Greater Watertown Community Health Foundation appoints Wehmeier as CEO 

In tandem with an announcement made by the Jefferson County administrator’s office, the board of the Greater Watertown Community Health Foundation on Thursday announced Ben Wehmeier will serve as the organization’s next president and CEO.

According to the release, “Wehmeier will spearhead the next evolution of the foundation’s journey, nurturing local, state and national partnerships and mobilizing resources to create transformational improvements in family and community wellbeing.” 

“We are proud of what the Foundation has accomplished over its first nine years. Expanding our leadership team is an opportunity to build on the powerful groundwork that we’ve laid, accelerating our impact on behalf of children and families,” foundation Board Chairman Mike Sullivan was quoted as saying in the release.

Wehmeier will succeed founding CEO, Tina Crave, who will transition to a newly created chief transformation officer role, the release stated, describing that position as “providing program leadership to drive expanded investments in youth mental health.” 

Within the release, Wehmeier said: ”The Greater Watertown Community Health Foundation has been a trusted partner and collaborator in my time as the county administrator. They provided a variety of tools that allowed opportunities to look at proactive changes to improve the ecosystem of the region with the expectation of returning results. I look forward to building upon this foundation and continuing efforts to grow the impact of the region with the ambitious plan the board has laid out, partnering with stakeholders on community wellbeing. As a collaborative partner and change agent, the foundation has an opportunity to impact not only Jefferson and Dodge counties, but also regions beyond.”

Prior to his position as Jefferson County administrator, the release stated, Wehmeier served the village of Lemont, Ill., in various roles including village administrator, assistant village administrator and interim community development director. Wehmeier also is a retired Army officer with 20 years of service on active duty and with the National Guard. He served in various leadership positions including commander, deputy commander/executive officer, military advisor – Operation Iraqi Freedom, and oversaw a short medical mission to the Dominican Republic, the release read. 

Wehmeier holds a Juris Doctor and Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Northern Illinois University, a Master’s in Management from Webster University, an undergraduate degree in public policy and administration from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, He holds an executive certificate in public policy from Harvard Kennedy School.

Said Sullivan: “Our ability to attract a candidate of Ben’s caliber from within our own community is really a testament to the work we have accomplished so far. Ben brings the necessary experience to lead our next phase. He is a proven collaborator who has led powerful change in Jefferson County. We are confident that we have the expanded leadership team needed to supercharge our ambitious vision.”

The release noted that “with input from community partners, the foundation has “set bold goals, seeking more transformational outcomes.”

Within the release, three priorities were presented:

• Mobilize additional funding: Over the next 10 years the foundation seeks to bring more than $50 million in public and private co-investments into our community, matching its own commitment of investing $50+ million in building strong families and thriving communities.
  
• Lead innovation in youth mental health: The foundation plans to significantly expand investments in social emotional wellbeing, equipping the community to lead innovation that builds resilience and shapes environments that nurture wellbeing.
  
• Policy advocacy: The foundation will build the community’s collective capacity to work with state and national partners to advance public policies that support wellbeing.

Sullivan added: ”Since the foundation’s formation in 2016, we have been humbled by partners’ ability to collaborate in building strong families and thriving communities. Progress made by partners has garnered the support of social change leaders across the country, including co-investments from multiple state agencies and a $5 million investment from national philanthropist MacKenzie Scott. We are thrilled to add leadership resources to further amplify community impact.”

An announcement made by the county administrator’s office about Wehmeier’s new position is here: https://fortatkinsononline.com/jefferson-county-administrator-accepts-position-in-watertown/.