Foundation Staff
Our staff is happy to help you with any questions or donations you may have. Feel free to call or stop by any time.
Lorrie Erusha
President
(319) 369-4768
lerusha@mercycare.org
Lorrie M. Erusha, MOL, CFRE leads all philanthropic activities in support of the hospital as President of the Mercy Medical Center Foundation. Lorrie brings the full weight of her professional and volunteer experience to bear in a longstanding fight for the common good. She meets people where they are, helping them identify and cultivate their passion for giving. This, in turn, fuels her own fire, and keeps the day-to-day work creative, fun and surprising. With experience in different industries, she has found her mission in philanthropy. As Director of Philanthropy at Tanager Place, she helped raise significant funds for the treatment of children.
Servant leadership and hard-earned life lessons have crafted who Lorrie is. She is a graduate of the University of Arizona, and earned her master’s degree in organizational leadership at St. Ambrose University. She has held several community leadership roles, served on boards of directors, and was most recently president of her AFP Chapter. She and her husband, Bruce, love to travel and welcome new experiences. They have three adult children and are grandparents to one precious grandchild. Lorrie is an avid reader and loves live theatre, bicycling and long walks with Simon.
Mindy Kayser
Vice President of Community Engagement
(319) 398-6278
mkayser@mercycare.org
Mindy brings more than 20 years of local nonprofit administration, marketing, communications and fundraising experience to her position with the Mercy Foundation. Her work history includes leadership roles with The Salvation Army as Director of Development and Communications and, most recently, Goodwill, as Vice President of Marketing. Mindy holds an undergraduate degree in journalism and mass communications from Drake University and a master’s degree in public policy from the University of Northern Iowa.
Mindy’s first memorable service experience was traveling to South Carolina with a church youth group to assist relief efforts after Hurricane Hugo hit the area in 1989. It was after this experience that she knew her calling was service to others. Mindy was moved to join Mercy because of its influential legacy, its enduring ministry of care and for the positive impact it has on the health and wellbeing of so many. She enjoys working with donors on their charitable goals and takes great pride in promoting the Mercy mission through philanthropic support.
Mindy's favorite pastime is supporting her three boys in their interests and activities and creating family memories through experiences big and small.
Patti Kunz
Director of Philanthropy
(319) 369-4748
pkunz@mercycare.org
Patti joins the Mercy Foundation as a leader with a passion to serve. She is dedicated to helping people change the world through philanthropy. While serving as a United States Peace Corps volunteer in Nicaragua, she realized service is where God calls her to be. Working with others to share in their philanthropic goals gives her great energy. Patti is a proud Rotarian and serves on many community boards. Before coming to Mercy, she served as the director of development at Cedar Valley Habitat for Humanity.
Patti graduated from Lake Forest College with a degree in business administration and a minor in Spanish. Patti is married to her husband, Kyle, and they have two daughters. Their family enjoys going to their cabin in Wisconsin, boating on the Mississippi River, biking and being outdoors.
Jennifer Perkins
Senior Accountant
Jennifer brings more than 20 years of finance and accounting experience to her position with the Mercy Foundation and has spent most of career in the non-profit sector.
Jennifer is a Cedar Rapids native and graduate of Mount Mercy University with a B.A. in Accounting. She is passionate about giving and serving others, which made the Mercy Foundation the perfect fit for her.
She enjoys crafting and spending her free time with husband, Dustin, and their twins, Delaney and Cooper. She especially loves spectating the many activities that keep her children busy.
Julie Potter
Project Coordinator
(319) 398-6206
jpotter@mercycare.org
Julie has been with Mercy Foundation since 2008. Prior to Mercy, Julie was employed with McLeodUSA for 18 years as a senior administrative services manager.
Julie and her husband enjoy vacationing near the boundary waters of Minnesota, spending time with their two grown sons and rooting for Northern Illinois football.
An ardent supporter of Waypoint, her favorite quote motivates her daily: “Not to decide, is to decide.” – Harvey Cox
Christine Stevenson
Donor Services Specialist
(319) 398-6196
castevenson@mercycare.org
Chris processes incoming gifts, manages the donor/prospect database and produces gift and fund reports for the staff.
Prior to Mercy, Chris worked for 15 years in a family-owned business providing payroll and accounting services. Chris is a native of Cedar Rapids whose ties to Mercy run deep as she was born at Mercy and had both her children here at Mercy. She graduated from the University of Iowa with a B.A. in Business and enjoys spending time with her two grown children and husband, cheering on the Hawkeyes, traveling to concerts and boating on Coralville Lake.
Potique ‘Tiki’ Johnson
Donor Services Specialist
(319) 398-6196
castevenson@mercycare.org
Tiki works alongside Chris processing incoming gifts and managing the donor/prospect database. Both Tiki and Chris play important roles in supporting donor stewardship.
Tiki has more than 20 years of experience in business management and administration in the hospitality and entertainment industry. While Tiki was born in Maryland and has lived in other states, she has spent most of her life in the Cedar Rapids area and considers it home. Her daughter, Lindsey, was born at Mercy and Tiki believes strongly in the healing faith of the Mercy community. Tiki graduated from Kirkwood with an associate's and paralegal degree and has completed many additional certification courses, a reflection of her commitment to lifelong learning and her passion for mastering new things. She and her husband, Jim, travel north to Minnesota each year for vacation, where they enjoy cabin life and fishing at the lake.
