Our Leadership

Becky Howard

Becky Howard has 21 years of healthcare administration and operations experience, including 17 years working in Federally Qualified Health Centers in Minnesota and Arizona. Becky is a strategic operational leader who has experience in clinic operations, state and federal grant management, project management, strategic planning, mission and vision facilitation, budget development and management, staff training and empowerment, group facilitation, emergency preparedness, community network development and public speaking. Throughout her 20 years in healthcare Becky has filled notable leadership positions such as President of the Arizona Women’s Cancer Network, Chair of the Diagnosis and Treatment Committee for the Arizona Cancer Control Program at the Arizona Department of Health Services, Facilitator for FQHC Peer Networking Committees for the Arizona Alliance of Community Health Centers, participated on the State Advisory Board for WIC Outreach in Arizona and was selected as a speaker for the Avon Breast Cancer Crusade’s National Speakers Bureau. Becky has completed trainings with the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), HRSA Learning Team Patient Centered Medical Home and Quality programs, SAMHSA Primary and Behavioral Health Care summit on Access and Integration, and the Comprehensive Cancer Control Leadership Institutes. Becky is a passionate advocate for FQHCs and expanding access to quality, equitable, affordable healthcare for marginalized communities. Becky lives in St Paul, not too far from Open Cities Health Center, and enjoys spending time with her family exploring the cities, listening to music, working in her garden and watching the latest Star Trek series.

Bruce McCarthy, M.D., M.P.H

Mark Garnett

Dr. Mark Garnett is a 2001 graduate of Northwestern Health Sciences University. Since graduating, he has owned and operated two private practices and is currently the department head and treating Chiropractic Physician at Open Cities Health Center. His mission: to serve and educate humanity by providing the highest quality of medical care available regardless of race, creed or socio-economic status. Clinically, his interests include a wide variety of topics that include neuromusculoskeletal dysfunction & injury, autoimmune disease, functional medicine, pediatrics, geriatrics, nutrition, physical rehabilitation and exercise science. His professional and business organizations affiliations include: Ramsey County Community Health Advisory Committee, American Chiropractic Association, Minnesota Chiropractic Association, Black Chiropractors of Minnesota and the Selby Avenue Business Association. He is currently serving as the Chiropractic Alumni Board Chairman at Northwestern Health Sciences University.

Rachel Freyberger, PsyD, LP

Dr. Rachel Freyberger obtained her Doctorate in Counseling Psychology from Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota. She has been working primarily with populations that have experienced both interpersonal and community violence since 2012. Her specialties include narrative therapy interventions and strengths-based approaches that incorporate a multicultural lens. Rachel values patients for who they are and what they bring into the therapy room, and tends to take a holistic approach to her work as well, focusing on how a patient’s physical, emotional, and spiritual health are impacted.

Kate Hollenbach

Dr. Kate Hollenbach is a residency trained primary care optometrist with special interest in ocular disease. She is originally from Cedar Rapids, IA and completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Hollenbach completed her optometric degree at the New England College of Optometry in Boston, and her residency at the Columbus VA Healthcare System. She returned to Minneapolis with her husband in the summer of 2019. Every other year Dr. Hollenbach travels to Peru for one week to help give free exams to hundreds of patients in need; she has a passion for healthcare and education. In her free time, Dr. Hollenbach likes to read, travel, explore the Twin Cities, and play volleyball with her husband. Her current life goals are to improve her Spanish language skills and hike Kilimanjaro!

Archana Alegaonkar

Dr Archana Alegaonkar is a licensed dentist in the state of Minnesota, and she has been a practicing dentist for over 18 years now. She has been working in the twin cities since 2008. Dr Alegaonkar believes that a healthy smile and mouth is a vital part of overall wellbeing and as such preventative dentistry, comprehensive care and overall patient wellness are very important to her. Over the years she has worked in various dental settings from large group practices to public health clinics. She has experience working with patients from diverse and under-resourced communities. She enjoys informing and educating patients about their oral health while delivering compassionate quality care. She always strives to make the dental visit a positive experience for each and every patient.

During the COVID 19 pandemic, she has made patient & staff safety as her highest priority and has enabled OCHC to continue to safely offer dental services to the patients.

Dr. Alegaonkar lives in the twin cities metro area with her husband and kids aged 9 and 13 and 3-month old English Labrador. In her free time she enjoys practicing yoga, reading, art journaling, gardening and travelling with her family.

Renee Wixon

Harold Minor

Maja Zietsman