. In addition to his duties at Noorda-COM, Ralph has a small CPA consulting practice as well as an active interest in a commercial real estate partnership.
Chris Milliken
Director of Technology OperationsChris Milliken is the Director of Technology Operations and brings over 27 years experience working in information technology, having led and managed IT service divisions for a wide variety of organizations including private, public, not-profit, start-ups, and multi-national corporations. He has specialized in IT service management, network and data center operations, IT security, systems implementation, project management, international operations, and IT organizational development.
After discovering a passion for how technology can positively impact the student experience, he spent 10 years in higher education at Colorado State University Pueblo where he served on President’s Cabinet as Executive Director of IT before accepting the current position at Noorda-COM and relocating to Provo.
A current member of the international business honor society Beta Gamma Sigma, Chris has also served as secretary of the Executive Board Committee of the Sangre de Cristo Arts & Conference Center, a member of Rotary 43, the FBI InfraGard Alliance, Pueblo Critical Systems Infrastructure consortium, Multi-State Information Sharing & Analysis Center, and is currently serving as secretary of the Council for Information Technology of the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM).
Esther Nuebel, PhD
Faculty of Biomedical Sciences - BiochemistryDr. Nuebel graduated from the University of Hohenheim, Germany with her bachelors and master’s degree in clinical nutrition. After a couple of years advising patients on their diet for life in the rare disease community she received a PhD in Biochemistry from the Goethe University Frankfurt, Germany. Dr. Nuebel was at University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), CA for her postdoctoral training investigating hESC and their metabolism and complemented her training with positions at the University of Crete, Greece, the University of Glasgow, Scotland, UK and the University of Utah, UT, USA. Before joining Noorda-COM Dr. Nuebel discovered putative therapeutic targets in the treatment of peroxisomal biogenesis disorders when she was a HHMI fellow at the University of Utah, UT. Dr. Nuebel currently serves as faculty teaching biochemistry in the Biomedical Sciences Department where she can use her passion about supporting the rare disease community to bring biochemistry to life for the new generation of osteopathic physicians. Dr. Nuebel is also staying active in her research projects. Her lab focuses on exploring basic biochemical mechanisms affected by rare diseases, with the intend to support therapeutic interventions.
Analane Powell
Senior Administrative AssistantAnalane Powell is a graduate of Utah Valley University and is the Noorda-COM Senior Administrative Assistant to Academic Affairs and the Department of Research. Ms. Powell has over 25 years of experience as an administrative assistant and has spent most of her career in higher education. Ms. Powell was recognized nationally when she received the 2022 All-Star Hall of Fame Award from Office Ninjas’ for being one of the five highest performing administrative assistants in the United States.
Schyler Richards
Vice President of Institutional AdvancementWith nearly 30 years of Advancement experience in higher education, Schyler Richards has served as Noorda-COM’s Vice President of Institutional Advancement since July 2020. Prior to joining Noorda-COM, Ms. Richards served in the same capacity at Touro University Nevada from 2010 to June 2020. As a member of the senior leadership team at the Noorda-COM, she provides advice and counsel on matters related to the College’s outreach to various external audiences and has overall responsibility for Development, Alumni Relations, Marketing and Public Relations, Advertising, Media Relations, Government Relations, and Community/External Relations. Ms. Richards previously worked at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas holding numerous positions, including Associate Vice President for Alumni & External Relations, Associate Vice President for Community Relations, Chief of Staff to the University President, and Director of Donor Relations and Stewardship.
Lori Seely, MA
Director of Human ResourcesLori Seely is a seasoned Human Resources executive with comprehensive expertise spanning all areas of HR management, from strategic planning of people operations and employee development to legal compliance and employee relations. She brings a wealth of hands-on experience and a proven track record of driving organizational success through strategic leadership and effective people management practices. Lori’s professional experience includes 22 years in higher education administration in the College of Family, Home and Social Sciences at Brigham Young University. As Assistant Dean, she was responsible for administering personnel processes, employee training and development, strategic planning, and representing college faculty and staff in the construction of a new building on campus. She also has experience in the establishment of efficient HR systems and processes, implementation of data-driven strategies to optimize human capital resources, and initiation of training programs to enhance career development.
Lori holds a Master of Arts in Political Science with an emphasis in Constitutional Law and Public Policy, as well as a Bachelor of Science in Psychology with an emphasis in Organizational Behavior and Personal Motivation, both from Brigham Young University. She is the recipient of the Ben E. Lewis Management Award, recognizing excellence in management and leadership at Brigham Young University. Additionally, she is an active member of SHRM and CUSHRM, and has specialized training in project management from the Project Management Institute.
Crissi Stokes, PhD, MPH, RRT
Director of Academic SuccessAfter earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Respiratory Therapy from Weber State University, Dr. Stokes worked as a respiratory therapist at Intermountain Medical Center, a Level I Trauma Center in the Salt Lake Valley. She taught respiratory therapy courses as a full-time senior faculty member and concurrently earned her Masters in Public Health. Prior to her position at Noorda-COM, Dr. Stokes worked as the Director of Respiratory Therapy at Salt Lake Community College where she designed and wrote the curriculum, taught all courses, and organized clinical rotations for students in the program. Dr. Stokes led that program through the pre-accreditation process, secured matriculation agreements, grew the faculty team and successfully graduated many students who work as respiratory therapists throughout the state. She maintained her respiratory therapy license and worked throughout the COVID-19 pandemic at the University of Utah.
Dr. Stokes holds a Doctorate in Health Science from A.T. Still University where her research was focused on burnout and PTSD in healthcare workers in the intensive care unit. As an enthusiastic educator, Dr. Stokes finds true joy in assisting medical students successfully navigate medical school and the board exam process.
Chelsea Weenig
Interim Director of DEIChelsea graduated from Brigham Young University with a Bachelors in Sociology and a minor in Political Science. She brings over seven years of experience as Head of People Operations and Project Manager for international and biotech companies in Utah. She is deeply passionate about strategy, organizational development, employee engagement, and project management, with a strong emphasis on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). Chelsea has extensive experience in outlining and developing DEI trainings to foster a more inclusive atmosphere and enhance employee experiences. In her role as interim Director of Inclusion at Noorda-COM, Chelsea applies a medical perspective to her DEI efforts.
