Leadership & Executive Board

Thomas Gutwein, MD, FACEP

Dr. Gutwein earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from Indiana University and graduated from the IU School of Medicine in 1990. He is president of Professional Emergency Physicians P.C., a team of emergency physicians and physician’s assistants dedicated to providing quality emergency care to patients in northeast Indiana. Gutwein is director of Emergency Medicine at Parkview Health, where he regularly appears on the website in blog posts and videos on health topics ranging from staying safe in extreme heat and dangerous fake prescription drugs to seeking emergency care for chest pain and safety in times of severe weather.

Mindy Waldron, BS, REHS, CP-FS

Mindy Waldron assumed the duties of Department Administrator in 2005 after 13 years of service in public health. She manages the day-to-day operations of a department with a $6.5 million budget and 70 full and part-time employees. Waldron is a native of Fort Wayne who earned her B.S. in environmental science and management from Indiana University, Bloomington. She is a registered environmental health specialist with the state of Indiana and through the National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) and is a Certified Food Safety Professional (CP-FS). She is also a member of the National Association of City & County Health Officials (NACCHO) and Indiana Public Health Association. Waldron recently held a National Regional Executive Board seat with NACCHO representing five states and is currently the Chair of the Indiana Local Health Department Administrator’s Association. Waldron is the recipient of numerous Indiana Environmental Health Association (IEHA) awards, including the Rookie of the Year Award in 1994 and the Tim Sullivan Memorial Award in 2003 for outstanding achievement in the area of Food Protection. Other award include the Frank O’Bannon Sunshine Award for efforts ensuring diligent use of the Department’s resources in 2006; the Volunteer of the Year Award from the Indiana Environmental Health Association for her statewide efforts in combatting problematic legislation on behalf of all Indiana local health departments and the Tony & Mary Hulman Health Achievement Award for Environmental Health for her long history of leadership among Indiana’s local health departments in 2014; the Wellness Award from McMillan Health in 2019; and the 2020 Citizen of the Year from the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette for work in the community during the global COVID-19 pandemic.

Anna Menze, DO, MPH

Dr. Anna Menze began serving as medical director for the Allen County Department of Health in May 2021, working collaboratively with the Health Commissioner and Department Administrator to assess various needs in the community and provide patient care in its medical clinics. She previously worked with the Department gaining public health experience during graduate, medical school and residency rotations before coming on staff in October 2020 to assist with direct medical care in the clinics with a primary focus on refugees and tuberculosis patients. Dr. Menze works full-time in outpatient family medicine for Lutheran Health Physicians and also serves on the credentials and medical executive committees at Dupont Hospital. She completed her family medicine residency with Fort Wayne Medical Education; earned her Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree from DeBusk College at Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, Tenn.; and a Master of Science in Public Health and a Bachelor of Science in Health Science with a minor in Biology from Purdue University, West Lafayette. She currently serves on the board of directors for Kate’s Kart as well as on the advisory committee for the Children’s Health Collaborative.