Wendy Andrew (inset) began as executive director of the Chippewa Valley Free Clinic on July 1. (Submitted photos)

Wendy Andre, the new executive director of the Chippewa Valley Free Clinic, is thrilled to be back in her hometown where she was born and raised. She graduated from Memorial High School and studied journalism, public relations, and advertising at UW-Eau Claire.

“I believe in the mission of the Chippewa Valley Free Clinic,” she said in a phone interview. “We’re all about helping people. Since the clinic was founded in 1997, we’ve saved lives through 60,065 patient visits. We provide an important role in our community by helping the uninsured and underinsured get access to medical care.”

Andre has close to two decades of experience in executive leadership roles in the greater Minneapolis-St. Paul area. She has worked for the Muscular Dystrophy Association, the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, and Providers Choice Inc., one of the largest sponsors of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Child and Adult Care Food Program in the United States. Since 1985, it has been supporting and promoting growth among providers who serve meals and snacks to over 55,000 children each year, across the state of Minnesota. 

Over her career, she has honed her skills in operations, strategic planning, human resources, accounting, information technology, project management, grant writing, fundraising, facility management, and workforce management. Through the years, she also earned 11 licenses and certifications in these areas.

Andre will use these skills to propel the organization forward to carry on the hard work and dedication of her predecessor Maribeth Woodford, who retired June 30 after 13 years with the organization. 

“Helping people has always been a large part of my professional and personal goals, and I look forward to continuing and expanding those goals with the Chippewa Valley Free Clinic,” Andre concluded.

Learn more about the Chippewa Valley Free Clinic, 1030 Oak Ridge Drive, Eau Claire, at cvfreeclinic.org.