Leadership

Diane S. Cross became President and CEO of Fraser in 1989. Her hard work has been instrumental in building the nonprofit into the nationally recognized multi-service organization it is today. When she started, Fraser had a $1 million operating budget and served 200 individuals a year. Under Diane’s guidance, the annual budget has grown to $85+ million, and Fraser now serves over 12,000 individuals each year.

Recently, Diane has pushed to reach even more families throughout Minnesota by expanding telehealth services and opening the Autism Center of Excellence® satellite locations. With her leadership, Fraser continues to make a meaningful and lasting difference for individuals and families living with diverse intellectual, emotional or physical needs, by providing a lifetime of quality healthcare, housing, education, employment and support services.

“Over the years, I’ve talked to so many individuals and families that we’ve helped, and I’ll never get tired of hearing about their victories — both big and small. That’s why I’m excited to come to work every day, to help individuals and families find what success looks like for them. My job has never been work. It is a calling, a passion,” Diane says.

Before she started at Fraser, she was the Director of Medical Rehabilitation and Education at Courage Center, where she led the organization through major growth, obtained Medicare CORF Accreditation and established the contract outreach arm of the organization. She is credited with much of the success that Courage Center achieved during her tenure. The majority of the programs she established continue to serve the organization today. Before Courage Center, Diane practiced as a certified audiologist.

Diane was appointed and currently serves on the Board of Governors of the University of Minnesota Health (M-Health), the Board of Directors of the University of Minnesota Health Clinics and Surgery Center, Inc., the Board Advisory Committee of the University of Minnesota Masonic Children’s Hospital and the Altair ACO Board. Diane is also a member of the Minnesota Women’s Economic Roundtable, Women Business Leaders of the U.S. Health Care Industry Foundation, Women’s Health Leadership Trust and the American Hospital Association Leadership Development Committee.

She has also received numerous awards and distinctions like the American Music Therapy Association Advocacy Award and being named an industry leader by the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal. Most recently, she was honored with the Children’s Law Center of Minnesota Heroes for Children Award.

Diane received a Bachelor of Science degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Ohio University. She also earned a master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. She has said that education helped propel her to success, which is why she is so committed to providing continuing education for her employees.

Diane and her husband, Jan Andersen, live in Minnetonka. She has two sons. In her spare time, she enjoys gardening, CrossFit, and international travel. Her husband is from Denmark.

Jim Olson started as Chief Financial Officer at Fraser in July 2021, following the retirement of Michael Nass. Jim has a wealth of experience in healthcare finance and a proven track record of improving an organization’s financial performance and bottom line. His last position perfectly aligns with the role of CFO at Fraser.

Jim formerly worked at People Incorporated Mental Health Services, where he has served as CFO for 7 years. He managed revenue, accounting, strategic financial analysis, IT, facilities, development and central access. Before that, Jim also worked in finance, analysis and revenue for Regions Hospital, Fairview Health Services and Park Nicollet Health Services.

“I have over 25 years of finance and accounting experience, with the most recent 18 years being in healthcare finance and accounting,” says Jim. “I am very excited to be part of Fraser, as it has a very strong reputation for autism and early childhood mental health services, which are areas I am very passionate about.”

He was honored by the Business Journal as CFO of the year in the health care category in 2017. Jim has a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of St. Thomas and a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of St. Thomas.

He lives in Mendota Heights with his spouse and daughter. His family loves spending time outside, and he enjoys collecting and restoring old cars.